See the ad below:
Thursday, July 28, 2011
JFLAG Launches new Tolerance Campaign
The new one minute Tolerance Campaign called: Unconditional Love, features former Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe Christine Straw, and her brother Matthew Straw who is gay.
Christine declares her unending love for Matthew while calling on Jamaicans to love their family members and friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.
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One hopes that this is not the only video in this campaign as it certainly does not reflect the true demographic of LGBT people in Jamaica, in fact it may reinforce the "black stay back, brown stick around" culture on a national level and on an inter- community level it may reinforce the feeling that some Jamaicans are better off than others who live above a certain geographical boundary who can live a more north american utopia typed life while those who are below that are continually abused, beaten and suffer homophobia. The divide has always been an issue in our community it affects how we socialise and how even advocacy is dealt, this could be described as a formalization of that contemptuous and top down approach to how business is done. It is as if to say families do not exist elsewhere. Families also exist in the inner cities and middle class Jamaica, is JFLAG et al saying the "comfortable" should get more comfortably? what about the others who do not have this existence and experience everyday?
ReplyDeleteThis also dropped when sections of the nation, media and academia are looking at the post traumatic effects of slavery right in the Emancipation/Independence celebrations when "blackness" is looked at more so than any time of year.
Sad that the latest attempt though noble misses the mark in my view really in gelling the community despite of social standing and to think this has the backing of groups like FAST, Families Against State Terrorism who know all too well that it is not a Miss Jamaica or her brother who are the real victims of violence let alone any form of direct harmful stigma and discrimination as class determines how one is treated.
True, but it is very likely that they couldn't have gotten any other person(s) black, inner city, or those more exposed to the abuse to come and put their face on tv. It seems that what they wanted to do is to put a face to gay people and their families, and these just happened to be the ones who could be that face.
ReplyDeleteJust my thoughts.
Its definitely progressive, a step in the right direction, lets see follow up, with more diverse Jamaicans, diverse gays, speaking up, speaking out (lesbians included)...
ReplyDeleteThere are many (myself included) who can't afford to do that. The risk to go and put our face out there is great, and it has to be well thought out before we do.
ReplyDelete