THEGAYUK

Tag: Jamaica News

Get the latest LGBT+ Jamaica from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Jamaica.

  • Is it legal to be gay or LGBT+ in Jamaica?

    Is it legal to be gay or LGBT+ in Jamaica?

    The idilic island nation of Jamaica seems like it might be an awesome place for a restful holiday for LGBT+ people, but the reality is, if you’re gay, your illegal.

    • Same-sex sexual intercourse could lead to imprisonment, fines, beatings and worse.
    • The Country’s Tourism Minister called the Country a “melting pot” and that everyone has a place.

    It’s hard to fathom that in this day and age that simply being who you are can be illegal in a country, particularly in one that considers itself welcoming to all according to its Minister of Tourism for Jamaica Hon. Edmund Bartlett said recently in an interview with Sky News.

    “Jamaica is that melting pot, that has a place for everybody…” that is of course, unless you’re LGBT+.

    Yes, the sex you have with someone of the same sex is legally governed by Jamaica and sex between two same-sex couples could land you with imprisonment, torture, vigilante executions, and vigilante beatings.

    However it should be noted that Barlette has in the past welcomed LGBT+ travellers saying in an interview with ManAboutWorld, “We say that Jamaica is open to all travelers. We have a diversified offering that the extent to which we go to embrace various passion points is equal. We have no laws which prevent people of any orientation to come in and to enjoy the benefits of the destination. The ethics which guide tourism guide everybody, and so it is within that tourism ethic that we will operate with all the visitors that come to our country.”

    In 2006 Time Magazine asked the question on whether Jamaica was the most homophobic place on earth and in 2013 a survey of the island’s LGBT+ population found the majority said they were subject to homophobic violence in public.

    According to Wikipedia, the punishment for LGBT+ activity is 10 years of imprisonment with hard labour. It has been noted that vigilante  executions, torture, and vigilante beatings have also been tolerated according to the Human Right’s organisation Amnesty International.

    nancydowd / Pixabay

    Despite the backlash that LGBT+ people can face in Jamaica, there are a couple of pride events held each year. One is called PRIDEJA and the other is  Montego Bay Pride.

    Attacks on Jamaican LGBT+ People are rife

    According to a new podcast series, Ring The Alarm, host Jasmyne Cannick, one of Los Angeles’ most recognisable Black political strategists and journalists looks into a spate of horrific and alarming attacks on LGBT+ people in Jamaica.

    Speaking about the podcast, Cannick told The Advocate,

    “I have always used my platform to elevate Black stories and issues I felt were being ignored and Ring the Alarm is no different,

    “When I was asked to come to Jamaica to speak to the LGBTQ+ community and share their stories, I immediately said yes.

    “I said yes because American’s have had so much to say about the plight of queer people in places like Iran and Afghanistan but for decades have ignored the murders of lesbian women, gay men, and trans men and women in Jamaica.

    “Well not anymore.”

  • BIG GAY GLOSSARY | Section 377

    BIG GAY GLOSSARY | Section 377

    What is Section 377?

    Section 377 is a British-Colonial Era law which effectively outlaws same-sex, sexual relations between men. It was installed in 41 former British colonises.

    The text of the law reads,

    377. Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

    Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.

    It is still in place in countries across the world, most notably in Singapore, where activists have tried to have the law dismissed.

    What does Section 377 mean?

    Activists in India were able, in 2018, to have the law struck down, but only after years of campaigning and u-turns from the Government.

    The UN has said that the law defies international law

    The law still stands in Malaysia, Singapore (see Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, and Jamaica.

    Section 377 is the model for similar laws that remain in force in Bhutan, Brunei, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Malawi, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka (as Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code), Ghana, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia

    Can you expand this definition? Use the comments below and your answer could be used to expand or define this glossary entry.

    Check out more definitions in our Big Gay Glossary

  • Here are the Commonwealth countries where being gay is still a crime

    Here are the Commonwealth countries where being gay is still a crime

    There are over 70 countries where homosexuality is illegal. 35 of them are in the Commonwealth.

