Dear Editor,

I read Dr Daniel Thomas’ letter in yesterday’s Jamaica Observer headlined ‘Tomlinson’s pride-filled conquest’ and I thank him for the vaunted assessment of my work. It is amazing that he thinks me so powerful. If only!

I assure him that, as a lawyer, I have no delusions about the challenges associated with bringing legal cases and I would have much preferred to negotiate settlements. However, this is often not the case in the area of LGBT human rights in Jamaica, thanks to the stranglehold that anti-LGBT religious groups such as Thomas’ have on all levels of our democracy/theocracy.

What Dr Thomas is unaware of (or is simply being disingenuous to mention since it was clearly stated in the article about my lawsuit) is that no other venue would host us after the mayor’s statement whipped up so much homophobia in Montego Bay. And those venues that had confirmed actually cancelled on us because of what the mayor said.

So, no, it wasn’t about Montego Bay Pride “humbly seeking another venue”. There was simply none available! And FYI, LGBT people are tax-paying citizens who have the right of full access to the secular public space, which is the Montego Bay Cultural Centre.

Thomas’ reference to Sam Sharpe is also ironic since, as a Montegoian I can assure him that I know the history of that national hero quite well. He fought for the liberation of his people from church-supported slavery, and the Cultural Centre was singular in that history as it was previously the court house where Sharpe was judged and convicted. I am sure that Thomas sees the similarities to our present case.

Finally, as the article that announced my case pointed out, I was mobbed by angry vendors in front of the Montego Bay Cultural Centre because of the homophobic violence whipped up by the mayor’s statement. Even the police stated that they could not protect Montego Bay Pride because of what the mayor said.

Dr Thomas, of course, must accept that this often violent homophobia is directly fed by the sort of intolerant religious extremism that he and his group practice. He is going to get people killed with his fearmongering and I daresay that his type of hate-filled rhetoric has contributed to that already.

Sixteen year-old trans youth Dwayne Jones was brutally stabbed, shot, run over with a car and dumped in nearby bushes after a woman member of Dwayne’s church outed Dwayne to a blood-thirsty mob at a public street dance in Montego Bay. So, while Thomas claims that I am violating the rights of persons like him who hate the fact of LGBT people and that I am “forcing” him and his sect to respect our existence, the truth is that Dr Thomas and his ilk are literally violating our right to life. I really don’t know how, as a medical doctor, Thomas sleeps at night.

I know that Thomas is singularly focused on fighting against the recognition of human rights for LGBT people. That is his right. I would, however, hope that as a purported Christian and medical professional, Dr Thomas would employ some ethics in how he goes about doing this. Does the phrase “Do no harm?”, which is part of a doctor’s Hippocratic oath mean nothing to him?

Maurice Tomlinson

Founder and development coordinator

Montego Bay Pride