If You’re Gay in Jamaica, You’re Dead

Amnesty International has publicly condemned recent episodes of violence against persons who are perceived to be gay in Jamaica. The organisation is particularly concerned by reports of mob violence against persons perceived as homosexuals who are targeted because of their appearance or behaviour, which seems to be increasing in frequency.

Following the murder of gay activist Brian Williamson in Kingston in June 2004, the Jamaica Observer published a letter which read, “To be gay in Jamaica is to be dead.” Despite the international attention which followed the murder, the situation for the |OLGBT community in Jamaica has deteriorated further.

On Sunday 8 April 2007, a crowd allegedly surrounded a church in Mandeville and hurled different objects through a window at the back of the church. The attacks were directed at persons in attendance of the funeral being held there, who the crowd believed to be homosexual.

On 2 April 2007, another crowd reportedly threw stones and bottles at a group of costumed men who were dancing in the carnival procession along Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay. According to reports, the crowd was angered because the men were supposedly gyrating in a sexually suggestive manner and demanded that they leave the stage.

According to eye-witnesses, the men were attacked, chased and beaten by the mob of around 30 or 40 people. At least one of them had to be hospitalised due to injuries.

These two incidents occurred only two months after a group of men were targeted in a similar manner in a pharmacy in Tropical Plaza, Half-Way Tree, in Kingston. A human rights defender told Amnesty International that a mob of at least 200 people had gathered outside the store, calling for the men to be beaten to death because they were homosexual.

Amnesty International condemns these attacks and calls on the Jamaican authorities to ensure that a full and impartial investigation of the above-mentioned cases takes place, and that those responsible for the incitement of violence and for public beatings will be brought to justice.

In compliance with its international obligations stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in the American Convention on Human Rights, Jamaican authorities should send a clear message to society that discrimination against sexual minorities will not be tolerated and that violent episodes will be fully prosecuted. Such assaults are both human rights violations and a threat to the rule of law in Jamaica.

Amnesty International urges the Jamaican government to work closely with human rights defenders and with groups representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Jamaica to find solutions to prevent these episodes from occurring again.

The climate has been exacerbated by the enduring popularity of 'murder music' produced by unrepentant artists such Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Sizzla, Capleton, T.O.K. and Shabba Ranks. An campaign against homophobia by reggae and dancehall singers has been launched by OutRage! and the UK-based Stop Murder Music Coalition (SMM) and others.

An agreement to stop anti-gay lyrics during live performances and not to produce any new anti-gay material or re-release offending songs was reached in February 2005 between dancehall record labels and organisations opposed to anti-gay murder lyrics. It seems that this agreement was nothing but begrudging lip service and an attempt to protect loss of sponsorship contracts.

The Stop Murder Music campaign won the Advocacy Award at the Black LGBT Community Awards 2007 ceremony in London. The Advocacy Award was in recognition that the Stop Murder Music campaign had "brought together activists worldwide in challenging homophobic lyrics which incite people to violence against LGBT people".

Dennis Carney, vice-chair of the Black Gay Men's Advisory Group (BGMAG) collected the award on behalf of the campaign, which involved a partnership between BGMAG, OutRage! and the Jamaican gay rights group, J-Flag.

Mr Carney paid tribute to the dozens of gay and anti-violence groups around the world that participated in making the campaign so effective and successful:

"I thought the BLGBT Community Awards event was fantastic and I was over the moon that the wider Black LGBT community fully recognises and supports the dedication and commitment of the Stop Murder Music Campaign's work at making homophobic dancehall lyrics a thing of the past, by voting SMMC the winner of the Advocacy Award 2006". said Mr Carney.