Bigger evils to tackle than indulging in homophobia

THE EDITOR, Madam:

First, let me say that I am an heterosexual male. However, I write to express that I was very disturbed a couple of days ago when I watched a video of a man in Clarendon who was allegedly putting on lipstick in a public space, and the community’s response. What was even more disturbing was the size of the crowd that had gathered. It was like a lynching mob back in the days of slavery. I dare to think what would have happened to this man had the police not been there.

I am wondering why so many Jamaican are so homophobic, displaying a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. There are so many evils going on in the Jamaican society – the murder rate is through the roof, there is violence, rape, physical and sexual abuse against children and the vulnerable, theft, men having children and not supporting them, spouse abuse, and the list goes on and on. However, there is not the outcry like we saw the other day.

A couple of days ago, I had a discussion with a colleague from Barbados who said that Jamaica is one of the most homophobic countries in the world, to which I took offence, being a Jamaican. However, I was proved wrong by what I saw in that video.

I think there are places in our society for tolerance of all people. Who and what makes us decide what’s right or what’s wrong? Who is putting us in the place of God by judging others? If we look at ourselves, there’s much improvement to be made.

There was a comment in The Gleaner that Jamaica should not be bullied by developed and bigger countries into accepting their thought processes. It’s funny, because these are the very same countries that keep the Jamaican economy going, through tourism, trade, and, when there are problems, these are the first countries we will turn to. Also, many Jamaicans would do anything to migrate to these countries. We can’t have our cake and eat it too.

I think the government and the media need to educate the people of Jamaica to respect and show tolerance for everyone, even if they don’t agree with everything they say and do.

As Jesus said: “Let him who is without sin first cast a stone” (John 8:7). We are all falling short.

TIM SMITH