US Promotions Co hits back at "Fire" for Bashment Granny ....

Popular entertainment promoters Irish and Chin based in New Jersey in the United States have come in for some flack in having promoted Bashment Granny some time ago, of interest for this post is the response by them to the notion of harboring or associating with "Battybois" and a reference to a particular dancehall artist as well who is rumoured to be gay.

Here is an excerpt from the then answer in 2009, (WARNING! Strong Language):

"It is no surprise that my recent attempts to produce growth and broaden the fan base of the Irish and Chin brand would fuel mischief for some whose sole purpose is to see my company fail. The latest gossip among the industry's society of "career wreckers" is.......Irish and Chin retires from the clash arena to endorse the "Batty Man” ting! For real though!!! You haters need to quit. How many times do you haters want us to score on you? At least play some stronger defense!! Y'all haters tried this faggot shit on us two years ago when we started managing Mr. Vegas. Remember? Allegations were spread throughout the hardcore industry that we left the arena to manage a "Batty Man"

-- insinuating that Irish and Chin will do anything for money! I must admit it was a great point attempt, but y'all never scored!!!! In fact, we made a strong name as a management company. Now tell me -- what was the crime in managing Mr. Vegas? The fact that Killa said Vegas was a "Batty Man!!" Come on..... y'all have to do better than that!

Now, the haters are at it again with the "Batty Man" topic....hoping that Bashment Granny 2 brings them more luck than the Mr. Vegas saga. Can they be anymore fuckin’ stupid? Bashment Granny 2 is currently the hottest play in Jamaica and is rumored to be Jamaica's biggest production to date. The play consists of a nine-person cast. According to certain people in the industry, one of the actors is a "Batty Man." Nevertheless, such accusations are not my concern. We hired a cast, not one individual rumored to be a homo.

This play is currently touring Jamaica's 14 parishes for the second time. Each staging on the Island has been sold out! Record breaking numbers of up to 10,000 seats for a single performance have been sold. Outside of Jamaica, the hype is even greater. The play is touring more than most artists in the industry. Right now, the most requested DVD from Jamaica is Bashment Granny 1.

So, I guess this means...... all the persons in Jamaica (over 100,000) that have attended Bashment Granny 2 are into the "Batty Man” ting. Think again!!!!!! In fact, more than half of the same haters, who are trying to mix Irish and Chin up in the Batty Boy shit, have a few members in their family that went to see Bashment Granny already! And the other half is trying to purchase advance tickets for my show in Amazura (laughing).

I have to admit -- the “Haters” love Irish and Chin! World Clash had them talking, Irish and Chin’s management team has them talking, now this play shit is game point motherfuckers!!!!"

Serious Business now playing in New Jersey


It was only last night June 26th that Shebada's current smash, Serious Business played to local theatres in New Jersey again promoted by Irish and Chin. (Flyer to the left)

Well it is good to see that despite the perceptions and however you wish to view Keith "Shebada" Ramsey the business prerogative is far more important as the statement above pointed out the popularity of the comedian and cast is just undeniable as he portrays his character very well in my view.

I doubt if we have had such open backlash locally since Shebada and the various productions have been steadily gaining momentum, strange that in the United States of all places where freedom of expression is so espoused and differing lifestyles are tolerated to a far more extent we should see this kind of crap coming through.

What was heartening were the comments to the post on Irish and Chin's page many persons were dismissive of the negative remarks allegedly levelled at the promotions team while of course there were the usual "sell out" insinuations as well.

Here is an interesting one in particular to an earlier comment made in the thread:

warhead 2009-06-05 08:15
"mike.... you stupid ass!! shebada is a actor,his part was,nt to fuck batty!!! but his part is to have a sense of humor,something that u dont have.when jamie foxx used to dress like a woman and act like a woman in living colour is he gay too? thats the part he as to play...alot of artist bleach!!! r they gay too? mike when ur cocky fail yuh, and woman nuh want yuh,yuh go suck cocky fi support yuh broke self."

