70 Percent In Jamaica Oppose ANY Rights For Gays

For some time now I have argued that gays need to really start using their immense financial clout to punish anti-gay businesses and tourist destinations. Based on a recent poll, Jamaica should be at the top of the list of targeted destinations. I truly cannot understand the violent dislike of gays that seems to have swelled to huge proportions in that country. This attitude - despite all the advertising trying to depict Jamaica as a wonderful destination - to me shows a general populace that is more than alittle bit f*cked up. With the poverty and many problems that the average the Jamaican lives with daily, it would seem that there would be much more pressing things to get emotionally over wrought about. Who and what - besides gangster Reggae performers - is feeding this extreme and violent hatred. Any gays that travel to Jamaica or makes any expenditure that helps the Jamaican economy is a fool in my opinion. Such hatred needs to carry a severe financial price and LGBT individuals should exercise a 100% boycott of Jamaica and Jamaican products. Moreover, they should encourage others to do likewise. Note that this poll isn't about gay marriage - its about gays having ANY CIVIL RIGHTS. Here are some highlights from 365gay.com:

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Kingston) There is little chance laws against homosexuality will be repealed in Jamaica if a public opinion poll released Friday is any indication. The survey found that 70 percent of Jamaicans do not believe gays and lesbians should have any civil rights.

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Last month Prime Minister Bruce Golding condemned Britain and other Commonwealth countries for criticizing the treatment of gays in the Caribbean nation. ''Jamaica is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from outside,'' he said during an interview broadcast on the BBC. (story). Jamaica has been described by human rights groups as having the worst record of any country in the New World in its treatment of gays and lesbians. . . . . More than 30 gay men are believed to have been murdered since 1997 J-FLAG says. In most of the cases the killers have never been brought to trial.

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In 2004 Brian Williamson, Jamaica's leading LGBT civil rights advocate was brutally murdered. He had been stabbed at least 70 times in the neck. A 25 year old man is currently serving a life sentence for the murder. In December 2005 Lenford "Steve" Harvey who ran Jamaica AIDS Support for Life was killed. Harvey was shot to death on the eve of World AIDS Day. (story) His organization provided support to gay men and sex workers. Four men were arrested almost a year later. In 2006 the bodies of two women believed to have been in a lesbian relationship were found dumped in a septic pit behind a home they shared. The killers of Candice Williams and Phoebe Myrie have not been caught.

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In February, 2007 three men in "tight jeans" and wearing what some witnesses described as makeup were cornered by a mob of 2000 in a drugstore. There were yells of "kill them" along with gay slurs and demands the three be sent out "to face justice". Police had to fire teargas into the crowd to rescue the three. Reggae, or Jamaican dancehall music, is blamed for fueling homophobia. Reggae star BujuBanton's hit song Boom Boom Bye Bye which threatens gay men with a "gunshot in ah head".