Couture Elements to offer platinum membership .... open operations wind down in January 2012

So as news spreads in the community that the parent entity of the Underlined Response the two woman run Couture Elements bar and lounge is closing it's open door policy and operations in January of next year and is offering private membership. In a Facebook entry earlier this week it was stated by the team (edited): ..

The Oasis Lounge UP AND AWAY!

It is with mixed emotions that we bring one chapter to a close - The Oasis Lounge located at --- ------- ------ ---- will not exist after January 10th, 2011.

Without saying...we are ecstatic at the experiences earned, the friendships gained and the memories made in our blue and brown space filled with trees, we dubbed THE OASIS. Intended to be a refreshing space in the middle of a scary and homophobic Jamaica, the Oasis Lounge became a refuge and home for many who needed a place to belong and be themselves. It was our honour to provide same for an incident free and fun-filled jam-packed year.

We want to thank all the people who were part of the OASIS experience and invite you to share in our final week Wednesday January 4th to Sunday January 8th as follows:

Wednesday Jan. 4th - OPEN SOUL - THE MEMORIES - Adm: $500
Come share your Oasis memories and experiences, and see performances from your favourite LGBT talents, expect poetry, songs and a whole lot of laughter...prepare for a few tears.

Thursday, Januay 5th - LEVEL UP CAMPAIGN PREMIER - Adm: $500
The LEVEL UP Philosophy is that inspite of where we are...we should always aim to move one up in everything that we do and that growth is measured by these levels.

The LEVEL UP Campaign is a series of videos developed by The Couture Elements team which includes our outreach arm The Underlined Response addressing issues faced by LGBT people, providing hope and encouragement.

Friday, January 6th - TGIF Rewind - Adm: Free
Come party with us for the final TGIF.

Saturday, January 7th - The Underlined Response Games Night - Adm: $500
This is going to be hilarious. Come play Oasis 'Have you ever' and many more games jam packed with fun and laughter.

Sunday, January 8th - Oasis Anniversary Dinner - Adm: $1500 (limited tickets available)
Join us for a lovely meal and performances, as we wrap it all up in one evening of excellence.

The OASIS is in no way over...enquire about PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP as we take this initiative to newer heights, enjoy a more intimate and definitely MEMBERS ONLY setting, exclusive membership discounts at participating entities, local and regional tours, parties and excursions...more private and even more exclusive.

Contact Information was provided (but hidden for this post)

ALWAYS A 'LEVEL UP'

ENDS

The announcement has been greeted with some sadness but part of the reality is that business is slow generally speaking in terms of income given the economic climate, 

2) entertainment cuts in personal budgets, 

3) lack of spending power of some members, 

4) the slow repeat business my members, 

5) a decrease in registered members (even when dropped to $1000/month) 

There have been some ideological differences with other leading influentials with some drifting or slowed support towards the lounge. A particular incident with another party promoter over an advocacy issue also was a cause for concern earlier this year as well. My visits to the spot certainly have since slowed as some disparaging remarks to my mind made by one of the founding and managing members in earshot of me about the behaviour of some of the CE REGISTERED PAID membership has not gone down well with myself and a few others when the supposed offending members who were the target of such comments unbeknownst or known to them (while they were enjoying dancehall music which was not normally played by any DJ for extended periods) were not approached directly at the time instead of a sidebar another controversial lesbian who has serious issues with effeminate men and quite openly expressed same on repeated occasions in the space without any serious reprimand by one or both of the management team members. She has openly referred to other male members as battyman and in this case in very condescending tones which calls into question management and public relations issues. It is sad that whenever we have a good idea and or venture running it tends to get polluted with all kinds of drama and politics, the very politics, classism and in this case caustic effemophobia we were hoping to escape from to create new and tolerant spaces have reared their heads. To think that the Friday night in question when said remarks were passed by the influential we had just ended a recording session about safe spaces and tolerance with varying identities socializing in this tense Jamaican atmosphere with a particular International rights based group. Clearly we as a community have a long way to go in settling the differences of opinions and REAL tolerance of differing identities and need to seriously revisit this sometimes vexed issue of expression by different sexualities..in the context of the energetic dancehall music vibe that conjures excitement and a certain aura in any space.

Certainly there will be memorable moments and the cathartic Wednesday night discussions I thoroughly enjoyed will be missed (also the white wine), the new faces and friendships forged, the Nauti Glam event which was held earlier this year will also be remembered as one of the best boat ride events in recorded LGBT history. Sad that the major alternative to the mainstream politically messy advocacy structure has to go so soon on its one year anniversary and private at that which suggests to me a seeming non interest in engaging some other populations who may not have the financial where-it-all to patronise such a bar and lounge. I would think or hope that the Underlined Response will address those populations and associated issues.

