LGBT

Electronic scrapbook
Marginalization of LGBT

By: Gaveena Fletcher

How has LGBT rights been
violated

• The Human Rights of LGBT persons all around the world have been violated
in many cases. In the UN Human Rights there are some universal rights that
have been proven has bias towards the LGBT community.

• According to article 13 & 14 of the UN Human Rights “Everyone has the
right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state”
and “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum
from persecution” Homosexual acts are outlawed in over 85 countries and
territories, which increases the need of LGBT persons to seek refuge. This
may be the last resort for someone living under the constant threat of being
exposed, excluded, imprisoned or executed. Likewise, in many countries
same-sex relationships are not legally recognized, which may also be a
reason for migration

• According to article 23 of the UN Human Rights "Everyone has the right to
work”. In many countries LGBT persons are systematically discriminated
against within the labour market. This leads to obstacles in terms of
provision and financial and social independence.

• In article 25 of the UN Human Rights “Everyone has the right to a standard
of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his
family”. Violation of the right not to suffer discrimination leads to a negative
cycle of restricted opportunities, which in turn may lead to poverty. LGBT
persons’ right to health is overlooked when the healthcare system is founded
on the assumption that all patients are heterosexual.

Additional pictures and
Information.

• Here are some pictures that shows the hatred
towards LGBT persons and other pictures and
an anti-gay comic. In one comic strip there is a
congress man that is openly speaking out
against gay adoption and not
actually paying attention to the many
children that are in the system, I mean what
happen to the UN convention Rights of the
Child in which the child has the
right to a family.

Articles, Video and Meme

• Below are links to two articles of challenges that LGBT persons
faced in Jamaica

• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/lgbt-issues-raise-new-
challenges-for-jamaica-_19000791

• http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/article/commentary/20180806/michael-abrahams-
gay-pride-what-hell

• Across is a video and a meme on discrimination of LGBT persons.

Michael Abrahams | Gay Pride? What
The Hell Is That?

This week, members of Jamaica’s LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community are celebrating Pride Week.
Many years ago, before the term LGBT became fashionable, and the focus was mainly on gay members of that community, I would hear about
gay pride, and my reaction would be “What is there to be proud of? Why be proud of being a weirdo? A deviant? An outcast?” That was then,
before I began to understand the struggles members of that community face.
Now, after years of befriending, looking after and working with members of the LGBT community, I get it. Not only do I get it , but I support it.
Living a happy life can be a challenge for members of that community in Jamaica.
Firstly, they live in a country that does not even begin to understand the meaning of human rights. In 2008, during an interview with Stephen
Sackur on the BBC programme Hard Talk, then prime minister Bruce Golding openly stated that he would not tolerate any gays in his cabinet. By
saying this, he legitimized job discrimination against gays in this country. His statement suggested that sexual orientation took precedence over
attitude, aptitude, qualifications, competence and experience. It was an asinine and bigoted thing to say. What I also found to be disturbing, was
the fact that there was no public outcry. Most Jamaicans appeared to be okay with what the prime minister said, and life went on.
I recall speaking with a Christian lady in a café about Mr Goldings remarks, and she fully supported him, using her religious beliefs to bolster her
argument. During our discussion, I asked her if she had ever had a conversation with a gay person about their sexuality and she replied, with a
scornful look on her face “No! Why would I want to do that?”
Which brings me to another point. Jamaican LGBT folks live in a society that is obsessed with human sexuality, but does not u nderstand it, or
even try to. Many people insist that queer folk choose to be the way they are, when research will tell you otherwise. They will insist that “nobody
is born gay” when they really do not know. They will also insist that prayer will cure homosexuality and that the “affliction”is the result of demon
possession, which is utter nonsense.
The ignorance and lack of empathy is glaring, even among the educated. I recall attending a session at a Medical Association of Jamaica
symposium a few years ago. The topic for discussion was HIV and ethics, and the panel consisted of a medical doctor, a Roman catholic priest
and a lawyer. I arrived during the priest’s presentation, during which he said that he disagreed with the LGBT community being referred to as “a
vulnerable community” because “we are all vulnerable”. I was disappointed that he posited that opinion, despite knowing that LGBT persons in
our country are marginalized and discriminated against.

Michael Abrahams | Gay Pride? What The Hell
Is That? CONT'D

• The medical doctor, an outspoken Christian who heads a coalition for a “healthy society”, and is obsessed with anal sex and its
risks, used the opportunity to embark on a rant and insult and denigrate the LGBT community, at one point claiming that “the
society has a vested interest in a penis in a vagina”. During the question and answer session, the denigration continued. A
surgeon went up to the mic and spoke about a woman delivering an 8lb baby through her vaginaand asked us to “imagine that
coming through an anus”.

• There was laughter from the gathering. Another gave us some “homework” and told us to go home and stick a finger in our
anus, and then in our mouth, adding “that is what homosexuals do”. Again, there was laughter from sections of the audience.
The ballroom at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel was filled to capacity, mainly with medical practitioners, but only me and one other
colleague approached the mic to challenge the homophobic and insulting comments being spewed from the bully pulpit and
defend our LGBT brothers and sisters. Based on the large number of attendees, I knew that there must have been several
LGBT persons in the crowd, and I wondered how they must have felt. Interestingly, not long after the symposium, the priest
was attacked and injured by a man who caught him having sex with his wife, demonstrating that a penis in a vagina can be
risky as well.

• I feel it for LGBT folks in Jamaica. Many of our teachers and lecturers, chefs, fashion designers, entertainers and members of
our security forces are queer, and we do not even know it. They educate us and our children, prepare our food, design and
make our clothes, entertain and protect us, and we turn around and debase, reject and abuse them.

• For LGBT people, pride is not just about being proud of who they are. It is about not allowing others to cause them to be
ashamed of their orientation or who they identify as. It is about not allowing others to define them based on their sexuality. It is

Thank You!

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