Rather insulting at the end part but the gist is basically that Shebada the lead character as appearing on the flyer with the pencil is only playing a part. As we all know his role is a very effeminate one but it's ridiculously funny though. He has gotten alot of mainstream media attention both here in Jamaica and abroad and with the movie set for release by the end of 2010 many of his fans are eagerly anticipating it.

So what if he is gay he is good in terms of roots play performance delivery why are we so hung up on who he sleeps with? Nearly all lead actors in roots plays and by extension other plays usually have to act out an effeminate lead character anyway, let's not forget Chu Chu (mi is a newsss carrier!!!!!) in Passa Passa acting in full drag. Here is a clip from an old ad for the show, he is attired in the blond wig. Jamaicans love their hysterical entertainment.



Here is a classic Serious Business advert:


Peace and tolerance

H

Liyana Grey of Jamaica for 2010 Gay Caribbean/USA Pageant

Liyana Grey photoed to represent Jamaica

For the second consecutive year, a Jamaican man is down to compete for the title of the 2010 Gay Caribbean/USA Pageant.

Last year's representative from the island, Mimi Mancini, a Jamaican originally from the parish of St Ann, walked away with the coveted title. So this year, Jamaica's entrant, Liyana Grey, who was born in the United States, but has Jamaican parentage has entered the competition.

The contest is open to men who dress like women, or those who are completely transgendered. It features contestants with Caribbean roots, parading in swimwear, evening wear as well as doing talent pieces.

A release from the organisers stated that the contestants will "...be featured in "Wow Wear" which consists of over the top attire designed by Caribbean, New York-based designers like Jennefer Darmanie and Gennell Lewis.


encouraging tolerance
The show will officially be launched in New York on July 18. The contestants, who hail from seven different Caribbean islands, will make their first public appearance then.

This year's competition will feature

• Ven Detta St Mykael of Barbados,
• Sassy Sylvia representing St Kitts,
• Victoria of Guyana, Kelis representing the Dominican Republic,
• St Lucia's Lady Blu,
• Liyana Grey of Jamaica and Jennifer Banks representing Trinidad and Tobago.

The show's organiser, Hemish Gervis, said that as far as he knows there was no backlash from Jamaicans after a winner was chosen from here last year. He said the competition is aimed at encouraging tolerance of the gay lifestyle.

About the possibility of any backlash this year, Jamaica's representative said, "I can't anticipate everything. I'm not really sure. I'm hoping for the best and I'm not thinking about the negative that is associated with being out and gay."

Grey's parents are from Kingston and are very supportive of the decision to enter the contest.

For once the Star News has commented on a piece with homosexuality without having to resort to sensationalism or innuendo, well a welcomed change here folks.

Peace and tolerance

H

Beenieman dropped from show in Europe, Buju Banton's Objection To 2nd Sua Sponte Continuance

Beenie dropped from show in Europe



More on the decision here as well: Brussel's Festival Cancels Beenieman



Also: Beenieman won’t play Dutch music festival



Beenie Man has apparently been dropped from a concert line-up in the Netherlands.



Reports seen on the Internet yesterday, suggested that the deejay was removed due to homophobic lyrics he has done in the past.



According to http://www.pinknews.co.uk/, organisers of the concert, titled Parkpop, said although Beenie Man promised not to sing any homophobic songs, they had to cancel his slot to avoid risking the future of the free event.



Beenie Man, who is on a European tour, was scheduled to perform on Sunday. The artiste was to replace American rapper Snoop Dogg who, according to the website, was banned from the concert to maintain an 'open and friendly atmosphere.'



According to http://www.dutchnews.nl/ reports, Beenie Man's addition to the concert immediately caused controversy, as the artiste was banned from The Hague in the Netherlands two years ago for his anti-gay lyrics.



On their website, the Parkpop organisers originally defended the decision to put Beenie Man on the show by explaining that in 2007 he signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, a petition organised by the Stop Murder Music campaign, agreeing to renounce homophobia and stop performing lyrics promoting violence against gay people.



This is not the first show from which Beenie has been dropped due to protests from gay rights activists. Last November, Beenie Man had a string of Australian and New Zealand tour dates cancelled after gay groups protests.



In 2004 MTV wanted to premiere the artiste on its awards show and then cancelled following threats of protest from many gay rights groups from around the country.



