Warning!: Fake Facebook pics and hookup dangers

With Facebook now the most widely used social networking site by Jamaican LGBTQI people these days there was sooner or later bound to be some anancyism turning up at some point as we are a people good for that kind of crap. With no clear rules by Facebook as to the use of the account holder having a real photograph of themselves on their profiles dishonest individuals have been running rough shod with photos of buffed man or provocative male images with some intended to lure unsuspecting MSMs in particular who in a short time arrange hook ups while not even verifying and developing any long term e-lationship or chat before the face to face or supposed sexual encounter.

Men who have sex with men are not the only ones who have been duped into this practice with disastrous and near death results.

Two women who suffered the "corrective rape discipline" that some men think they have a right to do in order to straighten them out after they were lured to meet a "lesbian" who has set up a profile with a female body (head capped) on a particular site run by a Jamaican as well, unbeknownst to the owner it happened with even CISOCA Centre for investigations of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse getting involved as they tracked the rape ring which led them to central Jamaica where one of the master minds was accosted. He got 29 years in total as he was on bail and had previous charges of rape as well answering in the courts. Another was arrested at the time but the case fizzled as the victims refused to come forward to testify fearing reprisals. CISOCA had seized several computers, printed copies of online message chats both on MSN and the particular networking site as well. Archived copies of the chat were also preserved by one of the victims as well which was a smart move on her part.

Thankfully the site's admin has since implemented new security features where members only can now log on with new members needing referencing or verification from existing ones. Both victims met a so called brother of the girl who took them to a fake address where his cronies were laying in wait armed with guns.

See more HERE

and HERE

Serial rapist gets 29 years in rape ring, Look out my sisters.

This particular MSM case of which this post revolves happened on June 11 and comes from a young man who met someone on the popular Facebook site who had a photo of an exposed torso male. Believing the photo was that of the person behind the messages and comments between the two over a three week period the profile's holder invited the young man to be in a face to face meeting at a point they agreed on. The date arrived but just before the meeting was to take place the profiler changed the point of contact via a phone call and in hind sight the young man said he heard rough voices in the background speaking about what they should "do to him" but he thought it was something else or not him. He went to the area near a plaza just off a main road for the proverbial hook up wearing the exact colours he had indicated to the profiler but noticed when he arrived some twenty minutes prior to the set time that a car was near the area parked seemingly with passengers aboard as the body of vehicle was lower than normal and the engines were running, he dismissed any unsuspecting issue as he thought that due to the summer' heat the occupants were using the engines to power the air conditioning.

Soon after he walked to the exact spot on the piazza where two men alighted and gave chase but though young he was not a fool as he had planned his escape route should the need arise.

This however was not before the men shouted the usual curse words "battyman" etc as their attempts were thwarted, it is not yet clear though if the men were homophobic or they wanted to gang rape the young man, he surmises the latter as he said after passing the photo around he was told it is a regular practice by this profiler to lure men for rough sex usually under duress.

Thankfully this one ended the way it did but for the men to use curse despite the young man's strong suspicion of gay on gay violence is a glaring sign how easily persons will cloak themselves with homophobic disguises to carry out their dirty deeds. Homophobes can well be posing as gay too or DL persons who are struggling with their own feelings of guilt and shame also can exercise this kind of revenge attacks as well to purge themselves of said guilt.

Some suggestions:

Please bear in mind the following if you or someone you know is planning a face to face meeting following an continued e-lationship

1. Make sure the profiler has a real photo or photos of themselves
2. Ask questions about them, get to know as much as possible as timely as possible
3. Establish telephone contact as early as you see fit
4. Listen for any change in mood, tone or information shared over time
5. Keep the e-lationship going with regular interactions to pick up any changes as well
6. Archive or save suspicious exchanges as you see fit
7. Avoid instant hook-ups without first developing some rapport in the e-lationship
8. Tell a close friend where and when you are going to meet an online friend for the first time
9. Develop a trend in communicating for e.g same times if possible per day for chatting
10. If you decide to meet find an open public area as best as possible, and decide how to behave in that space to avoid any unsuspecting onlookers who may deduce it's a gay link up
11. Decide on clothing and colour or change colours previously agreed to if you are not sure of the individual
12. Study your surroundings when there and get there early (as this young man did)
13. Plan your possible route(s) of escape if necessary
14. Have a weapon of some sort or maze that can create a distraction then escape as quickly as possible
15. Have a trusted friend accompany you if possible and have them away from the actual meeting spot but make sure they can see you
16. Make a call if needed to the person(s) who followed you and keep the line open so they can hear your conversation and call for help elsewhere if needed
17. Set your Facebook profile to "Friends Only" as under "Friends of Friends" all other persons can see you
18. If you are in a group and are active you may turn off the feature where non friends can send you a message or see you photos
19. Use only a sensible face picture as your profile thumbnail so as to avoid stalking

