Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in the Global Society
LGBT is an issue that has not achieved a global consensus on a universal way in which each society should be dealing with it in their jurisdiction. Each society has its unique way of dealing with the LGBT issue, which has been a very contentious topic that has sparked a raging public debate over the years. The different dissenting and supportive views on the issues of LGBTQ have threatened to tear the moral fabric of societies that have different believes and norms on one's sexual inclination or persuasion ( Dover, 2016). Therefore, it implies that they are societies that are accommodative and supportive of LGBTQ in the context that it borders one's fundamental rights and privileges and others that criminalize, oppose and abhor the issue (Lee & Ostergard Jr, 2017). Some societies show open hostility and resentment of the LGBTQ community by supporting homophobic violence against people with such sexual persuasion. Jamaica is a good example of countries that have experienced it. Life-threatening violence, persecution and prosecution of the LGBTQ community in hostile nations such as Jamaica have been going unabated irrespective of the human rights violations violation of the freedom to life that they contravene. Caution and respect for human rights should be observed and considered how societies worldwide ought to deal and have policy regulations on dealing with LGBTQ.
My Topic of Interest
My concern is the LGBTQ issues in Jamaica in the context of the persecution and prosecution they are exposed to. To put it into perspective, the LGBTQ Jamaicans are subjected to extreme sexual and physical violence. They live in great fear, regardless of the United Nations conventions on the right to life. This segment of the community faced a massive extent of discrimination experienced by being denounced by their families, fired from their jobs and in the extreme and most likely scenarios killed through mob violence in the form of being stoned, killed, raped or beaten. The Jamaican constitution prohibits sexual intercourse between extreme where it terms it as Beastiality and is punishable by law through imprisonment that comes with hard labor. Efforts to repeal these sections in their constitution have proven futile and pending over the years as there is no political, social and religious goodwill to repeal this law (Davidson, 2018). It is for this reason that LGBTQ Jamaicans often flee for their safety by seeking asylum in accommodative countries. Moreover, it is important to note that the Jamaican constitution does not criminalize sexual intercourse between women hence openly discriminative double standards. The social norms in Jamaica are strong and rigid on LGBTQ coming from a slavery background where they are assertions that their colonial masters sodomized their forefathers as a way of inflicting pain and punishing them.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Context of the Topic
The issue of LGBTQ in the global society has sparked mixed reactions from various segments of the population, and the human rights twist to the issue cannot be ignored or taken lightly. The open persecution through homophobic attacks and persecution that the Jamaican LGBTQ face in the wake of the double standards is an issue of international concern. The open defiance and delay by the political class to amend the constitution's section that criminalizes gayism has highlighted the intolerance and insensitivity to protecting life. The political society needs to cultivate stakeholder involvement and engagement in finding an amicable middle ground on the LGBTQ issue in Jamaica. Human rights injustices can be addressed humanely according to international standards and conventions (Lee & Ostergard Jr, 2017). The rigidity in relaxation of the hard stances on the LGBTQ issue in Jamaica to protect its citizens may find their life threatened by the sexual inclination. The fundamental role of the constitution of each democratic country Jamaica, included protecting citizens' right to life regardless of the personal persuasions and inclinations they may have. Social, religious, and political consensus on dealing with LGBTQ in Jamaica needs to be given a chance for the cases of fleeing for life and persecution because of sexual inclinations to be alleviated.
What I know about LGBTQ in Jamaica
One of the things that I learned some time back when surfing the internet on certain statistics that I was interested in is that Jamaica is the most hostile and intolerant place for the LGBTQ community. At one point, the Times Magazine regarded the country as the most homophobic place in the world going by the violent attacks and deaths of the LGBTQ community because of their sexual inclination. Despite the Jamaican government asserting that they are committed to the equal and fair treatment of their citizens and giving room to seek legal redress if their rights are infringed, much has not been done. Open and life-threatening attacks to the Jamaican LGBTQ community have gone unpunished and uncondemned by the relevant authorities (Flett, 2019). The Jamaican government can be accused of being insincere and portraying doublespeak in how they deal with different sexual orientations in the context of the LGBTQ community. Such is manifested in their claims where they hold the position that there would be no legal discrimination towards their citizens on the grounds of sexual inclination. On the other hand, the violence and discrimination on their LGBTQ have been on a growing trajectory.
When Will Violence and Persecution on the Jamaican LGBTQ Community End?
The biggest concern I have regarding the LGBTQ community in Jamaica is when the life-threatening socially and politically instigated violence and persecution towards them come to an end. I am perturbed by the questions that I have relating to the delay and lack of political goodwill and sincerity by the various state agencies and departments aware of their citizens seeking asylum in other countries due to the intolerance of diverse sexual inclination (Ghabrial, 2017). It is a general concern that many other people and I may attest to how human rights violations towards the LGBTQ community will attract international sanctions and condemnation.
Why the LGBTQ Community in Jamaica Interests me?
The human rights violations and concerns that the LGBTQ community in Jamaica face are why the topic captures my interest and imagination. The reluctance by the social and political class to ensure that the right to life is protected is a compelling issue that aroused my interest. The callous and pedestrian manner that the LGBTQ community issues have been approached in Jamaica to warrant global ranking as the most hostile and intolerant nation regarding sexual inclination created an interest in finding out more.
References
Davidson Davis, J. (2018). The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin (2009) Relationship: Book Review. Dissenting Voices , 7 (1), 12. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1083&context=dissentingvoices
Dover, C. (2016). The Influence of Caribbean Historical Institutions on the Struggle for LGBTQ Equality (Doctoral dissertation, Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa). https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/34651/1/Dover_Cailey_2016_thesis.pdf
Flett, J. (2019). Youth-Serving Organizations' Inclusivity of LGBTQ Newcomers-A Content Analysis. https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/36564/HLTH00019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Ghabrial, M. A. (2017). “Trying to figure out where we belong”: Narratives of racialized sexual minorities on community, identity, discrimination, and health. Sexuality Research and Social Policy , 14 (1), 42-55. DOI 10.1007/s13178-016-0229-x
Lee, C., & Ostergard Jr, R. L. (2017). Measuring discrimination against LGBTQ people: A cross-national analysis. Hum. Rts. Q. , 39 , 37. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Ostergard_Jr/publication/313475871_Measuring_Discrimination_Against_LGBTQ_People_A_Cross-National_Analysis/links/5d8eeac292851c33e9430292/Measuring-Discrimination-Against-LGBTQ-People-A-Cross-National-Analysis.pdf
