The rights of LGBTQI youth need protection
Dear Editor,
Over time the real travesty has been the displaced and misplaced youth who have fallen through the cracks of the 2030 Jamaica — the place in which one can raise families.
The rantings and raving of a society that is divided has caused the LGBTQI+ youth to be left out; there is no representation for them. I implore everyone to remember me, remember them, remember those who cannot speak for themselves; remember us.
LGBTQI+ children and youth need to be represented in policies, and legislation so we can challenge the stigma, discrimination and violence that exist in youth spaces, State care and schools.
I did not choose; I was born LGBTQI+. But youth workers, teachers, principals, police officers, and social workers can choose to empower youth. Biblical notions and societal norms cannot be justifications for not creating a space for dialogue. If you have to justify your actions errors were made. Eliminate your preconceived notions; your biases cannot be tools you take to work.
We must challenge the status quo; simply quoting your policies does not make the gaps in inclusion disappear; exercise your positions of power not to inflict harm but to create change.
Any human, by virtue of birth in Jamaica, should be included and protected. Spaces that exist for the youth saying they cannot make teachers, police officers, and youth workers more tolerant because they have a right to freedom of expression, while the right to freedom of expression of another person is being infringed on, are not OK. One person’s opinion should not deny someone else the right to co-exist peacefully. Ignorance does not exonerate the ignorant; it is a convenience used while minorities and vulnerable groups suffer in silence.
Rich Richards
Trans ambassador
Trans Wave Jamaica
richanarichards@gmail.com