These are just some of what you can do as suggested by me, do more online research on your own as well.

Here is a previous suggested checklist I had done for the same gender loving sisters when I had written on their side of things:

"This is a stern warning to my lesbian sisters out there please be mindful of the persons and social networks you become associated with, here are some tips I think that are useful:
1) Check the sites and chat rooms to make sure their privacy settings allow for scrutiny of members and their profiles.
2) Be ware of the amount of pictures of yourself you may upload to these open sites,
3) If one intends to meet or hook-up with potential persons from these networks do so in a public place for your own protection
4) Develop a rapport with online chatters or friends before meeting them; get to know the chatter by asking probing questions
5) Use a pseudonym where necessary and ask the administrators to verify members where necessary
6) Use the privacy settings available on your respective social networks so that not everyone can see your page if needed
7) When in doubt just block a suspicious profile user if one if not satisfied that the person is legitimate
8) Be alert to the number of members in your page and try to discern suspicious activity
9) If in doubt leave the respective page and delete all content of you including photos
10) Look for pages that offer privacy settings that are suitable for you protection, pages on NING, Facebook and MySpace offer great privacy settings that can make your profile hidden from all other members
11) Network with those you know so they can verify other folks and tread carefully online."

As I say on my sister blog GLBTQ Jamaica - "Be Vigilant, Be Safe" in your e-lations.

Peace and tolerance

H

Homophobia heats up with the summer

As the summer months fast approach us and today being the longest day of the year the tense atmosphere in that which is Jamaica in as far as homophobia is concerned is becoming more so, as more reports continue to come in and JFLAG in a recent flyer (Below) said they had some reports as well.

One of the police abuse instances that is mentioned above in that flyer is one that occurred in Montego Bay where a party promoter aligned to some rouge police officers were sent to disrupt a popular venue there as it was deemed as taking away business in the ever increasingly stiff party entertainment market. Sadly it seems JFLAG has overlooked or chose to ignore the real reason in fear of the community's embarrassment coming too much to light, if we are going to be speaking on rights we must speak the truth and call it as we see it, not gloss it over. The others were flat out homophobic abuse.

Read more on that here from my sister blog on Wordpress:

Big Blow For Homeless/Displaced MSMs In Western Jamaica …..

Of interest are the cases of beatings since May with a recent one in Glendevon in St. James of a 13 year old. The previous was a skirmish in St. Thomas which started out as a quarrel over a fence with a neighbour and ended up in homophobic slurs being directed at one of the occupants of the property who by the utterances of his detractors said they suspected him as a battyman. Disturbing lesbophobic attacks as well have been making the rounds with unconfirmed choppings and beatings in St. Ann of two women respectively while a confirmed case of "picketing" in Kingston of a same gender loving woman has also come to light which occurred in late May. She has since relocated and is planning on selling the property.

The case of the former business man who was displaced and had relocated has taken a new twist as the police had to be called in to settle a dispute with a landlord who also accused the man of not having any woman, so he must be a battyman den and he should leave her place at once. The police as reported were professional and reminded her of the rules as stated under the Rent Act as to how to ask a tenant to vacate ones premises but the landlord has threatened to use other means to get rid of him so he is taking all the needed precautions.

A suspected murder at a previous crime spot in Kingston nearing the national solid waste authority building is also of grave concern but unconfirmed as at this post. The murder of a former JFLAG volunteer and employee earlier this year is also still disturbing myself and others who are close to the case as he was buried unceremoniously as a pauper with no last rights offered due to an unrepentant homophobic father and a less caring organization of which he was apart no matter how short his tenure was. Not even so much as a release to formally recognise him was forthcoming.

