Parents issues ultimatum for suspected gay man to relocate

So as expected and seen in my time in full time work in the LGBT lobby some years ago whenever there is a public campaign or discussion on homosexuality there is usually a spike of sorts in homo-negative and homophobic incidents and I have been getting some reports of same via email and otherwise and feeling kind of overwhelmed by some of this as there is not much ordinary LGBT people can do without the needed resources. Displacements usually inch up as the most visible evidence of ostracism; evidence of this is growing numbers of young men and youth teetering on homelessness and unemployed or unemployable. It is difficult as it is in this economy now as austerity measures take effect as part of the latest International Monetary Fund deal although the administration refrains from saying it outright and they continue to plant false hopes in the nation when they are partly to be blamed for the present set of circumstances when their eighteen year tenure in the nineties and the improperly managed liberalization of the economy led to all kinds of challenges some of which we still see today.

A young man in his early twenties in the Whitehall Avenue area is the latest to be added to the list of LGBT people who are facing homo-negative reactions from relatives fortunately for him he has a job and can probably bounce back with some ease. Upon returning home some days ago he was met with a written message that his mother left that she wanted to talk to him when she got home as she had gone out for the day. Upon her arrival even before entering the home she loudly went on a verbal blast accusing her son of the usual with the colourful Jamaican words “battyman” “fish” and so on were used; the man who was shocked at this response and tried to put in a word or two according to him when we spoke over the phone. He was also concerned that neighbours were hearing the exchange and nervously wondered how they’d react as he had never had such an experience before apart from possible profiling at work or school when he was younger since he does not aesthetically or behaviourally present the stereotypical effeminate traits used to size up persons.

Another youngster was not so lucky as unconfirmed reports suggest he was killed earlier this month with condolences being expressed on social media following his demise and accusations of his case being a homophobic killing, another man was thrown out of his home as well in St Catherine by a roommate in March of this year with whom he was sharing the space following an alleged argument over his perceived homosexuality as it was alleged he had no female companion visitors or spoke of any; an activity in the hegemonic masculinity scheme of things to determine or prove manhood by local standards. As indicated before as long as there is public discourse on homosexuality in general or buggery there is always some increase in scrutiny and nonsensical and unnecessary problems. Some of the displaced and homeless men in downtown have seen a sharp rise in public resistance to their presence and mini chasings have ensued. The fate of the problematic populations in the Millsborough Avenue area is still unsure even as JFLAG is more concerned about the upcoming buggery challenges more so than real social justice and welfare issues and its three day a week feeding program for a few of the growing numbers had not recommenced fully. Now that the buggery review has become an official promise despite some unease by some of the ruling administration’s stalwarts such as Chairman of the ruling PNP expressing the differing views as to the route to be taken to have it done (referendum instead of a parliamentarian only vote) what will happen after and indeed during this very active period especially for the displaced and homeless, who inside the leadership looks at creating some buffer system or crisis intervention catchment for expected fallouts when we know these happen once there is stepped up public agitations?

A lesbian couple also had to move from Portmore as well late in April as they too were warned by men to take action as other men in the area nearing Christian Pen were not pleased of how they were cohabiting as a couple. It is alleged that one of the ladies presents with some masculine aesthetics while the other the cisgender imperatives are clear of feminine or “soft” as the colloquial dictates it. They have since relocated but what is even more disturbing about that particular case is that while same gender loving females do not get the kind of harsh reactions as their male counterparts after the ladies left the empty home which is up for rental by the owners was stoned by a mob during a street dance nearby by the egging of an over enthused disc jock who selected anti gay songs at that event. What would drive such a reaction that after the women left persons would feel so moved to attack an inanimate object of unoccupied space is puzzling to me. This is not the first time though I have heard of rage expressed such as this after the intended targets have left the occupied space which tells me we have deeply rooted homo-negative and indeed homophobic feelings lying in wait for some stimuli to reawaken them.

So the proverbial unease with opposite gender traits presenting in persons is cause for negative responses and confirms to me something I have always suspected that the conditional or provisional tolerance that has been in vogue was only just that. The homophobic feelings are always in the subconscious waiting to be stoked by the right environmental circumstances and with more vocal and mobilized religious movement complete with a castigatory and combative tone what is there for that to transcend past secular wisdom to some homophobe who happens to be idle and finds exercising their hate a sport? Yet we were told by some convoluted study as supported by JFLAG and AIDSFREEWORLD that Jamaica is more tolerant by some far out percentages! Yet the reality on the ground has been and still is telling us otherwise.

How many more cases such as these that I am not aware of are out there, what are other LGBT folk and influentials are seeing from their vantage points?

Even though I am out of the system since 2010 I still get the thousand+ worded emails, lengthy late night phone calls, BlackBerry/Text messages and Facebook messages (some thousand worded too) of persons going through issues and feel so helpless at times. What is even more challenging is why is it that when I suggest persons make a formal report to the relevant agencies for if only tracking purposes they refuse to do so instead prefer to either absorb the particular interruption in their lives and try to move on or share with on a one on one basis for the most part. I and others have found ourselves becoming unofficial counsellors and we too have to seek professional help in unloading some of the heavy psycho social materials we are bombarded with at times. Yet the official systems and agencies such as JFLAG seem not caring to improve their social components and service delivery and we the community are left with the scars. In a bid to try and explain away responsibility for the homeless MSM challenges in recent years they have chosen to include in their public relations an excuse that JFLAG only has a small social support initiative and more so is an advocacy when those of us who have been around long enough we know that that is not true, JFLAG was formed among other things to address the immediate needs that of displacements which pre-dates the formation or agitation for any gay rights in this country.

What is next for this young twenty year old is unknown but he has been encouraged to press on as he at least has an income, a friend has offered some shelter for now as the community based shelter assistance chips in if only temporarily so and even as others struggle for maintaining a decent standard of living, a letter in one of our leading newspapers bemoans the fact that many qualified professionals are also having challenges finding meaningful employment; that too is cause for some concern as displacements also comes from lack of sustained income support and financial viability.

Why aren’t parents more sensitive to their children in this business of homosexuality and or sexual orientation?

Are we seeing the results of years of an education system that for generations has in essence taught sexual reproductive activity more so than sexuality in its purest form?

That is why the argument about procreation does not wash and the fallacy that homosexuals will end the human race and destroy marriage as we know it when it is heterosexuals who are having offspring that turn out to be LGBT as a percentage of births. But with the growing numbers of idle LGBT youth and unemployable persons isn’t this recipe for some social unrest of a different hue, are we seeing the early signs of this with the abandoned set in terms of the relevant responses becoming a part of the crime wave already in vogue? Lest we forget we have had reports of robberies of other LGBT people in the New Kingston area by the ATMs or after parties where persons deemed physically weaker being targeted by stronger thugs from this and other MSM sub groups who can easily over power their intended victims. The make, look and feel of the MSM populations is rapidly changing and if the powers that be do not pay attention we may find ourselves with a new set of circumstances never before seen; we are already seeing the consequences of the bizarre decisions at the leadership levels of ignoring and sidelining the same homeless groups who were a part of a residency program that was scrapped in the easy way out not to address the early anti social challenges now we are forced to reap the results of that initial institutional rejection of this group.

I am expecting more fallout as the constitutional challenge on buggery and the sexual offences act commences today in the Supreme Court.

Peace and tolerance

H