Meanwhile you can read Buju Banton's objection filed recently by his lawyer in a Florida court following the setback of the trial date all the way to September, his supporters are livid and have been sounding off on his thisisbujubanton wordpress blog. Many are surmising the judge is a part of a conspiracy to destroy him and by extension the gay community both here and in the United States.



Here is the objection filed by his attorney:



MARK MYRIE’S OBJECTION TO SECOND SUA SPONTE CONTINUANCE, DEMAND FOR SPEEDY TRIAL, AND FOR HEARING



Previously, this court had specially set trial to begin on April 19, 2010. On April 8, 2010, with no motions pending, the Court sua sponte postponed trial for 74 days until June 21, 2010, in violation of the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. * 3161 et seq. In addition to postponing the trial outside the 70-day limit, no explanation for the continuance was given in violation of law. Bloate v. United States, 139 S.Ct. 1345, 1349 (2010); Zedner v. United States, 126 S. Ct. 1976 (2006).



We objected. Now for the second time, this Court has sua sponte continued the trial until September 2010 without any explanation, again in violation of the Speedy Trial Act and Bloate. We file this objection and demand a speedy trial in this cause.



Today, on May 28, 2010, the Court has again continued the case another 70 days plus until the September trial calendar. No reason has been given for the continuance until September. No findings have been made. Mr. Myrie remains incarcerated in the county jail. This is presenting an enormous burden on Mr. Myrie, his witnesses, and his counsel.



Through this pleading, we demand a speedy trial as required under the Act and the Constitution.

ENDS



More here from his attorney's website: Markus Law

Sadly the perceptions that he was set up by gays are still out there but the ever fading on-the-ground support is also increasing as many others are now questioning his supposed innoncence in this matter in as far as the allegations of his handling cocaine and the allegedly held video recording of him tasting the stuff before the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents descended on him. There are strong rumours around that he may have been involved in similar activities before his conversion to Rastafari.

Let's continue to watch this folks and fairly examine the circumstances. I would hate to think we have a major fall out due to this issue.

Peace and tolerance

H

Crossdressing, Dildos & Thugs

So once again the cross dressing link is being made towards alleged criminal activites noteably that of fugitve Christopher "Dudus" Coke (comically dressed in red above from Clovis Observer cartoon) if we can recall the political ombudsman Reverend Hero Blair said publicly he saw corpses at the morgue following the Tivoli incursion dressed in women's clothing in the form of a blouse and a skirt.

It has been suggested in some circles that maybe the crossdressers are using the medium to elude the security forces. The gay impression doesn't sit on this one it seems but let us not forget the woes of a former Don from a nearby area who is now serving time in a maximum security facility where he was accused of actually committing a murder while he was getting an alleged "blow job" as he was overheard on the phone by the witness who testified in court such that the man was forced to perform the act but had disobeyed a command as issued by the don to carry out a "work" in another community for that he was given the ultimate punishment. The mystery surrounding the percieved sexual oreintation of that powerful don has always been there despite his open flirtations with women and his marriage.

Meanwhile ....... in case you missed it: Star News says...........

The Star News is at it again obviously implying that the possible owners of the supposedly used dildos found in Tivoli where the men who occupied the house where they were found maybe gay, read the piece that appeared in the June 11, 2010 edition and decide for yourselves......


Some Questions before you read:
How did the Star or the police verify that the dildos were used?
Did they test them to verify what they were used for?
Did they sniff them or see any residue that suggests they were used?
If they were used and such residual evidence exists what was it?

An excerpt from the piece says:


"......five dildos of various sizes, shapes and colours along with lubricating oils were found at the man’s house last week while the security forces searched the premises as part of their operations there.

“Yow a dem ting yah a gwaan a TG and dem claim seh dem a bad man and dem nuh involve inna certain tings. Him one have five dildo,” one police source who saw the sex toys said before laughing uncontrollably......."

One has to take Star News reports these days with a pound of salt in my view but don’t take my word for it. We know very well they senationalise issues putting a spin on things.
Then again the dildos may not have been used for homosexual purposes, there have been stories before about erotic parties with women and group orgies so those could have been used for that in thug culture in garrisons as sexual tastes become more varied and open in our society.