See more here on previous questionable deaths of members of our community:

The Tragic Loss Of Three Icons In Less Than A Month ……..

Also see the entry from Wordpress on the dancehall DJ's entourage attack at a gas station earlier this year:

Hate Crime Or Magnet For A Beating? ……. Popular DJ’s Entourage Square Off With Gay Men ……………..

Men Rushed And Beaten In New Kingston

Certainly I am worried and deeply at this sharp rise in accounts of abuse and other problems that we ourselves cause to occur such as a lack of vigilance of ones private electronic devices and computers especially when surfing social network pages with gay materials with relatives or non gay friends around only to have them eaves-drop or deliberately force themselves to discover the secret with a broadcast that causes awful repercussions. A disturbing case of blackmail also has come to the fore of a young man who was found out by a distant relative only to have the

same relative declare his own same sex attractions and demanding sexual favours as the young man resided in the home of the relative. He is since seeking new accommodation to avoid any eventualities.

A case of a chase in Half Way Tree on May 17 was also confirmed as a young man who had had a public quarrel with another man alleged also to be gay near the York Pharmacy was chased away by the fruit vendors and taxi drivers nearby as he exited the establishment according to reports, his raucous behaviour was not tolerated by onlookers who also used the regular curse words "battyman" sadly more and more it is becoming burdensome to have to bring these events in my posts to your attention but it is needed so we can have some clue as to what's really going on. The difficulty as always is confirmation of some of the reports and accusations such as the beating of a youngster at a prominent high school in Kingston, it has been the subject of

discussion elsewhere on social network sites but no one seems able to provide proper leads or evidence to that effect.

What is promising is the younger lgbt body politic is not lost to adopting some care and vigilance and they are speaking out on issues as well it is refreshing to see the vibrant exchanges now on some networking sites and it is hoped that this can help the information sharing to grow in earnest although many of the subject matter is of a raunchy nature but that may tire out some and maybe lead to new issues or real issues being brought to bear. Certainly the participation in advocacy typed activity such as responding to letters to the editors, article reviews and critiquing the issues as well as the advocates JFLAG's stewardship is on the minds of this new crop on LGBT people.

Sadly as seen below the transgender advocacy from the J is still way below par and the invisibility from lack of proper engagement and discourse is glaring, the page only has a link to a Wikipedia entry and as usual the comments section is closed, so much for engagement and forumatic activity. JFLAG SITE

Let's continue to be vigilant at all angles, watch and document what you see and hear, let me know if you desire it to go public send via email to lgbtevent@gmail.com or link JFLAG if your so desire at the numbers on the flyer above that shows the countdown of incidents.

Peace and tolerance

H

A Failing Relationship: How to Let Go

By Alisa Chagnon

When we are in an established relationship, we quite normally have expectations of our partner. We expect the person whom we love to show concern for our emotional and physical wellbeing, be respectful, kind, and give us a general feeling of safety and protection from life's stressors. What do we do when the other person in the relationship is failing to meet our needs?

There is a two-step process for this situation to occur in the first place. The first being that we must ask ourselves if we entered into the relationship in which our partner did not demonstrate a large amount of these qualities to begin with. When falling in love, we sometimes only see the pleasing elements of a person's personality and overlook the seemingly potentially disturbing aspects.

Once the relationship has been established, as time goes on, this can lead to an inevitable realization that our partner in the relationship is not all that we desired. Disappointed and saddened that we feel we are not receiving the love we deserve, a person can quickly become frustrated, confused, and/or depressed.

The second way in which a person can begin to make us wonder if they truly care about us, is the situation in which their feelings toward us have apparently changed. In this case, our significant other did in fact display quality personality elements, provided us with the emotional support and gave us a feeling of love and safety in the relationship, and then they withdrew.

