The Editor, Sir:
Shirley Richards of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship has so far not commented on the recent spate of domestic violence being perpetuated against our women by men from all walks of life, including entertainers. She has instead, chosen to decry the 'deceptive' Walk for Tolerance, put on by Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, which sought to increase awareness of the need for tolerance for groups vulnerable to HIV/AIDS as an effective way to combat HIV/AIDS.
Love and tolerance
She has been silent on the beating and killing of women. She apparently spurns the biblical injunctions of love and tolerance of the marginalised, regardless of acceptance of their lifestyle. She utterly rejects legal and constitutional principles about the recognition and protection of rights for the most vulnerable in society. She takes on the gay issue because it is easy.
And then there are those like J.M. Fletcher (Gleaner, Saturday, April 17 ) who, preposterously ask gays to leave Jamaica. This is neither possible nor probable. Hitler tried the same thing during World War II with disastrous results for the German society and the world at large. The world is still paying the price for Nazi intolerance.
Jamaica's intolerance and homophobia has also blighted the world in the form of our violent music, and the world is now reacting by banning our artistes and implementing hate-speech legislation.
For those who think that gay rights are not civil rights, look carefully at the wording of the international treaties created after WWII in reaction to Nazi brutality. Courts as far flung as India, South Africa and Brazil have found that gay rights are indeed civil rights.
Jamaica needs to focus on the real threat to its peace and security, which is a poorly performing economy, instead of seeking to make scapegoats out of a marginalised and vulnerable group. That would be Nazism all over again.
I am, etc.,
MAURICE TOMLINSON
maurice_tomlinson@yahoo.com
Montego Bay St James
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