All the best to the team .............. I was happy to have seen it from the conception to birthing up to now however.

Peace and tolerance

H

LGBT History Month: Pride Fest 2011 The First Full Community Introspective

September 11, 2011 would never be the same in Kingston Jamaica as a little event that was named Pride Fest became Huge making history as the first full introspective activity to cover not only the party vibe as usual but LGBT businesses and their owners all gathered together in an exposition of sorts, please see the release from the organizers below as prepared on September 12, 2011. What is of great interest was the noticeable absence of The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays, JFLAG and its parent organization Jamaica AIDS Support for Life JASL although they were invited to set up booths, with not so much as an apology to the organizers clearly indicating their non interest in real community development. 

Here is the release from the UR


What is PRIDE?

Pride is an inward directed (feeling) emotion that exemplifies either an inflated sense of one's personal status or the specific, mostly-positive emotion that is a product of praise or independent self-reflection. Gay PRIDE movements became popular after the StoneWall Riots of the late 1960's (research Stone Wall Riots) attempting to remove the shame of choosing to love differently from mainstream.

As LGBT Jamaicans, the two pronged fork of homophobia has been keeping LGBT people from stepping out and following their dreams with too many lives being lived in anguish and fear and too many dreams being buried in a grave somewhere. Being a Jamaica gay, lesbian or transgered person, we feel the pinch of external homophobia and internal homphobia, these trials have made us stronger and even more passionate...what we need now is PRIDE!

To create any kind of change in Jamaica, the community must become the change first...to be come the change...we must attempt unity....to attempt unity...we must develop respect for our internal diversity and to develop respect...we have to remind and re-instill our PRIDE.

PRIDE FEST 2011 with all proceeds in aid of The Underlined Response, is the beginning of this movement toward PRIDE. Showcasing 9 booths owned by LGBT business owners: modelling and promotions PRESS PLAY, Sex Toys and Piercings by FETISH SECRETZ, Tattoos by SAMIYEN INKED COUTURE, nail care by RAINBOW NAILS, Jewellry and clothing courtesy of NUBIAN DESIGNS, gadget fashionistas NOSTIK DESIGNS, travel agent and coffee distributor GLOBAL TRAVEL, artwork by Veneesia Thompson, to list a few and the after concert featured epic and professional performances from over 30 different people, PRIDE FEST left the over 250 patrons in attendance in awe and instilled a new and foreign feeling...being gay and proud and part of a community of talented and creative persons.

artwork on display at Pride Fest while patrons milled about

Food was provided by Champion of Champions winner of Jerk Chicken competition with his signature sauce, Jerk Fried Rice and Jerk Red Peas Soup, as well as Dawn's Burgers. We want to take this opportunity to apologise gravely (gravely) for not delivering on the lovely local dishes and pastry that were advertised, unfortunately, Ocassions Catering/Sweets Tanya Lee and Lola's Pastry pulled out the thursday before the event leaving us with no options in such a short space of time. Nonetheless, the offerings of the Jerk Pan and Jamaica's Champion of all Champions Jerker with his exotic twist on Jerk food pleased exceedingly, where the comfort of Dawn's much loved cheese burgers and hot dogs done to order, was tired.

Throughout the venue, patrons commented on how shocked and delighted they were. Singers, Poets, contemporary and inspirational dance pieces, Dancehall DJ acts, models, drag queens and a comedian delivered a fantastic 4 hours of performances. Almost all the acts were crowd favorites with special mention to our drag performers, Kerry and Macy who gave many patrons their first experience of the beauty, grace and art of Lip Syncing, an almost dying feature of gay life in Jamaica; soul crooners, the Jamaican version of Floetry: Debbie and Jordie...shared their Fire and talent on stage to our delight, Poets like Tyrell and Nadz dived right into the sex and excited the crowd, whilst revolutionary poet Christina touched some sensitive but needed to be told issues, igniting the revolutionary spirits in the audience. A duo from Tiana and Fyahh had mouths on the ground, as both persons are known for similarly hotting up any dancefloor at a party..headtops and splits like stars...their performance to Cece Winans 'Alabaster Box' incorporating their skills into this very touching and relevant gospel song..left goose pimples. Toni graced our stage with 4 original songs and had the crowd singing along to Blue Skies. The all boys dance group killed it with their high energy and colourful performances with death drops. All girls song birds Phyllea, Lani and Sade thrilled us with a Beyonce fave. Swagga Ras the DJ of the night gave loads of instructions...on who fi juck and who fi wine and even demonstrated!! Drama on the stage! Whilst the All girls group did lots of whining and some stripping...to song...with a routine (ofcourse). Tiana took breaths away with her performance to 'He Lives In You' from the Lion King Sound Track...clearly highlighting and distinguishing the full extension of her talent, while our sole comedian had the crowd laughing at her jokes. Maxine closed the show with her signature high energy and almost death defying stunts as she split and pranced to her song selection, then dived into the pool, perfect to start the after party.