There are significant amounts of ways in which we may feel that our partner may be failing us. A sudden decrease in phone calls, a lack of questions and concerns regarding our personal life, spaces of time that are unaccounted for as we attempt to contact them to no avail, and being unfaithful are a few. Regardless of what actions they are doing, if we feel that they are not in love with us as previously thought, it can cause confusion and frustration. Understanding the situation for what it is can then lead to finding a solution to help us cope

There are many reasons why our partner may be displaying a lack of love, respect and kindness. A person may have reached a point in their life in which they question themselves and their ability to be in a serious relationship. They wish to distance themselves, as they feel they need freedom to consider their options. They may simply have decided that the relationship is not what they desire. A person may choose to exit the relationship slowly, because they do not possess the ability tell us pointblank.

When this happens, it is a natural instinct to question the other person in the relationship, try to learn why they are causing us to feel rejected and attempt to correct the problem. While counseling may work for specific relationship problems, this will only have a possibility of effectiveness if both partners wish to remain in the relationship. A large amount of patience and dedication is required to repair a relationship in this way.

However, if your partner simply does not possess the yearning of staying in the relationship, the single most important element to know is this: No matter how strongly you may desire a relationship, if the other person is not providing you with love there is nothing you can do about it. Questioning, prodding or even counseling will not force a person to love you. In fact, questioning their actions, demanding explanations, and attempting to force them into showing love will only push them away more rapidly. Just as we have freewill to do as we wish with our lives, our partner has this right also.

Feeling rejected is one of the saddest emotions we can have. Especially when we have shown and felt very strong love for another person and the relationship is failing. We ourselves, feel like failures. We may questions what we may have done wrong. We may struggle to think of a way to make the person care for us. Realize that nothing you did or said causes a person to fall out of love. True love does not stop, and if the relationship is fading, true and lasting love was not in place. Loving a person does not guarantee that we will then receive that same amount of love.

Is disheartening but true, if a person stops loving us, we have two choices. We can accept it or we can allow it to eat away at us. Acceptance of a lost love is the most difficult choice. The majority of people will first enter the phase of denial, hurt and anger. These feeling will eat away at us, causing problems in our family life, our personal life and our career. The emotional pain that we feel can most often seem to be such a large obstacle that it appears to be impossible to simply accept the situation. Feeling as though all our dreams and hopes for a future with the person we love has suddenly gone away is sometimes unbearable.

Sadly, despite how unhappy we may feel, our feeling of sorrow will not change the situation. In desperation, we may pray, beg and daydream constantly for the other person to love us. Nothing will change. If we realize this, the only other choice is to accept it.

Acceptance does not mean that we agree they treated us correctly. Acceptance does not mean that we must shut off our feelings for the other person. Acceptance does not mean that we must somehow feel happy. Acceptance simply means that we are fully aware that the relationship is not going to be as we desired and we sadly cannot change the other person's feelings.

Once understanding this, and accepting this, we can attempt to go on with our lives. Attempting to stay in a relationship in which we are not receiving love is only delaying the separation process. Unless you unwisely choose to remain this type of relationship, which equals feeling rejected and frustrated, a breakup is unavoidable. In a perfect world, the people whom we love so strongly would feel the same way for us. In a perfect world, all of the devotion we gave would come back to us. We do not live in this world, and to imagine we do, does not allow us to deal with the reality of our lives. Letting go is one of the most difficult emotional choices we can make. Letting go, is one of smartest choice we can make.

Rest in Peace Taylor Siluwé .....

Visit his blog HERE

His critically acclaimed book available HERE and Cheezy Porn (and other fairytales) get that HERE and A Taste of Cherries HERE

The Blogging community lost a very powerful voice last Sunday June 19th when Taylor Siluwé 43, was promoted to glory after battling lung cancer. He was undergoing treatment to also include chemotherapy and seemed strong in recovery as he blogged from his bed in the hospital. His last entry he outlined his struggle with the treatment and how hard the days were:

"Some days its bad.

Yet some days I feel like my old self. But the other days tell me I'm truly in the fight for my life, with new aches and pains and popping up in weird places.

Thank God for Trel, my housemate Darryl, and my real AND extended family. Having a support system during this is actually the wind beneath my wings. I have a friend in similar situations without anyone to hold his hand through it. It's heartbreaking. I'm shifting my focus now to help him.

Everybody needs somebody - especially when your body is trying to kill you.

This support is gonna to push me over the edge of grave illness, past the puking and the radiation, over the horizon of being a cancer survivor. This has to happen.