Even if any of the men were latently homosexual at best having dildoes for gay use in a garrison constituency seems highly improbable to me given how the gay male lifestyle is frowned upon and to resort to such raunchy sexual activities in that settings knowing how close neighborhood relations are just doesn't add up for me.

The structure of behaviours in such communities are highly regulated in most instances as everybody knows everybody else's business mostly and the unwritten rules or the dons directives literally in some instances determine social and even sexual activities, we know how young girls for example are watched and when they are at "bruk" age they are summoned by the don or the heirachy for offered or forced sexual favours sometimes at the young girls mother's relunctant permission in order to avoid punishment or banishment from the area.
From my personal encounters with "heaviots" (downlow thugs) man nuh do dem ting inna yard yuh haffi come out wid dat, lick and guh back in or kip it tu yuself or yuh wi dead.

Think on these things

Peace & Tolerance

H

The Line in the sand for the JLP? Part 4

hhhhmm has the Gorilla really left the room or is hiding somewhere in a closet to return?

(Lasmay cartoons from the Gleaner, last photo from a JLP meeting)

So as we watch with great interest the happenings coming from the issues unfolding from the Jamaica Labour Party's error from the Manatt Phelps & Phillips fiasco and the fallout ensuing here we have now the six crime bills designed in the JLP's words to deal with the issues of crime in the short term, however such bills may very well dig further into the justiciable rights of citizens noteably the bail act as hinted in part 2 and 3 of this series.

Follow up on the Attorney-At-Law Mr. Bert Samuels's call for Preliminary Inquiry to remain as a feature in our court system as the proposal is to remove the long held practice that benefits accused in deciding among other things what can be used in cases to carry forward to a full trial.

A recent Bill Johnson poll commissioned by the Gleaner suggests:

Bruce, Portia slide
THE POLITICAL stocks of Prime Minister Bruce Golding tumbled heavily as the nation awaited the outcome of a protracted extradition dispute with the United States, a Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll has revealed.

At the same time, Portia Simpson Miller, the opposition leader, suffered a minor political shock with a seven percentage fall-off in favourability.

Approval ratings for Golding plunged by 20 points in April and early May, cascading from a high of 47 per cent in August 2009.
According to the latest survey, 56 per cent of Jamaicans disapprove of Golding's performance as prime minister, an increase of 18 percentage points over last year. Another 17 per cent were non-committal.
The prime minister's unequivocal statement in Parliament indicating that he was willing to pay a political price to "uphold a position that constitutional rights do not begin at Liguanea" - headquarters of the United States Embassy - in relation to the extradition request for Tivoli Gardens alleged drug lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, returned to haunt him in the results of the poll.

The islandwide Gleaner-Bill Johnson survey, conducted on April 24 and 25, as well as May 1, with a sample size of 1,008 and a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, showed a huge 21 percentage-point decline in the number of Jamaicans who had a favourable opinion of Golding when compared with his 46 per cent standings last year. The poll also revealed a 16 per cent spike in those who had an unfavourable view of him, pushing the number to 54 per cent.

And the fallout in Golding's standings, which occurred weeks before the Tivoli Gardens incursion by the security forces to serve a warrant on Coke, has seemingly not benefited the leadership of the People's National Party.

Apart from her favourable ratings, the percentage of Jamaicans who approve or disapprove of the job that Simpson Miller is doing as opposition leader remains flat.
Political analyst Claude Robinson is not surprised at the results of the poll, given public reaction to how the Government had handled the extradition request for Coke, who has been on the run since the security forces stormed his west Kingston enclave on May 24.

Pointing to the prime minister's role in the Manatt affair, Robinson asserted that this would have affected his credibility.

"I am not surprised that his favourable rating would have dropped so significantly and his unfavourable rating would have risen sharply. The about-face on his own role and knowledge of the affair really damaged him," he added.

