Dealing with the gay rights issue

Friday, January 13, 2012

People's National Party (PNP) strategists must still be sighing with relief that there was no obvious backlash to Mrs Portia Simpson Miller's affirmation in the pre-election debate that Jamaica's buggery law needs to be reviewed.

We say 'no obvious backlash' because as we all know the PNP won the election by a 2-1 seat majority.

Like ourselves, sociologists and others with an interest in such matters must be extremely curious as to whether the election result means there is a significant softening in attitudes towards homosexuality among the Jamaican population.

It's not as if elements in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) did not seek to profit from Mrs Simpson Miller's remarks. We recall the Observer story of Saturday, December 24 reporting on how the JLP candidate for West Central St James and former Cabinet Minister Clive Mullings "armed with a Bible" lashed Mrs Simpson Miller's comments from a political platform in Montego Bay.

As it turned out, Mr Mullings' action was of no profit to him since he lost his seat.

Yet more reason, perhaps, to suggest a softening towards the gay community? We really do not know for sure.

Perhaps the promised "conscience vote" in Parliament, whenever it occurs — following suggested consultations with constituents — will provide scope for a proper exploration of how people really feel regarding this issue.

What we do believe is that Mrs Simpson Miller deserves commendation for her courage. Not only did she speak to the need to review the centuries-old law bequeathed to us by British colonialists, but insisted that she would not "pry" into people's private lives and would appoint "anyone" to her Cabinet based on "ability" regardless of suspected sexual orientation.

In one stroke, she departed from the line taken by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who had declared "...Not in my Cabinet" when asked by British television three years ago if he would consider accommodating homosexuals in the Jamaican executive.

We sensed at the time, that the cautious, middling response of the then Prime Minister Andrew Holness to the gay rights question reflected a recognition, perhaps unconscious, of the possibility of a 'softening' in Jamaican public attitudes over recent years.

Of course, any Jamaican Government must also take into consideration the realities in the outside world. For in Europe and North America and many other places, gay rights are routinely considered fundamental human rights. And as Mr Golding once pointed out, the gay lobby is "perhaps the most organised" in the world. Our anti-gay entertainers have discovered that fact at great cost.

More to the point, the rich and powerful are increasingly insisting that countries like Jamaica abide by their code.

The European Union has long used aid and diplomacy as a fulcrum in its quest to influence countries like Jamaica and its Caribbean neighbours, as well as nations across Africa and the Third World to liberalise laws relating to homosexuality.

Late last year, British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that his Government will be linking aid to recognition of gay rights.

And since that time, the US Government publicly declared its intention to use foreign aid and diplomacy to encourage reform of gay laws.

Some among our church leaders who contend that homosexual behaviour is in breach of "God's Laws" have urged Mrs Simpson Miller and her Government to resist external pressures relating to homosexuality. But it seems to this newspaper that it would be naïve for anyone to expect that Jamaica can continue to ignore such pressures indefinitely.

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COMMENTS (26)

Ever Dunk
1/28/2012

Some politicians will do anything at the polls to win an election. A few years ago it was Christianity with pastors being offered positions on various boards ( PHINN) was featured heavily during that campaign. This past election Gay persons were featured heavily in the campaign and less of God and no PHINN. It makes me wonder about a sin- gle standard or lack there of.

Ever Dunk
1/28/2012

@ Jenn Longmore are you 2 years old what multiple issues can the PSM cabinet or any cabinet can handle, we have not experienced any significant growth within the last 20 odd years which country you are living in. Politics have blinded us this country is heading in the wrong direction and i see this when persons are curshing at christianity in preference of homosexuality however whenever disasters hits us we pack the pews of our nearby church crying to God. HYPOCRISY and dysfunctionality.

jenn longmore
1/27/2012

and for those of you who love to preach the gospel and God it was for the very reason of man's hypocrisy and hateful ways that cause Ghandi to make his famous comment. Ghandi said.., "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

jenn longmore
1/27/2012

PM Simpson-Millers cabinet can handle multiple issues which affect Jamaica and still govern effectively. She did right to answer that a review of the outdated law is on her agenda and for Jamaica's sake I hope it is disbanded so people can stop spreading fear and hate and the endless confusion between their insecurities and some illusionary 'pressure' on Jamaicans! The PM made a decisive and wise decision and support for her should be overwhelming. !

