Why I am probably not going to Jamaica anytime soon...

Satya

Satya

C'est la vie
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http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/281361

Today has been proclaimed 'Gay Eradication Day' by residents of the McGregor Gully community in East Kingston. Residents say that they will be taking action as a two-week notice given to all gays and lesbians to flee the community has now expired.

The Jamaica Star is reporting that two weeks ago, residents of McGregor Gully declared they were fed up with gay behavior, and ordered all gays to leave by today. Those who did not leave would "suffer the consequences" Those residents who are willing to admit that they are taking part in the gay rousting say they are doing it to protect their families and in an effort to keep their community from falling into disrepute. According to the residents, the main problem is a local hangout that is frequented by lesbians who "kiss, hug, and even touch each other." And the community's anger is directed mostly at those lesbians, though any gay men who reside in the area are also expected to leave. The residents say they will not stop until their community is "gay free" and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures, though they would not explicitly say what those measures might be.
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Yet another example of the irrationality of the masses.
 
Really?

[youtube]aIUZlzd37sI[/youtube]

This is Buju Banton's "Boom Bye Bye". It's a popular song in Jamaica about killing gays.
 
Well, I have to tell you, I never listened to the song, sorry, but no, I would never have really thought that Jamaica or Jamaicans in general were particularly violent against gays. I suppose it is a stereotype but, yes, I thought they were pretty laid-back.

I guess I live in a sheltered world. Nobody I know goes around wanting to kill people, unless it is purely fictional. :(
 
Is that the only town there?
 
I'm really not surprised. Here or anywhere, really. Homosexuality, until fairly recently, has been a taboo subject. It's going to take time for some people to get acclimated to the idea. While I'm all for equal treatment, at the same time, I understand that there's no universal light switch that's going to off and suddenly everyone around the world is going to welcome homosexuality with open arms. After all, it's been just a little over a decade since the movement took off. Deeply ingrained suspicions and taboos are not just going to disappear over night. Whenever people feel threatened (culturally, in this case) some of them are going to react in violent ways.

I'll expect you to be putting together quite a large collection of places where you won't want to travel before the year is done. It's going to be a slow moving process. :/
 
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My only experience with Jamaicans is through the Reggae community. It's ironic that the music preaches of peace, love, and unity. Recently a Jamaican Reggae artist was scheduled to play at a venue in my area, but he was known to have anti-homosexual lyrics. The kids in the area and the bands that were going to play protested and ended up doing a benifit show elsewhere for the Gay and Lesbian community. The venue decided not to cancel the show and it ended up being a huge flop. Most of the people that showed up didn't ever pay to get in the door. Instead they pickted outside of the bar.
It was pretty cool to see.
 
I think we have to be fair, though; hopefully the majority of the people don't feel this way. 'Course, I think if you look at the United States I think we're about the same - we're just less vocal about it and we have strong GLBT alliances in schools and colleges. Jamaica probably doesn't have that. Instead, you have people deciding to turn the hate on a certain group of people, to take folks' minds off of the real problems (poverty, lack of education, etc).

But I wouldn't attack an entire nation for a few leader idiots. The leaders have to be educated; then the people will follow. What's needed is a strong, pro-GLBT group willing to protest down there. It would definitely be dangerous (see Selma, Alabama in the late 50s/early 60s), but without protests many people will probably get killed.
 
arbygil said:
I think we have to be fair, though; hopefully the majority of the people don't feel this way. 'Course, I think if you look at the United States I think we're about the same - we're just less vocal about it and we have strong GLBT alliances in schools and colleges. Jamaica probably doesn't have that. Instead, you have people deciding to turn the hate on a certain group of people, to take folks' minds off of the real problems (poverty, lack of education, etc).

But I wouldn't attack an entire nation for a few leader idiots. The leaders have to be educated; then the people will follow. What's needed is a strong, pro-GLBT group willing to protest down there. It would definitely be dangerous (see Selma, Alabama in the late 50s/early 60s), but without protests many people will probably get killed.
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That is part of the problem, they can't...

As it is, Jamaica's gays socialize at underground nightclubs and worship at secret church services that move around the island. The leading gay rights organization, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, must lie low even as it pushes for societal change.
The commander of the Mandeville police station, Inspector Claude Smith, while making it clear that his religious beliefs firmly oppose homosexuality, rejected the notion that the police condone violence against gays. Enforcement of the law against homosexuality, he said, should be up to the police, not angry mobs.
He predicted that the climate would not soon change for gays.
"Based on the response of these mobs, people get very angry when they come across them," he said. "I don't think they can survive in the open."
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You would need to be extremely brave to fight for equal rights under those conditions.

I guess it gives me a better perspective of the kind of conditions the African Americans in this country had to fight through.
 
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There is no big H branded on their heads. They can go there legally, and then get together and protest.

I don't think this law would apply to tourism, or they'd lose their tourist trade.
 
TheDaringHatTrick said:
I'm really not surprised. Here or anywhere, really. Homosexuality, until fairly recently, has been a taboo subject. It's going to take time for some people to get acclimated to the idea. While I'm all for equal treatment, at the same time, I understand that there's no universal light switch that's going to off and suddenly everyone around the world is going to welcome homosexuality with open arms. After all, it's been just a little over a decade since the movement took off. Deeply ingrained suspicions and taboos are not just going to disappear over night. Whenever people feel threatened (culturally, in this case) some of them are going to react in violent ways.

I'll expect you to be putting together quite a large collection of places where you won't want to travel before the year is done. It's going to be a slow moving process. :/
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What she said.
 
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