apothecary Posted October 24, 2006 For the Rastas ================================================================ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3653140.stm The homophobic lyrics of Jamaican reggae stars have hit the headlines, but what is the reality of being gay in a society where it is illegal to practise your sexuality? Michael is verbally abused, threatened and spat at every time he leaves his home in Kingston, Jamaica, but the 20-year-old student considers himself lucky. He has friends who have been beaten and stabbed because they are gay but, as yet, he has not been attacked. He knows it could happen anytime. "My friends have been chopped up and all of that, you'd think they were a piece of meat in the slaughter house. It is terrible," he says. Every time he goes out he is called a "battyman" - an abusive term for a gay man - and says the general attitude in Kingston is if you are homosexual you may as well be dead. Asylum "There is always someone who says 'battyman, beat him up, chop him up, kill him'. I fret and check if they are coming to get me," he says. Jamaica has a history of entrenched homophobia and violent attacks on gay men and women. The situation hit the headlines in the UK earlier this month when two controversial Jamaican reggae acts - Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel - were dropped from the British Music of Black Origin (Mobo) awards for refusing to apologise in writing for homophobic lyrics. The church is saying homosexuality is wrong and the entertainers are saying 'kill them' - how are we going to be able to live openly as gays in Jamaica? Michael Michael speaks more in this 1Xtra documentary The row also resulted in an event, flagged-up as the biggest reggae festival in the UK for almost 20 years, being cancelled earlier this month. But homophobia in Jamaica goes far beyond songs lyrics, with gay men and women "beaten, cut, burned, raped and shot on account of their sexuality", according to Amnesty International. It says while no official statistics are available, according to published reports at least 30 gay men are believed to have been murdered in Jamaica since 1997. And at least five Jamaicans have been granted asylum in the UK in the last two years because their lives had been threatened as a result of their sexual identity. Prison riot "We have talked to people who have been forced to leave their communities after being publicly vilified, threatened or attacked on suspicion of being gay. They face homelessness, isolation or worse," says Lesley Warner, Amnesty International UK media director. The country's law makes any act of physical intimacy between men punishable by jail, with the possibility of 10-years hard labour. Few people are openly gay as once their sexuality becomes known they are at risk of attack and often have to move. Reporting abuse and harassment to the police is not an option for many as officers are frequently known to standby or even join in attacks, says Amnesty. Michael has not told his family, who live in a parish just outside Kingston, that he is gay as he knows he will be ostracised and even beaten. "My aunt is the co-founder of our local church and it preaches that homosexuality is a sin," he says. "If my aunt or any member of the church found out about my sexuality they would just tell everyone and I wouldn't be able to come around any more. I would get hurt." The church has traditionally been a major force in Jamaican society and plays a significant part in people's daily lives. Many preachers use the Bible to support homophobic sentiments. Activist murdered Another major influence in people's lives is dancehall music. Its stars, including international artists such as Beenie Man and Buju Banton, are regarded as "teachers" by the young, says Michael. The music is steeped in homophobia, with lyrics from Buju Banton's Boom Boom Bye Bye, threatening gay men with a "gunshot in ah head" and Beenie Man's stating "I'm a dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays". The chance of attitudes changing towards the gay community is small, says Michael. Many gay men and women in Jamaica are too afraid to go to the authorities and seek help Lesley Warner Amnesty International "Everybody just listens to the church and dancehall music. The church is saying homosexuality is wrong and the entertainers are saying 'kill them' - how are we going to be able to live openly as gays in Jamaica?" Concern among human rights groups has intensified even further following the murder of the country's most prominent gay activist in June this year. Brian Williamson, 59, was one of the few gay Jamaicans willing to stand up in public and be seen talking about homosexuality as a gay man. The motive for the murder was officially given as robbery, but the gay rights group he founded, J-Flag, believes the killing was a hate crime. Free condoms Campaigners say Jamaica's anti-sodomy law also has wider implications in the fight against HIV and Aids in the country. In 1997, when prison authorities attempted to distribute condoms to inmates at Kingston's main prison, it led to riots in which 16 allegedly gay men died and 40 more injured, says Amnesty. J-Flag says the law inhibits people from revealing their sexuality to doctors. As a result they are not getting access to appropriate healthcare. But despite the difficulties and discrimination Michael faces in Jamaica as a gay man, he loves his country and is not prepared to leave. "I have to stay and try to build my country into a better place," he says. 