Dear Editor,

In an effort to escape the bitter winter snowstorm which pummelled Eastern Canada in December, a white Canadian police officer visited Montego Bay over the long Christmas weekend. Even the cold front which Jamaica experienced with temperatures in the 20s was balmy weather for this officer and so he decided to visit the beach on December 27, 2010.

With a black Jamaican man as his guide, the officer settled on the quieter “old hospital” beach site as the other local beaches were packed with holiday bathers. When they entered the beach, they were shocked to hear someone say, “Here come the gays” and a male voice shouting, “Bullet, bullet.”

The message the cop left with was that two men cannot walk on the beach in Jamaica without being suspected of being gays and possibly exposed to a violent homophobic slur attack. As the Canadian Consulate in Montego Bay was closed for the holidays, the officer reported the matter to JFLAG.

The government has declared its intention to tap the Canadian market for tourists. However, this incident clearly demonstrates that much work is needed to prepare the Jamaican people to receive more Canadians. Such intolerance and homophobia will not be accepted by Canadians, gay or straight, and will certainly scuttle the government’s well laid tourism plans. Simply put, the Jamaican government must emphasise tolerance or jeopardise the vital tourism “cash-cow”.

Maurice Tomlinson

Montego Bay, St James

maurice_tomlinson@yahoo.com