1/24/2012

We should maintain our dignity and not bow under pressure from these rich counties. At the end of the day we will be answerable to god for our actions. Dont ever forget we are a christian country, about to consider separation from the queen. We should also separate ourselves from the influences of so called rich countries, and main tain our richness in our culture and tradition.

Chipmunk L.
1/20/2012

You guys should listen to yourselves !
We always seem to find a way to penalize anyone but ourselves just to make us seem more important. No one goes out of their way to be Gay in order to be treated differently by a prejudiced society. Try listening to Tanya Stephens singing "Do you still care"
I have always asked the same question of a racist " if you were dying and the only doctor available to save you was Gay or Black , would you rather die because of your beliefs ? just choose life!

0o k
1/16/2012

A. It was Comrade Portia and her crew who put this thing out front.
B. Maybe there are more important things to discuss, but this has to the potential to be a very explosive decision. It continues to be in the public domain, so should be dealt with.
C. As I have said before I cannot see how removing or keeping the Buggery Law is equal to giving Gays Rights?
D. Accusing the GOJ past or present of going into peoples bedroom to determine what sexual acts they perform is total dishonesty.

Donny S
1/16/2012

2/2 Further more, they're a lot more important things going on in Jamaica and the world that we should be concerned about instead of screaming about gays versus heterosexuals. Crime, violence, a city bus transit system that's on the verge of collapse, a major election in the US on the way, the economy, yet people are wasting time with such a stupid discussion like this. We need to set our priorities straight. To be honest, Jamaica disgusts me. I'm ashamed to be associated with it

Donny S
1/16/2012

Gotta love how people enjoy throwing God's name around so they can find an excuse to practice discrimination. I mean gays aren't asking to be treated differently. They want to be treated just like anyone else that they're not being treated based on their preferred lifestyle. I mean I find it gross to be honest but what business do we have of determining what people do in private? Mind you if it's brought into the open and the same should go for heterosexuals, then it should be dealt with 1/2

Ever Dunk
1/14/2012

If there is equality for all then there is no need for any degree of special treatment for any particular groups. There are no special interest towards the preservation of the lives of our children, our women, the police etc. there are no plans for the homeless, the poor and the insane walking the thoroughfares daily. There is no respect for any human beings in this country, beheadings have become the norm. What is it about gay people and why should they be treated differently? i dont get it.

0o k
1/13/2012

Comrade Governments are notably for the degree to which they abuse the Human Rights of Jamaicans (I need not reiterate all or any instances). Comrade Simpson-Miller's own Constituency is a, violence prone, almost closed hell-hole. It would therefore be quite a turnaround for her Administration to grant more Rights to Special Interests than can be had in her Bailiwick!
I am just saying!

Phil Oiseaubay
1/13/2012

Enough already!. Just repeal the backward (no pun intended) law and move forward.

Meat Head
1/13/2012

We all know that we will bow to the economic pressure. The crime of buggery will soon disappear from the statutes and Cameron and Obama will be blamed. But unfortunately, this will not stop savages from attacking gays, sometimes with police acquiescence - more like lynchings in the US South. The real test is when we enact a hate crime statute that punishes anyone, including the clergy for advocating violence against gays.

carlos king
1/13/2012

We, Jamaicans, are very pragmatic and can readily detect hypocrisy when we see it. Buggery is not the only public health hazard in Jamaica. What about smoking of Tobacco and Ganja? What about the consumption of Alcohol and other intoxicants? What about promiscuity? What about murder? Why do we want to waste our energies on a failed cause? Because of our hypocritical and double-standard ways, we have lost the war. The homosexual agenda has won. May God have mercy on all of us and our children1

0o k
1/13/2012

This is a dead issue. There will be no conscience vote!
An election ploy, plain and simple.
Let Comrades try pushing this issue and see if there is not a repeat of Tivoli Invasion 2010.
There is no law against homosexuals. There is the Buggery Law (covering acts by Heterosexuals as well as Homosexuals) and there is publicly expressed discrimination by many Jamaicans against Homosexuals. We have cultural problem (not a legal problem), but we also have culture of violence and Human Rights abuse.

Tajai Grant
1/13/2012

Don't even see the need for an argument or a debate, most Jamaicans don't care if a person is homosexual or not and nobody is going around targeting homosexuals. just check the record and you will see that most harm done to gays are from domestic dispute with their lovers or whenever they choose to try and impose themselves on others.