Possible stability

Despite both positive and negative elements of the Jamaica Debt Exchange programme and the International Monetary Fund agreement, the political analyst reasoned that the initiatives offered a possibility to stabilise the economy.
"Whatever pluses would have accrued to the prime minister for those initiatives would have been more than wiped out by the losses on the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and the Dudus affairs," he opined.

Robinson said other factors that might have worked against Golding included the imposition of taxes just before the IMF agreement and the intense wage disputes between the Government and public-sector workers.

Kevin O'Brien Chang, political analyst, said the poll reflected the sentiments of Jamaicans at the time.
However, he argued that times had changed dramatically in the last month. According to Chang, although the public might not have forgiven Golding totally, his ratings might have crept up a bit.
"My view (is) if he continues the state of emergency, as is, because we have seen a significant fall in crime over the past three weeks ... if he continues the tough policies we are seeing ... and cracking down on where the known guns and gangsters are, I think his ratings will be going up."
If that resolve weakens, his ratings might plummet or even decline further.

"His fate is in his own hands."

Robinson said Simpson Miller's inability to record a rating surge indicated she had lots of work to do to project herself as an alternative prime minister.

"I don't think that the failures of the Government alone would get her back in office," he said, adding that she had to be a more assertive problem-solver.

ENDS

On Newstalk 93 FM yesterday June 17th a prominent anthropologist who resides overseas said flat out that the JLP administration is done and dead as they are only living out it's days but as many persons do not see a viable option presently so we have to live with them for now until the next general elections care called.

Let's not forget the LGBT factor the commnunity has usually in the majority support the People's National Party so it's not surprising some of the hit outs at the JLP is coming from such persons but who don't openly self identify as same.

Let's continue to watch this.

Peace and tolerance

H

New Age Gays in Dancehall, The Shebada phenomenon

Source: The Wickedest Time


The Caribbean culture has always been known to be notoriously homophobic, but this will not stop homosexuals in the Caribbean from enjoying their life, regardless if people disapprove of their lifestyle. Now it looks like homosexuals in Jamaica has carved out a place for themselves in Kingston’s dancehall scene.



Some people are starting to call it the “Shebada Phenomenon”. And while we are on this topic, have you had a chance to see Shebada? Click on your new tab, visit youtube, and search for Shebada or Bashment Granny. Although it’s funny, I would not recommend avid homophobes to take part in it. Shebada is the name of the ‘borderline’ character in this comedic Jamaican play.
More and more gay men are now gaining confidence, celebrating their femininity, and as they grow assertive, no longer lurking in the closet for the down-low, instead they are ‘out and bad’ at your local bashment. They are often dressed in full gay regalia, freedom rings, nails, extensions and mascara. All that’s missing is the handholding and other public displays of affection.



“From wah day ya, dem out like bees, dem de a every dance, sometimes yu see a pack a dem, usually ‘bout eight or so, and dem travel in three Kingfish or three vans. And dem out de, dem have a class, dem well-dressed, in some European styles, like Jean Paul Gautier and dem spend dem money. When mi keep my dance, dem buy out di bar.” One female promoter laughed.
“Dem man ya anno fool, dem can tek care of demself and dem have connections, but dem still move careful because mi hear man and man say dem ah go kidnap two ah dem bwoy de already,” one male observed.“But to me, is like Jamaica ah get foreignized, almost like dem accept it and just look the other way, ‘cause it obvious say dem gay because dem, even when the selectors dem say ‘too much b bwoy ah come a dance from wah day ya’. It nuh jerk dem; dem just a party fi di better.”



Some people believe that the homosexual community is territorializing the dancehall space and taking their claim for acceptance within the culture.Now, it seems, even the anti-day songs are no longer a hallmark of shame for the New Age gays who see the songs as a badge of honor. “It’s really funny, when I attended college in the UK, the gays would walk out and take the centerstage when the anti-gay music played and now I am back here living in Jamaica, I see the same thing happening, when the funny man song dem start, dem walk out and say ‘whoi’ and tek centerstage,” one female public relations agent at a energy drink company said.“Mi just pap up when mi see it because dem feisty and loud and fulla drama. Mi like dem and dem like me because dem always mek me laugh and dem compliment me and tell me that I look good, and den they will say ‘girl, me a goodas too, mi like yu style’. They make me laugh,” she said.