In the interim, its gonna be a year of trials because like it or not, life doesn't pause for disease, bill collectors still call and bring me down, T-Mobile doesn't care whether my cancer is stage one or stage 4. The utility company actually does care a bit considering I'm on an oxygen compressor, the lose of which would be tragic.

My major medical is pretty much taken care of (thank God), but day to day incidentals can be trying.

So I'm asking for anything that anyone can spare. Just click the donate button on the upper right with $10, $20 $50, whatever won't be a hardship to you. Thank you in advance, and God bless the kindness of strangers."

ENDS

But the master had other plans so he was taken from us but as they say there is a reason for everything. I devoted this space for him in memory as for the short time we met online and exchanged ideas and opinions we were both the richer for it as bloggers knowing how tedious it can get sometimes with the dedication, time and effort to maintain and stick to ones point of view even if it departs from everyone else.

See his website HERE http://www.taylorsiluwe.com/

Rest in Peace my yute

Peace and tolerance

H

New Guidelines on Deportation Cases Could Apply to Gay Couples

Andrew Harmon from The Advocate

Immigration officials may be able to consider the circumstances of married binational same-sex couples when making decisions about deportation, although an immigration group in response has asked for further clarification of new federal guidelines.

According to guidelines issued in a Friday June 19th a memo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton to field directors, agents, and attorneys, Morton listed 19 criteria that could be considered in deportation cases, including whether an individual has a U.S. citizen spouse, as well as “the person’s ties and contributions to the community” and whether the individual’s nationality “renders removal unlikely.”

Morton specified that the list “is not exhaustive.” In response, an LGBT immigration advocacy group has asked the agency to clarify whether terms like “spouse” and “family” in the memo include gay partners and spouses.

“While ICE has taken a significant step in recognizing that tearing families apart should not be a government priority, it must be explicit that lesbian and gay families are protected, too,” Immigration Equality executive director Rachel Tiven said in a statement today.

Following the Obama administration’s February announcement that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court cases, Tiven’s organization and other advocates have called on officials to exercise their discretion in immigration cases involving married gay binational couples because President Barack Obama has said the 1996 law, which prevents federal recognition of same-sex marriages, is unconstitutional.

In some recent, well-publicized cases, officials have perhaps indicated their willingness to exercise such discretion, though the administration has so far said it will not issue a blanket policy on the matter.

“Neither [the Department of Homeland Security] nor [the Department of Justice] has granted any form of relief to the entire category of cases affected by DOMA,” wrote DHS assistant secretary Nelson Peacock and Assistant Attorney General Ronald Reich in a May letter to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., replying to correspondence this spring from the two lawmakers.

Kerry and Lofgren, backed by dozens of colleagues in the House and Senate, had urged restraint in deportation proceedings involving married same-sex couples and asked that any green card application proceedings be put on hold pending legal resolution or legislative repeal of DOMA.

Lavi Soloway, an LGBT immigration attorney and cofounder of Stop the Deportations, said the ICE memo "offers abundant discretion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys handling deportation matters to consider the circumstances of lesbian and gay binational couples.

There are at least three provisions that will prove to be very important for LGBT deportation cases: consideration of the person's ties to the country of origin and conditions there; consideration of the person's ties to the community, including family relationships; and consideration of whether the person has a spouse, parent or child who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder."

"Stop the Deportations will urge that these guidelines be applied fairly and compassionately to the spouses of lesbian and gay Americans facing deportation," Soloway said.

Meanwhile ..............

Few immigrants want to be deported. Here are three vignettes of South Florida immigrants who face, or recently faced, being returned to their native country, followed by a brief look inside an innovative Immigration Clinic at the University of Miami, where students represent immigrants who cannot afford to defend themselves against deportation.

Immigrant Song: I Don't Want To Leave from John Van Beekum on Vimeo.

A Jamaican brotha is included

Peace and tolerance

H

There goes "On The Ground News" again .......

So another instalment from the very popular Facebook Page "On The Ground News Report" has a glimpse into the pulse of Jamaican society when it comes to homosexuals and the views about us especially when certain actions are taken to point out rights based issues, those activities are viewed as an imposition of the stigmatized and predatory perceptions particularly of male homosexuality.