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whit3rabbit Posted October 24, 2006 (edited) Okay this is kind of off topic, but it says 'homophobia' and talks of people hating gay people. I always thought '-phobia' meant 'fear of'. Edited October 24, 2006 by psykopath_juggalo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foolsbreath Posted October 24, 2006 Ok, but some one who has a fear of spiders an arachnaphobe, tends to hate spiders as well, An agarophobe has a fear of open spaces, if asked he will say he hates them. In terms of phobias, hate and fear is interchangeable or atleast go hand in hand. The "fear" is a thought process that leads to something being hated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whit3rabbit Posted October 24, 2006 Ok, but some one who has a fear of spiders an arachnaphobe, tends to hate spiders as well, An agarophobe has a fear of open spaces, if asked he will say he hates them. In terms of phobias, hate and fear is interchangeable or atleast go hand in hand. The "fear" is a thought process that leads to something being hated. Okay but are they being hated because they are feared? I think it is more because they are different from what is 'normal'. Using the arachnophobe example, they may 'hate' spiders, but I doubt they are going to go out of their way to aggresively harm them, as the homosexuals in this article are being treated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
occidentalis Posted October 24, 2006 What's your point PJ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foolsbreath Posted October 24, 2006 I bet someone who has arachnophobia is quilty of spider mass murder many times over. I guarantee they will have their houses sprayed on a regular basis. In places where aids is epidemic and especially where people have been touched by this and similar viruses, I can see why such fear and hatred would exist aimed at the people they believe responsible for spreading it. Many parts of kingston are almost third world. It can be a nasty place to be on any account. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whit3rabbit Posted October 24, 2006 In places where aids is epidemic and especially where people have been touched by this and similar viruses, I can see why such fear and hatred would exist aimed at the people they believe responsible for spreading it. Many parts of kingston are almost third world. It can be a nasty place to be on any account. I was just confused as to why it was being referred to as homophobia without the reason for the fear, but that helps me understand it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foolsbreath Posted October 24, 2006 yeah, I mean its not like africa where 6% of people have aids, and Botswana in particular, where nearly 25% have aids, but in Jamaica there is about 1 in 200 to 1 in 250 with HIV. In Australia, its closer to 1 in 1000, but then we are much better educated in how it is spread, and how to avoid it, plus the majority of us avoid the places and lifestyles in which we would come in contact with it. I have only known one person with aids, he was homosexual, I have only known about 6 gay men, thats a pretty high strike rate! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted October 24, 2006 i never would have thought that a place that consumes so much quality ganja would be so closed minded!! however it is a story that does not differ to many homosexual peoples experiences that have lived in rural areas of australia. I dont call it homophobia, i call it ignorance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted October 24, 2006 Okay but are they being hated because they are feared? I think it is more because they are different from what is 'normal'. generally we fear what is different & hate what we fear. racism generally comes down to fear as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted October 28, 2006 re arachnophobia: atm a couple of big garden spiders have made a huge net over 2 of my in-ground-calamus plants. I haven't been watering them for a few days now because I'm "scared". Of course I could just destroy the net with a broom and even spray the spiders with pesticide. But I don't since that doesn't seem the right thing to do. Can't just go round killing everything. So here's an example of arachnophobia which doesn't mean murdering any spider. In fact I just try to stay out of their way. I would however kill any redback spider that crosses my path... if I get it first that is... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted November 1, 2006 Not all homophobes go around killing gay people either. But I bet that people who go around killing homosexuals are homophobic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