Most Jamaicans feel differently of the matter, they are no sharing in the joke. They believe that gays are making a mockery of an art form that they struggled to bring to the world scene. Their good humor is further challenged by culture slights such as a popular youtube footage of a gay asian boy dancing to a dancehall song, an example that merely underlines the dilemma for dancehall: as more cultures are being exposed to dancehall culture, Jamaicans lose the right to tell these new recruits how to appropriate the music into their own lives.

At home, many men bite their tongue and chafe when they see beautiful and popular young women hanging out with men of questionable sexual inclinations, and that trend has spread to the poorer classes who accept these social outcasts as one of them.



“The downtown girls dem love dem, mi see dem spar wid Big Bottom Angella and she nah mek nobody do dem nothing. I guess we just have to accept them, but mi know dem still have to be careful, nuff people ah talk from wah day ya, but nothing no happen.”



I am very curious to see what becomes of this, especially since the Prime Minister recently stated that there is no room for gays in his cabinet. With this new found enthusiasm towards the undermining of the homosexual community cause more violence and hate for Jamaicans or will this be a move towards opening a new chapter and turning a new leaf in Jamaican society?

Remembering Brian Williamson (September 4 1945 - June 9, 2004)

a special post outside of the October History month but relevant non the less

the good days with his dog Tessa at home

Brian Williamson (September 4 1945 - June 9, 2004) was a Jamaican Gay rights activist and co-founder of the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians and Gays, J-Flag. He was known for personally housing and looking after gay people in Jamaica.


He was murdered with a machete, suffering multiple stab wounds to neck and face.Williamson's confessed murderer, Dwight Hayden, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after fifteen years.

Other posts and articles on Brian:

Remembering Brian Williamson

Gleaner on Remembering Brian Williamson June 20, 2004

More related posts that named Brian: HERE

More from Gay Jamaica Watch: HERE

More from GLOBALGAYZ: HERE

Sadly missed

One of the founding members of JFLAG, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals & Gays (worth repeating)

Owner of one of the most successful gay entertainment spots in Jamaica, The Entourage and a dedicated activist. One of the memorable moments in our GLBTQ history is an appearance on Jamaican television then known as (JBC) Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation coming out to the nation and by extension the world and putting a face to the gay community.

The tapes should be available at JFLAG's archives in Kingston.

He helped to spark my interest in advocacy and rights in general for all.

Love always


Peace

"Outdated" Bail Laws to be changed but Buggery Laws remain ... how convenient Mr.Golding?

I remember reading somewhere and posting in one of my blogs a press release on Bruce Golding and outdated buggery laws, indeed I dug up my archives and found it. It was done back in March 2009 by AIDSFREEWORLD and was published on GLBTQ Jamaica September 24, 2009 in it's entirely, read it here.

It highlighted among other things the question of liberalizing the buggery laws in Jamaica to which the Prime Minister on his feet in the House of Parliament said no thus in effect keeping archaic legislation to maintain popularity.

In the excerpt highlighted in orange the AIDSFREEWORLD group continued by espousing
"A gay man and his lesbian sister are shot in the chest in front of their families, in their home. A pastor praying at the funeral of a gay man is confronted by an angry mob. Someone chases a lesbian down a Kingston street, catches her, slits her throat, and leaves her to die in a bloody puddle.

She didn’t die, and she and other victims of vicious homophobia told us their stories. We came away appalled, although homophobia is very familiar in all the countries in which we work. Appalled because homophobia, sexism and bigotry are rolling out the welcome carpet for HIV/AIDS, and we feel more strongly than ever that unless homosexuality is decriminalized, the pandemic will not stop killing.

“Know your epidemic” has long been a mantra of international AIDS organizations. It makes sense. We know, from UN data, that in certain countries in the Caribbean, prevalence rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) are as much as 20 times higher than in the general population. Jamaica’s and Trinidad’s adult HIV prevalence rates are 1.6% and 1.5% respectively, compared to 31.8% and 20% among MSM.