    As our Government looks to form closer relationships with the 53 countries that make the Commonwealth post-Brexit, we discover which of those nations have active legislation against being gay. There are 35 nations in the Commonwealth where it is illegal to be LGBT+, more specifically the laws usually only target gay and bisexual men. Some of these countries have harsh punishments for those caught in same-sex relationships, such as the death penalty, flogging or life imprisonment.

    1. Antiqua and Barbuda
    2. Bangladesh
    3. Barbados
    4. Botswana
    5. Brunei
    6. Cameroon
    7. Cook Islands
    8. The Gambia
    9. Ghana
    10. Grenada
    11. Guyana
    12. Jamaica
    13. Kenya
    14. Kiribati
    15. Malawi
    16. Malaysia
    17. Mauritius
    18. Namibia
    19. Northern Nigeria*
    20. Pakistan
    21. Papua New Guinea
    22. Saint Kitts and Nevis
    23. Saint Lucia
    24. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    25. Samoa
    26. Sierra Leone
    27. Singapore
    28. Solomon Islands
    29. Southern Nigeria*
    30. Sri Lanka
    31. Swaziland
    32. Tanzania
    33. Tonga
    34. Tuvalu
    35. Uganda
    36. Zambia

    Northern and Southern Nigeria are one nation but have different laws pertaining to homosexuality.

    Where did the anti-gay laws come from?

    Many of the countries that make up the Commonwealth were part of the former British Empire, which established forms of British law in colonies created by administrators. One of these is the infamous Section 377, which India recently struck down. The section prohibits homosexual acts, more specifically anal sex between men.

    Which countries in the Commonwealth have the death penalty for gay people?

    There are two nations which currently have the death penalty for same-sex relationships between men. Northern Nigeria and Brunei. There are some countries which have a maximum of life in prison, these include, Bangladesh, Barbados, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.

    In Jamaica, the penalty for same-sex relations is 10 years imprisonment and hard labour in Jamaica. In Kenya, the punishment is 14 years.

    Flogging?

    In Malaysia, you could be subject to flogging and 20 years in prison.

    What has the UK said it will do?

    In 2018 the UK’s government launched an LGBT+ action plan, in which it said it wanted to deal with issues faced by the LGBT community across the Commonwealth. Part of the plan specifically mentioned the Commonwealth. The government has offered support to Commonwealth countries wishing to reform discriminatory legislation. There is a £5.6 million programme, to be delivered through civil society organisations and will advance the legal equality and rights of all Commonwealth citizens, regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. However, critics say that £5.6 million is a minuscule amount of money to split between the nations that could consider decriminalising homosexuality.

    The government also stated it would, “work through UK embassies, high commissions and through international organisations, including the United Nations, European institution and the Commonwealth, to protect and promote LGBT rights and to address laws discriminating against LGBT people”.

    What has Theresa May said about anti-gay laws in the Commonwealth?

    In April, the UK’s Prime Minister, Theresa May said that anti-gay laws in the Commonwealth “were wrong then, and they are wrong now”.

    In a speech to the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Ms May said, “I am all too aware that these laws were often put in place by my own country. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now

    “As the UK’s prime minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced, and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today,” she added.

  • There are over 70 countries where it’s illegal to be gay… here they are

    Did you know it’s illegal to be gay in over 70 countries worldwide?

    Here are the countries in which it is illegal to have a same-sex sexual relationship.