Although we did not have a showing of any of our talented designers again due to late cancellations, the Fashion Shows were definately a point of PRIDE, the show featured hot male and female models draped in nothing but glam, class and style strutting the runway like millionaires in the top name brands and extremely stylish outfits carried by courtesy of RDS FASHIONS.

Amidst the threatening rains, the last minute cancellations, missing personal items and tonnes of other issues that plague events, we pulled it through and we are PROUD. A special thank you to the angel who jumped in last minute ans sponsored our event, although you were unable to attend the show to see the final product, I know no doubt you are PROUD, Thank you. Big Ups to our DJs David and Tandra who provided the music and the hardworking and dedicated team of The Underlined Response who made it a reality. The PRIDE has made it to the hearts and visions of all present, as plans for PRIDE FEST 2012 are already underway, we want to remind that our external world and its experiences are merely a reflection of our internal world and its experiences, and so to create any change...we must look at the person in the mirror first...and become the change we wish to see.

THE CHANGE IS ON ITS WAY...BECOME PART OF IT...IF YOU WANT BUT DONT FIGHT IT IF NOT....JUST LET IT!

Look out for our upcoming initiatives aimed at taking LGBT lifestyle another LEVEL UP!

Couture Elements

coutureelements@gmail.com


also listen to my first full audio commentary on LGBT History Month since I have been trying to cover some of the milestones.

   LGBT History Month Jamaica by glbtqja5 

JFLAG/AIDSFREEWORLD unimpressive show at community meeting

It seems every time we move away from JFLAG to other issues their stewardship turns up in our faces and all for the wrong reasons, a meeting at the the weekly Open Mic Open Soul dated August 3, 2011 hosted at the Couture Oasis and temporary home of their Non Governmental arm The Underlined Response where Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays, JFLAG was invited alongside AIDSFREEWORLD and the UNAIDS country Representative Pierre Somse to discuss the recent Ad campaign and the other planned activities in coming months. We certainly went with an open mind to hear all the plans as held close to the chests of the powerful but it turned out to be an abysmal show by the organizations JFLAG and AIDSFREEWORLD with its legal representative while stressing is being paid to be such spoke for much of the discussion although he stressed he would not speak on behalf of JFLAG he ended up doing so which at some points became a monologue used to throw stones at critics of the failures like myself and others present. It was a good litmus test for the younger advocates were present to know what to expect in the field especially when one is going against decades of an established dicta-tum that has gone un-critiqued, almost infallible and unfettered by the very community it says it serves.

Also See: The more things change the more they stay the same ….. JFLAG’s prescriptive culture still exists

The session started with an attempt to explain how they arrived at the series of public stands starting from the Walk for Tolerance in Montego Bay in 2010, when questioned about the belief that the LGBT agenda was slid under that activity dishonestly he stumbled in explaining the reasons for it, from the get go the descending began as the usual pontifications and prescriptions were infused every now and then. He tried to say that the MSM group was not doing self advocacy. As for the partners who were also in the stand as expected the incestuous links were included but when the moderator throw out an open question to the audience, if anyone else knew of them? there were only five hands raised out of the thirty some persons present on the outside while others not in earshot mingled in the lounge itself and by the bar clearly uninterested in the session. The snide remarks and condescending tone also did not sit well with many persons who eventually retreated to the bar to have drinks and chat with others literally left the discussions for home or elsewhere.

As for the ad campaign which we finally got to after much talk and subtle complaints that others are criticising too much (I know that one was for me) and not doing enough to their liking. He continued that the sharing of information through key people, when asked if there was any testing done or feedback process built into the advocacy? Maurice Tomlinson answered that social media was used but what he did not mention was that it was a select few who are allowed to be on that page. Also the comments not allowed on the JFLAG site he side stepped the issue, a practice used during the rest of the uneasy event.

