Mangoes, ganja and homophobia

Here is an analysis piece I recently wrote for my international journalism module, focusing on homophobia in Jamaica. I recently went to Jamaica (for my best friends grandads 9oth birthday celebrations not because I'm rich and a fanciful trip to the caribbean tickled my pickle) and I didn't actually witness much homophobia at all. I think the reason for this is that homophobic beliefs are quite deeply embedded in their culture, and therefore they don't continuously talk about it. Fans of the Jamaican music scene argue that homophobic lyrics within their songs are aimed to get reactions out of the crowd and are not taken literally by either the performers or the audience, and that you have to be Jamaican to understand that their culture of homophobia is not as literal and prejudiced as it would seem. Maybe.. but the facts released below and numerous human rights organisations would disagree.

It's interesting to consider whether countries within the UN should comply to unwritten rules regarding prejudice, because now that more and more countries are democratic and accepting of minorites, those who still shun what the majority of the world accepts seem to be shunned and boycotted themselves. DIG IT.

Great country though, smelt like heaven in a fruity bowl.

If Gordon Brown, Girls Aloud and the Metropolitan Police were openly homophobic there is little doubt that there would be outrage amongst the masses. It is a common belief that homosexuals should be allowed to roam free and experience the same basic human rights. After all, we’re not in Jamaica.

Many dream of living in a country like Jamaica, basking in the sun, palm trees and azure skies. But if you are a homosexual in this country, you could not be further away from paradise. Despite being one of 16 common wealth countries in the world, with our own queen as their monarch, the Jamaican society is renowned for its ceaselessly homophobic attitudes, labelled by numerous human rights activists as ’the most homophobic place on earth’.

Such homophobia corresponds with the fact that in 2005 Jamaica had the highest homicide rate in the world. More than 1600 people were killed in that year, which equates to five murders each day. Despite being a small country with less than three million inhabitants, today the Jamaica is ranked with the fifth highest murder rate, forerunner only to countries such as Sierra Leone and Iraq. Yet when the prejudice that circulates the Jamaican culture and media is taken into account, such astoundingly high figures begin to make sense. For a country whose anthem is ‘Jamaica, Land We Love’, there appears to be little compassion when regarding prejudice towards minorities.

Organisations such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have frequently published reports listing multiple abuse and murder cases of homosexuals in Jamaica, many also claiming that the police provoked and participated in such crimes. Such supposed homophobia is linked to the countries laws, as sodomy is illegal and punishable for up to 10 years in jail. Similarly prohibited is ‘public indecency’, commonly intercepted as homosexual relations that stop short of intercourse. This crime is punishable for up to two years in jail with hard labour. Although lesbians are not directly referred to within the law, the societies attitudes towards female-on-female relations are similarly intolerant.

In addition, the majority of the island is of devoted Christian faith, predominantly Anglican and Church of God. Such conservative Christianity has in many cases led to an extreme intolerance of homosexual conduct, an attitude taken up by the Rastafarian movement, the police and the government.

Even the media to an extent express a homophobic stance, as the Jamaican press regularly publish the names of men charged with consensual sodomy and gross indecency. Consequently, this labels these men as gay and leaves them extremely vulnerable to verbal or physical violence. In this system there is little justice, as whether or not the charge was accurate is unimportant, as once the Jamaican society believes someone is homosexual there is no amending this reputation.

Undeniably reflective of the islands homophobic culture is the Jamaican music scene. Renowned internationally for being the home of reggae, dancehall and Bob Marley, Jamaica has had a valid impact on music worldwide. However much of the music that stems from Jamaica is fiercely homophobic and the inciting of violence against homosexuals is a common theme in Jamaican music. In an interview with the Sunday Herald, leader of Stop Murder Music Campaign Peter Tatchell said that in a bid to boost publicity and sales, many Jamaican singers have resorted to sensationalist bigotry, and that lesbian and gay people have to live with the violent consequences of these murderous lyrics.

Such consequences can be deaths. In 2004 the founder of the first Jamaican Lesbian, Gay and Transgender rights group (J-FLAG) was murdered. Known as Brian Williamson, the gay rights activist was the first man to publicly announce his homosexuality within the Jamaican media. Police concluded that a jealous ex-lover committed the murder, and although they acknowledged that Williamson was gay, the possibility of hate-crime was ruled out. However Rebecca Schleifer of the Human Rights Watch HIV/AIDS program claimed to have had an appointment with Williamson on the day of his murder, and said that upon arrival at his house she found a crowd of people dancing around his mutilated body. In a 2004 Human Rights Watch report Schleifer stated that men were celebrating and laughing, as well as shouting about targeting homosexuals one at a time. Despite these claims there has never been further police investigation into the hate-crime subtext of the murder.

During a BBC interview Prime Minister Bruce Golding admitted that he is not in power to fire senior police officers, and that a large number of policemen had recently been dismissed due to corruption. Lack of further investigation into cases such as Williamsons therefore could be based on the Jamaican police force being an independent body that is free of political interference. An Amnesty International report released in 2007 stated that Jamaican police are suspected to frequently and carelessly indict men for sodomy, therefore labelling them as gay whether they are or not. Although prosecution is often unsuccessful, the terror and the danger is in the charge itself.

Perhaps the most surprising from a supposedly democratic country is that neither of the two major Jamaican political parties have expressed official support for homosexual rights. The People’s National Party claim that gay rights violate the social values of the Jamaican people, and similarly Prime Minister Bruce Golding famously told the Sunday Herald newspaper that homosexuals would find no solace in any cabinet formed by him. In response to the international criticism that followed this statement, Golding defended his rejection of homosexuals in a recent BBC interview. He claimed that Jamaica must establish its own morals and is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from outside, continuing to say that Jamaica has a longstanding culture that is opposed to homosexuality. Yet his insistence that these attitudes are slowly changing clashed with his own refusal to retract his previous statement and say he would accept a homosexual into his cabinet. Anyone else’s, he said, but not his.

If record breaking murder rates and international outrage is not enough to force Golding’s arms open to homosexuality, then it would seem there is nothing to be done but watch this small island descend into its prejudice and isolation, floating further and further away from the rest of the democratic world.