    1. Afghanistan
    2. Algeria
    3. Antigua and Barbuda
    4. Angola * decriminalised gay sex in 2019
    5. Bangladesh
    6. Barbados
    7. Bhutan
    8. Botswana
    9. Brunei
    10. Burundi
    11. Cameroon
    12. The central African Republic
    13. Chad
    14. Comoros
    15. Cook Islands
    16. Dominica
    17. Egypt
    18. Ethiopia
    19. Eritrea
    20. The Gambia
    21. Ghana
    22. Grenada
    23. Guinea
    24. Guyana
    25. India (now legal)
    26. Iran
    27. Indonesia*
    28. Jamaica
    29. Kenya
    30. Kiribati
    31. Kuwait
    32. Liberia
    33. Libya
    34. Malawi
    35. Malaysia
    36. Maldives
    37. Mauritania
    38. Mauritius
    39. Morroco
    40. Myanmar (Burma)
    41. Namibia
    42. Nigeria
    43. Oman
    44. Palestinian Territories 
    45. Pakistan
    46. Papua New Guinea
    47. Qatar
    48. Sahrawi Arab
    49. Saint Kitts and Nevis
    50. Saint Lucia
    51. Samoa
    52. Saudi Arabia
    53. Senegal
    54. Sierra Leone
    55. Singapore
    56. Solomon Islands
    57. Somalia
    58. Somaliland
    59. South Sudan
    60.  Sri Lanka
    61. Sudan
    62. Swaziland
    63. Syria
    64. Tanzania
    65. Togo
    66. Tonga
    67. Trinidad and Tobago (Became legal in 2018)
    68. Tunisia
    69. Turkmenistan
    70. Tuvalu
    71. Uganda
    72. United Arab Emirates
    73. Uzbekistan
    74. Western Sahara
    75. Yemen
    76. Zambia
    77. Zimbabwe

  • Channel 4 Unreported World: Jamaica’s Underground Gays

    Tonight on Channel 4 at 7:30pm is another episode in the Unreported World series. This time it focuses on the Underground gays of Jamaica.

    The documentary follows a group of young gay and transgender men and women who are forced underground and are currently living in a gully due to being ostracised by their friends and family.

    We see the heartbreaking ordeals that they have to deal with on a daily basis including unprovoked abuse from a local councillor and stones being thrown at them by passersby. However the documentary also shows how this group lives; through prostitution to donations made by a lovely lady called Yvonne from Dwayne’s House.

    To find out more information about Dwayne’s House, please click here: http://www.dwayneshouse.info/

    As many people know Jamaica is a country that is very proud and holds traditional Christian values and unfortunately this is an area where the repugnant homophobia comes from.

    Furthermore Jamaica has a very rich musical history with dancehall originating in the country, yet it is even through this music that you hear blatant homophobia as in this track by Buju Banton entitled Boom Bye Bye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUZlzd37sI

    If you’d like to see a preview of the documentary, please click here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/videos/all/jamaicas-underground-gays

    Channel 4’s Unreported World: Jamaica’s Underground Gays is on at 7.30PM

  • Gay activists picket former Prime Minster of Jamaica

    A Dozen Activists from Jamaica protested a speech by the country’s former Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, on Tuesday night in New York.

    The gay rights activists shouted ‘Bruce, you’re wanted! Unrepentant murder!’ and ‘Gay rights are human rights!’

    The protesters lined the pavement outside the Harlem Institution for over an hour and received comments from supportive and non-supportive bystanders.

    A statement from the National Anti-Discrimination Alliance (NADA) said that Golding is symbolic of Jamaica’s homophobic culture. He publicly announced his opposition to gays serving in his Cabinet on BBC Hard Talk in 2008 and has since made other homophobic statements.

    This year there have been a number of anti-gay crimes in Jamaica, including the brutal murders of 16-year-old Dwayne Jones and 41-year-old Dean Moriah. Dwayne was murdered in July this year; he was dressed as a woman. His gender identity and sexuality are unconfirmed at this time.

    In September, two men escaped a ‘mob’ of men, who became violent towards them, after a car accident in the small town of Old Harbour. The crowd assumed that the two were gay.

    Dwayne Brown, organiser of the demonstration and a gay Jamaican who fled to the USA because of death threats, said he would not go inside for Golding’s speech because he feared a violent response from the audience.

    The press release from NADA continued with:

    ‘The Jamaica Anti-Homophobia stand feels strongly that Bruce Golding must be held accountable for the human rights offenses he oversaw during his tenure, including the Tivoli Gardens Massacre and the perpetuation of anti-gay attacks.’

    Watch video from the protest here