Jamaica, Caribbean

Summer 2009 By Anthony My name is Anthony, I’m 27 years of age and i live in Jamaica which is in the Caribbean. I just want to share with you what living as a Gay is like in Jamaica. I am gay and my life has been turned up side down all because I’m gay, i found out that i was gay when i was about 14 years old when i was living with my Grand mother in the country. It wasn’t a feeling that i welcome as i have spend years fighting it as I thought that this was just a phase that i was going through and I would get over it. I was in high school at the time and these feelings was growing  stronger each day. I had a cousin that was also having these feelings, so whenever he would come over to the house we

Intro: The news from Jamaica for gays is not good; it’s among the least gay-friendly countries in the western hemisphere. The one LGBT organization–JFLAG–posts on its web site this notice: "Due to the potential for violent retribution, we cannot publish the exact location of our office." Laws against homosexuality are actively enforced bringing the wrath of the conservative government on offenders. But worse is the riptide of homophobia that is rampant at the local police and civilian level. Beatings, murders, torture, slashings of gays–or those suspected of being gay–are not uncommon. In the Jamaica News and Reports pages accompanying this story are a dozen grim reports about the conditions for gays in this impoverished and touristy sunshine country that was once a British colony. I have posted here two stories (following the two memorials) the first based on my visit to Jamaica in February 2003. It suggests that the sky

Jamaica is formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous English-speaking country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Jamaica slowly gained independence from the United Kingdom and in 1958. Jamaica’s prosperity has dimished since the 1980s as major alimina companies have closed or left the country and unemploymnet remins moderately high.The economy is now heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances sent home from Jamaicans living abroad, and some bauxite/alumina mining. The economy faces serious long-term problems especiallly as recurrent violence from rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties have evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose

Noel Coward, the multi-talented British playwright, actor, songwriter raconteur, first visited Jamaica in 1944 on a two week holiday. The and peace of mind he found in Jamaica caused him to refer to it as his "dream island" and he vowed to return one day. Four years later he rented fellow author Ian Fleming’s estate, Goldeneye, located on the north shore of Jamaica. During a six-week stay at Goldeneye Coward purchased eight shoreline acres commanded a fine view of the sea. Inspired by the view of the surrounding Caribbean, Coward named his sanctuary ‘Blue Harbour‘. Due to his popularity he was frequently visited by the gliterati of the age (1950s and 60s), including Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. For a retreat, he purchased another beautiful tract of land located on a lush hillside one thousand feet above Blue Harbour and named it ‘Firefly‘. He divided his time between the

Jamaica is formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous English-speaking country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Jamaica slowly gained independence from the United Kingdom and in 1958. Jamaica’s prosperity has dimished since the 1980s as major alimina companies have closed or left the country and unemploymnet remins moderately high.The economy is now heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances sent home from Jamaicans living abroad, and some bauxite/alumina mining. The economy faces serious long-term problems especiallly as recurrent violence from rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties have evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose

Jamaica is formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous English-speaking country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Jamaica slowly gained independence from the United Kingdom and in 1958. Jamaica’s prosperity has diminished since the 1980s as major alumina companies have closed or left the country and unemployment remains moderately high.The economy is now heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances sent home from Jamaicans living abroad, and some bauxite/alumina mining. The economy faces serious long-term problems especially as recurrent violence from rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties have evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose