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Jamaican Prime Minister calling for gay civil rights

staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
edited April 2012 in Strut Central


I was not aware of this. I wonder if this was really a main point of her campaign but it seems quite cool that this is going on in Jamaica.
So is the situation for g&l's in Jamaica really that bad? What do people make of Simpson-Miller?
Simpson-Miller just began her second stint in six years as Jamaica's PM, and she's kicking off the country's 50th anniversary of independence by calling for the island to sever ties with the British monarchy. More impressive, however, is that she did something few thought possible in one of the world's most homophobic nations: she called for full civil rights for gays and lesbians. One has to understand Jamaica's violently antihomosexual history to appreciate her courage, which could resonate throughout the region if she's successful.

TIME Link

  Comments

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    staxwax said:

    So is the situation for g&l's in Jamaica really that bad?

    As bad as water is wet.

    There have been a few refugee applications (some successful) here in Canada for folks who lives were in danger if they were to go back.
  • Bon VivantBon Vivant The Eye of the Storm 2,018 Posts
    staxwax said:


    I was not aware of this. I wonder if this was really a main point of her campaign but it seems quite cool that this is going on in Jamaica.
    So is the situation for g&l's in Jamaica really that bad?

    TIME Link

    Ever heard Limb by Limb by Cutty Ranks?
  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    Of course I know there's tons of homophobic lyrics in reggae, it always makes me feel slightly uncomfortable playing certain dancehall tunes in public or in the company of non-heterosexual peeps (although nine times out of ten they dont know what the hell is being said or sung) -
    still doesnt stop me from enjoying say nuttin no go so by notch or praise ye jah by sizzla - but then theres lots of homophobia in the rapps too - that doesnt necessarily mean the situation on the ground for g&l has to be that bad. But I guess it is. Are there any JA based strutters posting??
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Sex between men is illegal in Jamaica, so there is no real recourse for the violence. A quick scan on the internet will produce news stories and personal accounts of what has happened to LGBT folks, or those suspected of it.

    I have yet to be around rap fans or go to a rap show where the out and out murder of gays is called for....I can't say the same for dancehall, sometimes with gay folks standing right next to me...but we already covered that on the Board.

    Magnetic can speak to the temperature on the ground, maybe even AKAllday who spends a lot of time there, but there is no ambiguity about extreme homophobia in Jamaica.
  • hogginthefogghogginthefogg 6,098 Posts
    staxwax said:
    praise ye jah by sizzla

    The song in which he says, "Rasta nah mix up with homo"?
  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    hogginthefogg said:
    staxwax said:
    praise ye jah by sizzla

    The song in which he says, "Rasta nah mix up with homo"?

    That's the one..
  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
  • magneticmagnetic 2,678 Posts
    A lot of influential people here are living the closeted lifestyle.

    http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20080502/news/news1.html

    Portia held this stance when she and the former prime minister were asked where they stood on the matter, in the
    pre-election debates that were held late last year.

    The big irony though is the same dancehall/reggae artists that seem to be most anti-gay work behind the scenes
    with gay people in most facets of the business ( clothing designers,managers,tv interviewers etc) on the local scene.

    The skin bleaching & tight clothes aspect in dancehall definitely has it's origins in gay culture.
  • hogginthefogghogginthefogg 6,098 Posts
    Magnetic! Welcome back.
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