Persons had difficulty understanding UNAIDS representative Pierre Somse's presentation due to his deep accent but in essence he reiterated the need for groups to work together in solving some of the issues.

Question on what drivers of homophobia the tolerance walks and stands are to be addressed by them and the process thinking applied to were posed by the moderator however yet another set of skirting around the issue as the cop out was it's another whole set of issues. The video which had been run before was rebroadcast and then came the feedback most of which echoed the original comments elsewhere and on this blog that the persons seen in the clip did not reflect the true LGBT demographic to which Mr. Tomlinson while before in his introduction said he wasn't there to speak on JFLAG's behalf did speak for the J all through. There was one commendation about the idea itself but the actors are another matter.

As at the creation of this post the clip on Youtube had only 2,826 hits which says something to me, the LGBT community is way bigger than that especially those who use the internet for socialization, could it be lack of interest after seeing the video?. Mr. Tomlinson continued while the Executive Director of JFLAG sat quietly that the actors who were in the clip were the only ones who agreed to come forward but seeing that the invitation was never thrown out to the LGBT body politic one wonders where did they ask for persons to come forward? Two females in the session eventually agreed to participate in the next video but after the series of discussions and an invitation to assist with the upcoming Pride Fest extended by the new President of The Underlined Response was snubbed and skirted around again much to the dismay and cynicism of persons in the audience they are having second thoughts. All the while the JFLAG Executive Director sat still quietly or whispering with the two "foreigners" obviously from some agency who were not introduced to the audience. He made only a few interjections.

Snubbed

When asked to suggest anyone else who could assist with the suggested project Mr. Tomlinson couldn't name anyone and then flatly told the audience "I can't assist" ...... "The advocacy initiatives which AIDSFREEWORLD supports are generally to do with AIDS and vulnerable communities, a pride fest would be a little out of the norm, I am not saying, you know .... you caught me off guard, I am not saying it's impossible to do but it is about but for right now the focus is challenging homophobia and any kind of initiatives we support would have to be challenging homophobia as a direct co relation to its impact on HIV/AIDS because we are AIDSFREEWORLD ...... if you can craft a proposal in a way that speaks to homophobia and its impact or this event addressing homophobia and its impact on HIV/AIDS then perhaps I could be able to get my organization to come on board, it's all about how you couch it" he continued "You said your thing was August 28th, I am out of commission for the rest of the month."

This did not sit well with many persons in the audience as the moving bodies and puzzled faces attested to despite the continued pressing of the Underlined Response President so much so that the volunteers for the video campaign are having second thoughts but the feedback did not come until after the departure of the guests which I was not comfortable with but it shows persons are not blind and can see through the smoke. Some were caustic in their remarks and suggested that the players in the field of advocacy were all about self praise and not serious about seeing positive things happening in the community, Mr. Tomlinson's flat out refusal to be cooperative with the UR President's overture was what stood out in the minds of many. When I quizzed the persons on the inside as to why they did not leave the bar and participate the vast majority most of whom are young adults said they thought it was a waste of time meanwhile the feedback section of which the moderator had a hard time getting responses to ended the session. Persons seemed in a daze following the last utterances of Mr. Tomlinson and the silence of Mr. Lewis. I would have preferred persons expressed themselves more openly though, maybe it's something we need to work on.

It seems every time JFLAG appears at the Oasis they do not come across well to the audience, one could assume that the audience maybe is too astute to be dazzled with self promotion and boasts of achievement or they the J are intimidated by the persons present knowing how critical some can become, what also was a point expressed by a member in the audience after the guests departed was why is it that its only by invitation that the J appears at the Oasis, why can't they come on their own recognizance?

If anyone has a problem with criticism then clearly they are founded on some truth then or one would not feel repulsed by them, implicit in the criticisms themselves are the solutions one does not have to spell it out as if one is addressing kindergarten students or spoon feeding babies. One should learn from them and grow. JFLAG albeit any other group has to now know that gone are the days of the aura factor in getting the community to support the activities, accountability and listening to the community are key and the all important respectful engagement with all parties critics or not as persons are no longer sitting down and accepting what others think is good for us, persons are asking questions, persons are rethinking the wheel, persons are far more astute and critical with a dose of cynicism than before, to become testy during a forum to which an invitation was sent is not the way to go.

my audio rantings on the Ad campaign

More on the JFLAG Video Ad Campaign by glbtqja1

Peace and tolerance

H

The New Response is Underlined ... Executive Board is in Place

So as the new Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) entity birthed in part from the Couture Elements stable is rolled out softly with little fanfare the historic election process took place last evening July 27, 2011 at the Oasis Lounge with just under a hundred persons turning up and occupying every possible space and seating available leaving very little room for standing. All the present structured positions were filled and the candidates who have been on low keyed campaigning for the past two weeks made their cases as to why they should have been voted in by the eager and much younger audience which was refreshing to see and demonstrates hope for the future. I am proud to also have been apart of the initial conceptualization of this movement which is to add to the present structures though heavily criticised by myself and others but we must become the change we want to see.