AIDSFREEWORLD along with Maurice Tomlinson and the slow in coming activists JFLAG have once again had an outdoor demonstration this time not at Devon House where the last two were before but at The Little Theatre in the morning.

Normally the photos captured at the event would have been sent but at post time they were not forthcoming but early indications suggest there more hostile reaction than normal at the other spots before probably due to the fact that the two Jamaica system is very much alive and well, the lower down to the heart of Kingston one comes is the more reactive and caustic the reactions come towards perceived ot actual homosexual occurrences.

Here are some of the responses from the thread which was placed on their profile on Friday June 19 at 1:56pm.

Unconfirmed but Corroborated: OGNR has learnt that there was a protest at the Little Little Theatre by a group of homosexuals. We are currently unaware of the circumstances that led to the protest. If you were in the area post what you saw.

Here are some selected comments to have an idea of what's being said:

"as gay peeps.......we know bout unnu undercover johncrows....thats why unnu no like we.......we have u file! dwl! we see unnu a hide in the corner at the gay events...a wait pan smaddy fi look u....gwey"

"Mi draw a line between me and everyone else in the world, but guess wah? "no fish canna cross it" dem fi guh a "stomas pan""

"the government has laws that affect all of us. Your personal values are the foundation principles that govern your lif, character, identity. the fact that the buggery law speaks to sexual acts in teh home is a matter of privacy not values. So again I ask what are your values? You should actually show up at some of teh TFM session taht the Congress is doing and see what values you gather to build your life."

"Dwl, this serious. Mi neva do so much comments on OGNR unless its homosexually related. Everybody has a mind of their own and we all have to answer for our own "sins", suh why people sexuality a bother unu? If I or you decide to be gay, what that haffi do wid anybody. Some a unu gay ina unu mind but because "society" seh it wrong, unu life unhappy cause uny caan live the way unu want."

"Another hot debate seems like Jamaica have a lot of skeleton been washed out of the closet,s, if is just the little rain last week cause this don,t want to be around when the hurricane comes, seriously thou in days gone by when you were doing something wrong you would hide and do it but all of a sudden every body get bright and a crawl out at the same time. I have said it on this forum already homosexually is wrong don,t try to push your life style on a society that strongly oppose it if there is to be a change it will come until then stay in the closet"

"If you hate everything about gay people then throw away your computer. Alan Turing built the Turing machine, the basis for the modern computer, and he was a gay man. Without him you wouldnt be here hating against gay people."

"TO ALL YOU HOMO SUPPORTERS: Why don't you equally support all the other nastiness & evil of society such as Paedophiles, Murderers, Incesters, etc.?? Why you don't just mind your damn business with those, even when your man is fucking your 13y-o daughter?"

"Good god man, rapist soon come demonstrate, its not a readily accepted way of life in jamaica and its gonna stay that way because of our Nature! To the Homos, is either uno tek di likkle freedom weh uno a get r the nation is gonna start revolting!!!!"

"The homosexuals ought not to draw such attention on themselves, its their lives and they are free to do as they like but its not necessary to be in everybody face about it."

"yes all sins are equal, however that being said just because all sins are equal does not make HOMOSEXUALITY RIGHT, we talk so much about TOLERANCE FOR HOMOSEXUALS, are we to blind our eyes to the fact then that it is a sin? The bible was specific when it said MAN SHOULD NOT LIE WITH ANOTHER MAN, there is no going around it, you can say people are HOMOPHOBIC, INTOLERANT, or what ever else you choose to call it, at the end of the day the fact is that the ANUS was not made for SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, no amount of going back and forth is going to change that. Maybe if HOMOSEXUALS would keep their business in the bedroom and not throw it in the face of what we hold sacred and dear, (MAN BELONGS TO WOMAN), we would not have a problem"

"no Jamaicans are not IGNORANT, far from it, what is IGNORANT is when THOSE WHO CONDONE HOMOSEXUALITY WANT THOSE WHO DO NOT CONDONE IT TO KEEP QUIET, If homosexuals have their say then by GOD those who are against it should be allowed their views as well. The fact is weather you like it or not, it is WRONG in the sight of GOD, and no amount of PROTESTING, BEING ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED, is going to change that. It amazes me just how much HOMOSEXUALS talk about HUMAN RIGHTS, every human being has rights, you however do not have the right to FORCE anyone to accept your perverted behavior."

