Homosexuality - Society's double standards

Sacha Walters-Gregory, Staff Reporter

An ever-present double standard is how many Jamaicans see same-sex relationships. Sexual relationships between women are often not viewed as equal to sexual relationships between men.

"It's wrong, but it seems better for two females to do it more than two men," said Paul, about lesbians as opposed to male homosexuals.

The young professional said while he views homosexuality as wrong across the board, it's just more palatable when it's between two women.

For Shanna, it's all the same, regardless of the gender involved.

"As long as it remains behind closed doors, I'm fine," she said. "If someone approaches my child or a woman approaches me and she's aggressive about that, I will have a problem," she said.

Paul said how he has been cultured has a lot to do with his view, which Dr Sidney McGill, marriage and family therapist and clinical sexologist, said is a great contributor to how persons view homosexuality.

But one of the overriding factors for the discrepancy with how both types of relationships are viewed is the type of penetration involved between men.

"They (men) feel that they have to have power and the penis is always a symbol of power," said Dr McGill. He further explained, when used to penetrate anything but the vagina, the act is viewed as out of the ordinary.

"It becomes, for a man, unnatural, or disgusting," said Dr McGill, while these men perceive women as more synonymous with the softer actions such as cuddling and do not view their actions as crude."

As a woman, Shanna said she sees no distinction as lesbians find different ways to penetrate their partners and that makes it equal for her.

"It's the same to me, as women use toys to penetrate each other, " she said.

The views of Jamaicans are gradually changing in regards to same-sex relationships.

"It's not unusual," said Dr McGill in reference to the unequal treatment of lesbians as opposed to male same-sex relationships.

He continued to explain, "But that is slowly changing as we are being further exposed to First-World cultures and being forced to not look upon homosexuals as lesser or inferior."