Combine these figures with the fact that in the Dominican Republic, for example, 78% of MSM report having sex with women, and what do we know about the epidemic? We know that gay men fear for their safety and lives, and that they enter heterosexual relationships in order to stay safe. So the virus spreads to women.

We believe “know your epidemic” means not just knowing (and often blaming) the epidemic’s victims. We believe it means knowing what makes populations such as sexual minorities and women so vulnerable to the virus. MSM are not to blame for the high prevalence rates in their communities: the bigotry and legalized homophobia that drive them underground are.

The world has always blamed the oppressed for their own problems. MSM certainly don’t want to contract HIV, but their communities drive them underground and prevent them from seeking out prevention. Research data shows that when stigma is lowered, so are infection rates.

We simply cannot contain the epidemic – in Jamaica or anywhere else – if we don’t acknowledge the barriers facing those in high-risk groups. Those barriers include bigotry, fear, hatred and legalized discrimination."

The old laws from our colonial masters on buggery are kept non-the-less of course for the main reason as a popularity carrot dangling infront of a dumb donkey as in the public as we have seen in recent times, I need not remind you of them but visit the tabs on Charter of Rights , Hypocrisy & homophobia and Buggery Law on GLBTQ Jamaica, also see the similar tabs here on GJW for a roster of posts on the matters.

In Parliament recently on June 3, 2010 the Prime Minister found it necessary however to justify changes to the bail acts among others in response to the mounting pressure from civil society on the incursion in Tivoli Gardens and political criminals, those respective bills and acts by the way are younger than the old buggery laws as appearing in the original Offences Against the Persons Acts as were handed down to us from our colonial masters. In his opening remarks the Prime Minister in Parliament during the debate on the six crime bills now laid before the house said that some of the laws were outdated and needed to be changed to reflect the new realities that now obtain however when such sentiments were expressed as have been so done time and again in relation to the Buggery Laws with possible decriminalisation, privacy and freedom of consenting adults they were all shot down in the name of so called moral grounds of course used as convenient tools to prop up the government's image with the opposition and the religious right happily playing along.

The Bills for review are: an Act to amend the Bail Act; an Act to further amend the Firearms Act; an Act to amend the Offences Against the Person Act; an Act to amend the Parole Act; an Act to make interim provision in relation to the grant of bail in specified circumstances; and an Act to make interim provision extending the powers of arrest and detention under Sections 50B and 50F of the Constabulary Force Act.

One of the two contentious Bills, the Bail Act, proposes what Mr. Golding described as a "significant" change in the approach to bail. The Act, if passed, will be in place for one year and will allow the state to imprison a person charged with violent or certain drug-related offences for up to 60 days without bail.

The Prime Minister said, however, that the new Bill would require that the detained person must be taken before a judge, not later than seven days after he is held, where the judge can review the matter to determine whether he should be released, and thereafter if he is not released, he must be taken back before the court in intervals of 14 days.

The other Bill seeks to extend the powers of arrest and detention under sections 50B and 50F of the Constabulary Force Act, so that a person can be detained for up to 72 hours, instead of 24 hours, without being charged or taken before a magistrate.

It also provides for the arrest and detention of a person outside of the locality of a curfew or cordon, if a divisional commander or a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force at the rank of Assistant Commissioner is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that the person is about to commit, or has committed a crime within the area of the curfew or cordon.

The GLBTQ angle:
Given our ticklish environment here towards homosexuality imagine if a gay, lesbian or transgendered person is held for any reason and such a person maybe in dressed in full drag or presents aesthetically as the opposite of their obvious gender as we saw in a public case recently of a crossdresser in a police station in central Jamaica then I wonder what would obtain? that person may be deliberately made to be exposed to the rest of the jail, holding area or prison population and what guarantee of safety and fairness do we have for that GLBTQ member?
We have seen cases before where detainees are outed to the other incarcerated persons which have led to beatings with very little support or intervention from the correctional officials to stop the abuse. Imagine such abuse now obtaining when one is held for 72 hours without charge only to be released battered and bruised for on a premise of innocence with very little recourse. Disturbing isn't it?