Noel Richards
1/13/2012

There is no such thing as Gay Rights. There are basic human rights that apply to everyone. Do not condone the lifestyle, but observe the laws of the land where you cannot smash another person's face in because you don't like the way they look, or you are having a bad day. The buggery law is of no real consequence if the State respects the right to privacy in your own abode. Take it public and as with every other public sex act, it becomes lewd behavior, subject to sanction.

Dana Gale
1/13/2012

Why is this a debate? It does not matter if Jamaica is not a homophobic country, the fact still remains that homosexuality is WRONG. The reason why it becomes an issue is the fact that Jamaicans love to follow and not lead especially when it comes to money. You dangle money in front of them, then you have a puppet on a string. Jamaicans need to make the law more stringent and stick to what is morally correct.

2kool .
1/13/2012

@Richie L. I do agree with you that JA is not a homophobic country as some would have us believe. I believe that gays are the ones that always blow their supposedly hostile treatment out of proportion to get sympathy.

Peter Lawrence
1/13/2012

... Ifeel that decriminalising buggery is not a social legislative priority at this time, esp. in view of the other devastating matters the nation faces, such as crime and economic threats. Church seem confused. When prominent members are outed they tend to sing low; otherwise they trumpet hell fire, using theKJV Bible. King James was a well-known homosexual, even kissing his lovers in public. Some Sectarians (messiah watchers) at Qumran were buggers. Society must choose what it will allows

Peter Lawrence
1/13/2012

I am of the opinion that more men are "conditioned" into buggery by the prevailing ambient circumstances, than are"born" that way, hormonally. Also buggery can be the "in thing" just for fashion, or become appealing for older men to exert dominance over young boys/men as a mental thrill. There is danger in this as humans are always on a tight behavioual edge anyway and a wrong judgment call by legislators can tip the balance into savagery. Look at how a simple thing as playing contd

wanda woeman
1/13/2012

To people secure in their sexuality it matters not if their friends and neighbours are homosexuals. I would be devastated (I think); if I learned that one of my children were homosexual, but I hardly think I would love them any less. If I had my choice then all the other people in the world would be homosexuals, rather than murderers. It would not bother me one whit so long as it does not infringe my human rights.
What good is it that we deny them their rights? Does it mean that we don’t want them to get jobs or probably sit in the same bus with us?
We are shocked when we learn that our friends’ husbands are homosexuals, but after the incredulity,, shock laughing behind their backs, or even the pity, what then?
If we have 10 sons, then there is no getting away from it; at least one will be a homosexual.

fall mouth
1/13/2012

People are still wondering (and laughing) why he of all persons was chosen to lead the charge against the matter. Strange, very strange.

ghost rider
1/13/2012

You make me smile when you write “It's not as if elements in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) did not seek to profit from Mrs. Simpson Miller's remarks. We recall the Observer story of Saturday, December 24 reporting on how the JLP candidate for West Central St James and former Cabinet Minister Clive Mullings "armed with a Bible" lashed Mrs. Simpson Miller's comments from a political platform in Montego Bay.”
You should go back and read your editorial and the stories you published, Mr. Editor. No Mr. Editor, it was not only the JLP perse which sought to benefit from her remarks.
Word on the ground is that she might have gained many more votes, if it had not been for this campaign of hate and vilification.

Richie L
1/13/2012

JA only seems to be homophobic because of a loudmouth minority. They are the more vocal ones among us but they don't represent the vast majority of the country.
.
Jamaicans have more pressing things to concern themselves with than to be concerned with what two consenting adults do.
.
The loudmouths do not define us. It is time the rest of us open our mouths.
.
We like to take some credit for the dismantling of apartheid; I welcome the Brits and the US to tie aid to policy.
.
Richie

Richie L
1/13/2012

Jamaica is not a homophobic society. This is a myth! And that is why there was no repercussion to the PNP.
.
It amazes that a country that has a majority of its people whose ancestors were discriminated against simply because of the color of their skin would be so against a group of people who were obviously born that way.
.
We really need to look into ourselves. This reminds me of the abortion debate in the US. Asinine is the word that comes to mind.
.
Grow up Jamaica!
.
Richie

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Dealing with the gay rights issue