Some 85% (my numbers after counting) of the total ballots were marked with one spoilage and 8 abstentions for respective positions which showed also a high level of interest and could be a sign of things to come in terms of how active these supporters maybe as the Underlined Response ages. Persons came prepared to participate and not to be mere spectators.

The Positions filled were:

President

Vice President

Public Relations Officer

Treasurer

Secretary

With the last three posts having one candidate each vying. All the presentations from the candidates were worthwhile listening generally speaking but seeing this was a new crop of advocates being groomed much room was allowed for mistakes, the shakes during their speeches and some over enthusiasm as they all tried valiantly to win their crowd, friends and neigh sayers alike. Obviously capacity building is of critical importance and as the audience fielded questions which mostly surrounded expectations and competencies, of concern was the fear of over intellectualizing and diversions from semantics with over puffed egos that existed in other jurisdictions and entities of a similar nature.

Co Founder SJ pointed out that the comradeliness was the strength of the entity, "the family setting is key" and that no divas or superstars will be tolerated in any way shape or form as it is about serving the community. She also stressed in an interview of sorts after the votes were tallied and the results announced that the thrust also is to work with other entities chief among them JFLAG but have them being accountable as well to the LGBT body politic.

It is indeed refreshing to see this younger set of persons fired up about advocacy and one of my own questions posed particularly to the President and Vice President candidates was that of engagement of other identities under the LGBT umbrella that do not necessarily socialize in a space such as the Oasis which caters to a more white collar audience but is mixed none the less. As in a robotic response the candidates pledged they were willing to engage the cohort but of course the real proof in my mind will come when the rubber meets the road as older experienced heads among the audience made it clear they will be close scrutiny so as to avoid the mistakes from the past and elsewhere. The personal sacrifice, the possibly loss of friends as one stands up for ones principles or beliefs were brought to the fore as possible expectations.

Early work

For the first few months the tightening of the roles and responsibilities are critical and with a constitution and by-laws in place other activities will be looked at squarely towards development. Several seminars and workshops are spearheaded to develop the skill sets of this young but vibrant board and a special advisory board is also being put together to act as a lightening rod to best practices and streamlining the activities.

As the results were read the cheers got louder especially for the Public Relations Officer race as the the popular vote landed with that "thuggy" lady. The most riveting speech for the evening's proceedings came from Vice President candidate though diminutive in stature Miss Kitty K Crew who had her audience attuned to her plans and ideas she wanted to share with the board and the community on a whole for the better part of seven minutes, not a souls said a word as she delivered. The most decorated individual overall was the Presidential candidate Miss Kitty Kitty Powellas who among other things has held Executive Secretary and Presidential roles overseas in other non governmental and scholastic organizations and groups. It was pointed out however that non LGBT typed board level activities are a different kettle of fish than this one she now will oversee to which she responded in part that she will adapt to. Again we will see the results in the long run. Another riveting but short presentation came from the lone male Vice President candidate who spoke sans notes from the heart using his own personal struggles, his Christian faith and bisexuality while carefully projecting strength on how "out" he is.

With persons leaving the Oasis last evening to early this morning some say they were feeling a sense of newness, revived, refreshed and just at ease in a sense that some of the problems we see and hear of daily may just have another avenue available to them to move the community forward and to deal with lives interrupted.

In my closing remarks last evening I invited all to seriously consider this new move and that the work is not to be taken likely, I also stressed the fact that the Underlined Response is not a replacement for other entities serving the LGBT community and must not be viewed as a competitor albeit some of us have very strong views about where we ought to go and the pace at which more organised and established groups should be, those criticism will in no way cease due to this birthing but solutions can now be tested or used alongside the previous groups and individuals.

Other stalwarts who witnessed this were the fluffy M&Ms formerly of WomenforWomen, The Loft's Management team, a certain longtimer and gentleman from the party scene and the hip crowd with a certain "DJ" as well.

More to come.

Becoming the change we want to see.

Peace and tolerance.

H