Crime is Crime

Brittney Shakespeare | November 26, 2021

Violence Against LGBTQ+ Members in Jamaica 

Jamaica’s violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community and its obsession with justifying crime based on closed-minded belief systems

Jamaica is known for being one of the most violent and crime-ridden countries in the world, with it having the highest murder rate in The Americas just last year (2020). With this statistic, it is a known fact that unfortunately many lives are taken unfairly. 

Many of these lives are members of the LGBTQ+ community who fell victim to hate crimes due to the negative stigma surrounding the community in Jamaica. In 2013, Human Rights Watch conducted field research in April and June interviewing 71 members of the LGBTQ community; more than half reported that they had been victims of violence based on their sexual orientation.  

When these crimes are talked about, Jamaicans will either turn a blind eye to these heinous acts or try to justify them, forgetting that it is a life that was lost (or is in danger) because the victims are seen as “sinners”. This “sinner” perspective has resulted in many, who have faced violence by being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, to never be given the justice that they deserve. Such as:  

• Dwayne Jones, a 16 year old who was killed by a violent mob at a party in Montego Bay once it was found out they were a “man” dressed in “drag” in 2013. No arrests have been made. 
• Multiple gay men were chased out of their community and their house fire-bombed in 2013.  
• Orville Lorne and an unidentified man were murdered in St James because it was thought that they were gay lovers in 2016. The second man has still yet to be identified and still no arrests have been made. 
• Dexter Pottinger, a Jamaican gay activist and face of Pride in Jamaica was brutally stabbed in his home in 2017. He never got justice as his killer was given the lesser sentence of manslaughter because of the “gay panic defense” which states that the killer/attacker was acting in a state of “temporary insanity” because he was protecting himself from an unwanted same-sex “advance” which he deemed to be sexual assault.  
• In recent news (2021) a teen who went to meet a man that he spoke to on a dating site was set on fire in Montego Bay. No arrests have been made yet.   

The Acceptance and Justification of Hate Crimes 

When these crimes are reported on in the media, instead of focusing on the severity of the events, many take the opportunity to comment on details that are “against their religion” or “against their belief system”. 

One example of this was displayed when the church in Montego Bay ran, by Kevin Smith, was unveiled and photos were released of the unfortunate events that had taken place. Instead of focusing on the fact that the events that transpired were truly tragic, many instead found the time to comment on the rainbow curtains in the back because “rainbow means gay”. This further led to members of the public bringing up how the leader of the church had multiple male partners and raped only male children, further finding a reason to satisfy their belief systems and self morals instead of realizing the truth that he was a predator and a rapist and did not commit such acts solely based on being gay.  

This was also the case when on October 17^th 2021 newspapers, like The Gleaner and The Observer, released an article about the gruesome attack of “an 18-year old young man who travelled to Flankers, St James to meet a man he met on a gay dating site”. The victim reported that once reaching Flankers, he was abducted, taken to an unknown location and robbed of his bank card and cell phone. They then forced him to give up his bank information by brutally beating him. Afterwards, the three attackers went to an ATM to try and withdraw money from his account but were unsuccessful. They then returned to the location and forced him to transfer money into an account given. Afterwards, they left the victim to die after cutting off part of his genitals and drenching him in rum and then setting him on fire. Many were quick to justify this horrendous crime by saying, “he should have known better when he heard Flankers’ ‘ or “that’s what he deserved’ ‘ just because he’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Luckily, he’s still alive (according to the last update) but he will be scarred for life because three men decided that it was acceptable to attack him based on sexuality. 

The Contradiction Within Our Society Relating To These Crimes 

When it relates to these crimes society always seems to contradict itself. When they are reported on in the media and sexuality is slightly mentioned, the public focus is always on sexuality making comments about how “it’s wrong”  and “that’s what they deserve” instead of focusing on the tragedy committed. Yet when the Jamaican LGBTQ+ community talks about the crimes they face, focusing on how they were targeted solely based on their sexuality or gender identity, they are dismissed by members of our society and instead told that these attacks were not because of their sexuality but instead because Jamaica is crime-ridden. This shows how many are aware of their harmful statements yet never seem to think they are in the wrong despite the negative effect it has on the lives of the victim or the community.    

Members of the LGBTQ+ community are directly targeted in Jamaica for being who they are. They face verbal threats and are susceptible to physical violence. While they are faced with trauma from the attacks (or their family and friends mourn their loss), many find the time to be insensitive and instead make inappropriate comments defending the violence/loss of life. This hatred for the LGBTQ+ and the justification of these crimes makes it difficult to be a member of this community living in Jamaica, as not only is your life threatened on a daily basis but the threats are deemed acceptable by many. 

We as a society need to realize that crime is crime, irrespective of your belief, and truly recognize that many are targeted for simply being who they are. We can play our part in reducing these hate crimes by being accepting of all sexual orientations and genders. Additionally, by bringing justice to the victims, showing persons who think it is acceptable to attack others based on their sexuality, that there are consequences to their actions.