Dear Editor,
No matter where I live in the world, I always vow to go to the Olympics. Our nation is bitterly divided along class, race and political lines, but during the Olympics we get a glimpse of what a unified Jamaica looks like. For a few fleeting moments every four years, I feel proud to say "I am Jamaican."
On November 1, a young man was assaulted by security personnel tasked with protecting him - but perhaps not from a blood-thirsty mob of university students! Their anger stemmed from allegations that he was intimate with another man in a bathroom on the campus. As I listened to the chants of the 21st century barbarians, a feeling of despair washed over me.
The video that circulated through social media was a painful reminder of the precarious position gay Jamaicans occupy. We are grudgingly offered a superficial level of tolerance so long as we remain silent and invisible. The moment gay identity becomes visible and real, Jamaicans rationalise the deployment of violence to put us in our place. As a gay Jamaican, am I to believe I am less deserving of the rights to life, to self-expression and to love?
Our ignorance, our hatred and our bigotry are not heroic. We pound our chests asserting the superiority of our self-righteous conception of morality. However, history will not judge us kindly for our senseless homophobia. Indeed, the rest of the world won't either. When the international press publishes reports about this incident at one of our leading institutions of learning, foreigners will think Jamaica is a nation of savages. And frankly, I think it is reasonable for them to arrive at that conclusion. We all have a role to play in creating a cultural environment that fosters inclusion and appreciation for diversity.
Every four years we put aside our differences and collectively bask in an overriding sense of national pride. Every four years Jamaicans come together to celebrate the achievements of our athletes. The world gets to see the best of us, an island people with larger-than-life ambitions and who work hard to defy the odds. I should not need to wait four years to feel comfortable about claiming Jamaican citizenship. Most days I feel ashamed that I love a country and a people that do not love me. I want to believe we are at a turning point in our response to homosexuality. I want to believe that my contribution to the development of this country will not always be seen as tainted because of my sexuality. I want to be respected for who I am and I want desperately for all Jamaicans to affirm that I belong.
Javed Jaghai
sandevaj@gmail.com
Jamaica needs to appreciate diversity
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No matter where I live in the world, I always vow to go to the Olympics. Our nation is bitterly divided along class, race and political lines, but during the Olympics we get a glimpse of what a unified Jamaica looks like. For a few fleeting moments every four years, I feel proud to say "I am Jamaican."
On November 1, a young man was assaulted by security personnel tasked with protecting him - but perhaps not from a blood-thirsty mob of university students! Their anger stemmed from allegations that he was intimate with another man in a bathroom on the campus. As I listened to the chants of the 21st century barbarians, a feeling of despair washed over me.
The video that circulated through social media was a painful reminder of the precarious position gay Jamaicans occupy. We are grudgingly offered a superficial level of tolerance so long as we remain silent and invisible. The moment gay identity becomes visible and real, Jamaicans rationalise the deployment of violence to put us in our place. As a gay Jamaican, am I to believe I am less deserving of the rights to life, to self-expression and to love?
Our ignorance, our hatred and our bigotry are not heroic. We pound our chests asserting the superiority of our self-righteous conception of morality. However, history will not judge us kindly for our senseless homophobia. Indeed, the rest of the world won't either. When the international press publishes reports about this incident at one of our leading institutions of learning, foreigners will think Jamaica is a nation of savages. And frankly, I think it is reasonable for them to arrive at that conclusion. We all have a role to play in creating a cultural environment that fosters inclusion and appreciation for diversity.
Every four years we put aside our differences and collectively bask in an overriding sense of national pride. Every four years Jamaicans come together to celebrate the achievements of our athletes. The world gets to see the best of us, an island people with larger-than-life ambitions and who work hard to defy the odds. I should not need to wait four years to feel comfortable about claiming Jamaican citizenship. Most days I feel ashamed that I love a country and a people that do not love me. I want to believe we are at a turning point in our response to homosexuality. I want to believe that my contribution to the development of this country will not always be seen as tainted because of my sexuality. I want to be respected for who I am and I want desperately for all Jamaicans to affirm that I belong.
Javed Jaghai
sandevaj@gmail.com
Jamaica needs to appreciate diversity
-->