"HOMOSEXUALITY has nothing to do with HUMAN RIGHTS, if that were the case then PROSTITUTES would have a reason to demonstrate as well. HOMOSEXUALITY is a CHIOCE, and if you make the CHOICE live with the consequences"

"You make a valid point there! Values? There are no more values anymore... It's all about my rights, your rights, his rights, her rights... values has been compeltely vanished, taken away and replaced with what people think or believe to be "his rights" so sickening. And anyone who dares to stand up for themselves and refuse to accept their lifestyle is now suddenly discriminating, is now a bigot is now committing hate crime... amazing!"

" I am tired of the continuos justifcation... as if one wrong, makes another wrong right! Like I said, because one man murder, does not make stealing right...so because people rape, don't make homosexuality right"

"I love looking at ignorant people's comment. I am VERY sure that all of u at the moment are doing immoral things, what makes the action of a homosexual more immoral than the woman's husband u r sleeping with, or the underage school girl u r fondling or the fornication that is current going on in ur life. U need to understand that at the end of the day, all men will be judged equally and at the end of it, all will be caste in the pit of hell- regardless of the sin. So u continue to focus on homosexuals and judge them"

"And the dunce ask "what is the world coming to?" is is what always been- homosexuality as been around since the dawn of time, from the biblical days of soddom and gommorah, to the ancient romans and greeks, vikings and medieval warriors, from BC to AD and its gonna be here till the Lord returns to judge. So continue to beat up thyselves."

ENDS

Follow the rest of the thread here if interested but it is clear to all we have a far way to go in this gay versus straight drama clearly JFLAG is now seeing the seeds of its limpwristedness over the decade plus by not doing what it ought to have been doing effectively which is to disseminate information both inwardly and nationally in a timely fashion while agitating for the buggery law's repulsion while adequately challenging the stereotypes that has been stoked over the period as well by the print media clearly the stigma that we are paedophile/predators is exactly what is feeding this continued hate, simply demonstrating and having outdoor protests is NOT enough. Real action is needed now not the step and fetch it mode that now exists to counter strong criticisms and dissenting remarks from the very community it is to serve. Proper social interventions to include all the players those who agree or don't as to the way forward are also needed it's not enough to describe their growing number of critics through emissaries as bickerers yet boast you are the official LGBT organization yet are ultra selective in whom are to be engaged whilst saying they are speaking on our behalf, the hypocrisy must stop.

More is also needed from ordinary lgbt folk to get involved as well and bombard threads, walls and profiles such as this ONGR. We cannot sit and solely depend on the advocates. Rise up.

Peace and tolerance

H

Bahamas backs gay rights

JUAN McCARTNEY
NG Senior Reporter
juan@nasguard.com

The Bahamas supports the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution passed yesterday that affirms equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette.

The resolution, which narrowly passed in the council in Geneva, Switzerland, expressed “grave concern” about discrimination against gays throughout the world and affirmed that freedom to choose sexuality is a human right.
The Bahamas does not have a seat on the council, but is in favor of the resolution in principle, Symonette said.

He noted that he had not seen the resolution, but said the government supports the expansion of rights for “people of any persuasion.”
“Our record is clear, we continue to support freedom of expression and the right for people to express their opinions,” Symonette said.
“We actually voted in expansion of the rights [of GLBT people in a UN General Assembly vote earlier this year].”

The resolution passed in the human rights council also asked the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a study by the end of the year that would point out “discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity in all regions of the world.”

Twenty-three countries on the human rights council supported the resolution, 19 voted against it and three countries abstained.

The resolution was the first of its kind passed by the council. It was fiercely opposed by Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, among other countries.

The United States supported the resolution, which also asked that the study be conducted before the end of the year to look at how international laws can “be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The resolution also said that the council will form a panel once the study is completed to discuss “constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

One month ago, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay equated homophobia and transphobia to misogyny and racism. She also claimed that hate crimes against GLBT people were on the rise.

“States have an obligation to decriminalize homosexuality and to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation,” she said.