It is questions like these I would have expected Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays, JFLAG to have been asking in joining the other rights groups such as Families Against State Terrorism (FAST), Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights (IJCHR) in recent public criticisms in as far as seeking justice for GLBTQ people in this whole mess after all some of those groups had representatives present at the recent International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) silent protest in New Kingston, why not join them and speak out or the IDAHO move was just a directive from the main sponsors then it dies there? Follow up!

The irony of ironies is that the electorate of old is not dormant or sleeping anymore we are watching issues more closely and commenting and will act if needed, a culture that he, Bruce Golding has helped to foster when he was out of power from the days of his Presidency of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) to his re-entry into the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Peace & tolerance

H

In The Life: Intersections of Church and State

In The Life video series normally seen monthly on my other blog GLBTQ Jamaica is an independent LGBT organization that does documentary typed series with unbiased and straight forward analysis of issues, this month's edition called Intersections of Church and State takes a look at issues in the US on legal matters and theocracy issues.


Please view bearing in mind our own theocracy issues where the religious groups and certain persons such as the Governor General and Prime Minister Golding holding key postions of service to the nation but yet using said platforms to evangelise and influence decisions with unfair outcomes in some instances such as the Charter of Rights Bill with the exclusion of any discrimination legislation with respect to sexual orientation.



Summary:

The separation of Church and State is a fundamental tenet of the U.S. Constitution. Increasingly policies that funnel taxpayer dollars into faith-based organizations challenge this important principle. This month on our June Pride episode, IN THE LIFE follows the money to expose some faith-based initiatives that sanction homophobia here and abroad.

Part 1: DEMOCRACY OR THEOCRACY? (00:12:00)

The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects religion from governmental interference, at the same time it ensures government is protected from religious influence. But faith leaders with close ties to Capitol Hill, target the LGBT community by using religion as a basis to deny our equality and blur the line distinguishing our democracy from a theocracy.

Part 2: EXPORTING HATE (00:13:04)

In 2009, the Ugandan Parliamentary proposed an anti-homosexuality bill that would impose the death penalty on serial offenders of homosexual acts. Inciting fear and sanctioning homophobia, the bill has caused LGBT Ugandans to be hunted in their communities and forced into exile. IN THE LIFE focuses on the man behind the bill and his supporters, and exposes the political and financial influence used by powerful conservatives in the U.S. to export their anti-gay agenda overseas.

Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day June 8

CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE or HERE for site info
Some Events News

Chicago
Title: TOWN HALL MEETING
Date: Jun 08, 2010
Location:
TOWN HALL MEETING
“An Emergency Call to Action:
The Cost and Casualties of Silence in the Caribbean Community”
In commemoration of Caribbean America HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 9:00am – 3:00pm

Truman College
Pegasus Theatre
1145 W. Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL
We also wish to be added to your list of partners who are promoting and educating the masses on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean community.

The link to our website is:
http://www.caribeilanz.com/id108.html
THANKS!!!


New York
Title: GBHC’s Summer 2010 Brooklyn Health
Date: Jun 08, 2010
Location:
GBHC’s Summer 2010 Brooklyn Health: Sunset Park Membership Meeting featuring Mr. Irfan Hasan from the New York Community Trust will be on June 8, 2010 at Lutheran Medical Center.

For more information and to register, please visit our website at http://www.brooklynhealth.org/

New York
Title: AIDS WALK CARIBBEAN
Date: Jun 20, 2010
Location:

Brooklyn, NY
Caribbean People International Collective Inc., celebrates Caribbean-American Heritage Month and National aribbean-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Join us for the 10th Annual AIDS Walk Caribbean. Bring friends, family, and Co-workers.
The walk will be on June 20th, 2010 in Brooklyn, NY.


Get registered today and join us for our post walk health picnic.
Contact us at
NY: 718-576-1839
DC Metro Area: 703-398-8328
http://www.cpicincny.org/
info@cpicincny.org


New York
Title: GBHC’s Annual Health Affair
Date: Jun 25, 2010
Location:

GBHC’s Annual Health Affair will be on Friday, June 25, 2010 on the Plaza of the Brooklyn Central Library at Grand Army Plaza from 11:00am-3:00pm.