Jamaica’s Culture of Torture and Death

Timothy Kincaid

July 21st, 2009

jamaica-flag.bmpJamaica is an evil place to live if you are gay. This we have reported on this many times.

The Associated Press has an article that reports, yet again, the daily torture and careless cruelty that Jamaicans impose on the gay sons and daughters of that island.

By now, you’d think I’d be immune to yet another Jamaica story. But this paragraph got to me.

Sherman, meanwhile, is simply trying to move on with his life. But he said he will always remember how, after his attack, patrolmen roughly lifted his bloodied body out of their squad car when a man admonished them for aiding a “batty boy.” A woman shamed them into driving him to a hospital; they stuffed him in the car’s trunk.

So predominant is hatred of gay people there that it outweighs basic decency – simple compassion you’d show a dog.

John

July 21st, 2009

I’ll bet that these folks would appeal to something in the Bible too in order to justify their behavior towards gays. Yet while they may self-righteously consider themselves to be good lil’ Christians they completely ignore the message in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It wasn’t just that the charitable act that this Samaritan did for an injured Jew, while the man’s fellow Jews and leaders ignored his plight, but that someone Jews considered to be a heretic worthy of hell had grace enough to do this.

Joe

July 21st, 2009

I boycott anything Jamaican and I also tell my straight friends for what it is and to visit another friendlier island instead. Up yours Golding!
When I see a tourist bureau advertising Jamaica, I walk in and tell them how it is and ask to have them remove their advertising for Jamaica.
Until Jamaican elected officials make an effort, it’s a lost cause.

Suzan

July 21st, 2009

Treat Jamaica the way we treated the apartheid government of South Africa and the way many are now treating Israel.

Total boycott. Do not buy anything from Jamaica including coffee, music etc. Do not travel there. Tell cruise lines you will not travel on cruise ships that dock in Jamaica.

----

July 21st, 2009

I wonder which religion is worse regarding gays: the kind of Christianity predominant in that island, or Rastafarianism?

Emily K

July 22nd, 2009

John: Jews don’t believe in Hell.

Johnson

July 22nd, 2009

Jamaica lives and dies on tourism (overwhelmingly from the US) and until they feel the economic squeeze, this will continue and only get worse.

John

July 22nd, 2009

Emily: Interesting but not the point. One doesn’t hear of Jamaican Jews causing problems, but instead many so-called Christians from Jamaica. By that I mean faithful and cultural Jamaican Christians.

Priya Lynn

July 22nd, 2009

Jamaica is a good example of why simple laws against assault and murder are inadequate. Despite it being against the law to assault or murder gays such crimes happen in disproportionate numbers against the gay community and the law enforcement officers frequently only pay lip service to such laws when it comes to gays A hate crimes law there would quickly send the message that targeting gays for who they are won’t be tolerated and is a crime against a community as well as the individual involved.

tinagrrl

July 22nd, 2009

Boycott all things Jamaican.

Write about it. Speak up about it.

Their culture has no redeeming value.

Christopher Waldrop

July 22nd, 2009

Priya, your comment reminded me of something I read several years ago about how in my city (and probably most others as well) places where gay men got together were often high-crime areas. Police looked the other way when the victims of muggings or assault were gay men. I agree that simple laws against assault and murder aren’t enough, but there needs to be a cultural shift as well. Police need to treat everybody equally under the law.

mikeksf

July 22nd, 2009

I believe it was just a month or so ago that calls went out to boycott Jamaican tourism. The local gay goup opposed that idea and so it seems to have gone nowhere.
I’d like to suggest pressure, demonstrations and boycotts targeted at Ziggy Marley. He’ll be in LA on 7/25/09 and then in Honolulu. His music and family are intimately associated with Jamaica. I don’t know if he has spoken out on the issue, but, if he is the man of conscious and compassion his music of love and family and god proclaim than his words are certainly needed. If he supports this culture of hate than we need to know that.

Mike Airhart

July 23rd, 2009

A boycott effort was launched several months ago.

However, the one GLBT Jamaican organization opposes any action, and many U.S. GLBT organizations refuse to support a boycott that is not supported locally.

Before a successful boycott can take root, there must be a broad and well-funded public education effort to demonstrate that inaction and denial will not keep gay Jamaicans safe.

The Jamaican GLBT group, J-FLAG, seeks donations to stop the violence — but they say nothing about what they would do with the money, other than buy office supplies.

http://www.jflag.org/

ANDRIA

July 27th, 2009

It is unfair and unrealistic to say boycott Jamaica, and that Jamaicans are so call christians. How can you put all Jamaicans in one catagory. If that is the case then we can say all gays have AIDS and is sure to burn in hell. I am Jamaican and have many gay friends. I love people for who they are not what they are. that is the preception of almost all the individuals I know. people have a right to their openion, as long as no one get hurt. violence and hatred can come from anywhere not just Jamaica.

Timothy Kincaid

July 27th, 2009

people have a right to their openion, as long as no one get hurt.

Indeed.

But in Jamaica they seem to get hurt at a much higher rate than anywhere else in the Americas. Jamaica is a cauldron of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination.

And if you have gay friends, and if you really and truly like those friends, you will try to make their lives better and work for their freedom and equality rather than criticize those who actually want to benefit the lives and improve the freedom of your “friends”.

kayla

August 8th, 2009

okay you guys are so stupid to even think of writing soemthing this unrealistic. like what? some of my riends are gay and we went to jamaica for grade 12 and they treated them with as much respect as they treated the other people. you people are hating because it is such a beautiful country. I’m white and i think Jamaica is a wonderful place, for everyone! No one cares what you say, It’s dumb and immature for whoever even wrote this nonsense artical.

kayla

August 8th, 2009

And by the way, Jamaica has the most tourist out of all the countries for 2009 so all you guys are saying went to waste. and so will you for believing this crap.

Brianna

August 9th, 2009

Jealous much? Why would you boycott? How stupid! You can find something bad about every country but you decide to just boycott Jamaica? Wow… Rasists. I call them like I see them. I will always love Jamaica. IT HAS THE MOST TOURISTS FOR 2009 BABY! YEA!

Timothy Kincaid

August 10th, 2009

kayla/Brianna,

Jamaica isn’t even in the top ten of countries visited by tourists.

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