Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…
The focus of the debate for LGBTI human rights in Jamaica has changed since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality. Here are examples of recent op-eds in the Jamaica Gleaner (three opposed, one in favor), with excerpts:
Disgraced former Jamaican Prime Minster calls the Supreme Court decision undemocratic
Bruce Golding, former Jamaican prime minister (Photo by Antonio Cruz via WIkimedia Commons)
“The views of the Jamaican people, no matter how overwhelming, will have no more weight than those of the Greeks who voted against austerity demands. The issue of gay rights is no longer just a cause célèbre; it has been elevated to a ‘human-rights’ issue whose universality must transcend public opinion and legislative or electoral decisions.”
“Gay activists have become a major threat to free speech and liberty. They are not willing to live and let live, or to leave religious objectors alone. They want to control not just our actions but our very thoughts. If they are thought of as sinners or immoral, they can’t abide that. They must drive that out of religious people’s heads or drive them underground.
“There is a profoundly undemocratic, totalitarian proclivity in many gay people, perhaps as psychological overcompensation for so many years of oppression, prejudice and bigotry. It’s often the case that the oppressed become the new oppressors.”
Fundamentalist lawyer claims marriage equality distorts the universal order and is very different from Loving v Virginia because of race.
Shirley Richards (Photo courtesy of Jamaica Gleaner)
“Describing same-sex ‘family life’ as ‘a life which harms no one else’ is like ignoring an elephant in plain sight. How does one explain the fact that this ‘life which harms no one else’ is reordering society in its image? What about harm to the individuals themselves? Shouldn’t the society be concerned about undeniable medical statistics on the consequences of high-risk sexual behaviour for the participants?
“It should be clear to all that the homosexual lifestyle is not a harmless one, neither to the individual nor to society. Furthermore, it is not a lifestyle that is prepared to stay in the bedroom but, instead, insists on forcing itself into the centre of the public square.
Today’s op-ed supports public health benefits of marriage equality
“High-risk sexual behaviour in our society is related to having unprotected sex with multiple partners, whether gay or straight. Sexually transmitted infections can be transmitted in straight sex as well as gay sex.
“Marriage is supposed to encourage people to settle down, commit to each other, build a life together and give up high-risk behaviours. I am aware that this does not always happen in straight marriages and, conversely, in gay marriages as well, but the ideal remains true in many cases.”
Reblogged this on Fairy JerBear's Queer World News, Views & More From The City Different – Santa Fe, NM and commented:
Interesting how the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality has got attention in Jamaica…