Jamaican activist Angeline Jackson (photo right) visited San Diego and found loving support from St Paul’s Foundation in her quest to bring LGBT rights and tolerance to her native society–despite great odds. Also see: Jamaica Photo Galleries Gay Jamaica News & Reports June 10th, 2014 By Ken Williams San Diego Gay and Lesbian News
LGBT rights in Jamaica are dominated by the prohibition of sexual acts between men. Sexual acts between women are legal, by virtue of the absence of any reference to them in law. Sex between men is punishable with up to ten years jail. Social leaders in Jamaica accuse international groups of meddling in domestic affairs. They defend laws against homosexuality as upholding Christian values. Neither one of the two major political parties in Jamaica have expressed any official support for gay rights. Verbal and physical violence, ranging from beatings to brutal armed attacks to murder, are widespread. For many, there is no sanctuary from such abuse.
Men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women reported being driven from their homes and their towns by neighbors who threatened to kill them if they remained, forcing them to abandon their possessions and leaving many homeless. Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) is the only LGBT rights organization in Jamaica. The organization was created in 1998 and operates underground and anonymously. In June 2004 founding member and the public face of J-FLAG Brian Williamson was stabbed to death in his home. A recent poll showed that 96% of Jamaicans were opposed to any move that would seek to legalize homosexual relations.
Name: Jamaica
Population: 2805000
Capital: Kingston - Pop. 675000
Area: 11100 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: English, Jamaican Patois
Religion: Protestant Christian
Status of Homosexuality: Illegal
Telephone Country Code: 187
Jamaica – Kingston
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
Jamaica – Noel Coward’s House
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,
Jamaica – North Coast
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
Jamaica – Montego Bay
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