The U.S. & Jamai are fightg over gay rights - LGBTQ Natn

Contents:

• THE U.S. & JAMAI ARE FIGHTG OVER GAY RIGHTS
• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
• JAMAI GAY AND LBIAN RIGHTS NEWS TOPICS
• GAY TRAVELLG TO JAMAI - JAMAI FOM
• OPINION: JAMAI’S GAY SEX BAN FUELS HOMOPHOBIC VLENCE
• GAYS IN JAMAI LIVE IN FEAR

THE U.S. & JAMAI ARE FIGHTG OVER GAY RIGHTS

Rumors are swirlg that tensns between Jamai and the Uned Stat are risg after the former refed to grant accredatn to the spoe of a gay Amerin diplomat – whose inty has not been ma public – sce same-sex marriage is not legal the Caribbean natn.

Equalx reports that addn to same-sex marriage beg illegal, homosexualy among men remas outlawed Jamai and n be punished wh up to seven years prison. Homosexualy among women is not explicly illegal, but sodomy between any two humans is punishable wh up to 10 years prison. Fally the Jamain state has been held to acunt for s plicy the vlence and discrimatn I have faced for beg gay.

An ternatnal tribunal has led that Jamai should scrap s homophobic laws hatred that LGBTQ+ people routely face Jamai, and the lonial-haner laws that crimalise gay relatnships, are well documented. But, for the first time, the Inter-Amerin Commissn on Human Rights has termed that laws agast the “abomable crime of buggery” and acts of “gross cency” effectively led to state-sanctned vlence agast LGBTQ+ one of the two claimants this se, I had to tail my experienc over s livg as a gay man and rights activist Jamai.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT

All this simply bee they were gay, and unable or unwillg to live a msage LGBTQ+ Jamains receive loud and clear is that our liv are worthls. I ed to be part of a ball team of gay men, which we set up as a source of fort, support and solidary wh one another.

In the end, five of our players were killed separate homophobic attacks. Tacklg Jamai’s problem wh homophobia requir actn on different levels – social, polil, relig and the tim I experienced vlence Jamai, was exclively at the hands of the police.

JAMAI GAY AND LBIAN RIGHTS NEWS TOPICS

And whenever I reported a homophobic crime, I was met wh ridicule or dismissal. I nnot divorce this open police aggrsn om the existence of the homophobic laws.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Ri (AP) — Advocy group Human Rights Watch released an -pth report Thursday that tails the abe and discrimatn the LGBTQ muny says fac the eastern Caribbean island of St Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still crimalised. From homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat. While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimise hostily and abe agast gay people.

In July 2019, two gay men om St Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalisg gay sex that activists say should be stck down. Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.

GAY TRAVELLG TO JAMAI - JAMAI FOM

One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm. Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici. Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry.

OPINION: JAMAI’S GAY SEX BAN FUELS HOMOPHOBIC VLENCE

It is hard for me as a gay this untry.

GAYS IN JAMAI LIVE IN FEAR

Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalise gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and Sat Lucia. ”As the number of anti-LGBTQ bills hs rerd highs, rearch shows that so, too, has support for LGBTQ rights and polici prohibg discrimatn agast lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people.

Vcent to overturn anti-gay laws om the lonial era that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean LGBTQ muny ntu to face a daily barrage of bias-motivated attacks and public discrimatn unr the untry's archaic statut hered om centuri of reprsive European le, acrdg to the 58-page report tled "'They Can Harass Us Bee of the Laws': Vlence and Discrimatn agast LGBT People Sat Vcent and the Grenad. "Homosexualy ntu to be crimalized the former Brish lony after many hundreds of years, leavg LGBTQ dividuals wh ltle if any legal protectns while vlent crim were beg mted wh impuny, the report said.

Standg crimal s on the island put nsensual gay sex the same tegory as crim like rape, ct, and sexual asslt, although there have been no recent nvictns unr the HRW report, published Thursday, also lls for St. Vcent to pass prehensive civil legislatn that would prohib discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr document amid a recent surge physil and verbal asslts, domtic vlence, homelsns, workplace harassment, bullyg, and sexual vlence agast mory populatns across the people have been targeted by fay members, neighbors, -workers, classmat and teachers -- as well as police officers, the report all the wns terviewed for the report dited at least one recent cint of physil or verbal abe, threats, sexual vlence, or other forms of many of the episos, police allegedly refed to offer assistance, and some s beme openly discrimatory toward gay workers were also facg job discrimatn a natn already bet by high of the terviewe said job hirgs and firgs were beg largely termed by sexual orientatn, while other gay people lucky to have jobs faced sexual harassment the workplace. "The crimalizatn of gay sex giv tac state sanctn to the discrimatn and vlence that LGBT people experience their daily liv and pels many to look abroad to live eely and fulfill their dreams, " said Cristian González Cabrera, gay rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch.