(LGBT) Michael Abrahams Gay pride? What the hell is that?
This week, members of Jamaica’s LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community are celebrating Pride Week.
Many years ago, before the term LGBT became fashionable, and the focus was mainly on gay members of that community, I would hear about gay pride, and my reaction would be “What is there to be proud of? Why be proud of being a weirdo? A deviant? An outcast?” That was then, before I began to understand the struggles members of that community face.
Now, after years of befriending, looking after and working with members of the LGBT community, I get it. Not only do I get it, but I support it. Living a happy life can be a challenge for members of that community in Jamaica.
Firstly, they live in a country that does not even begin to understand the meaning of human rights. In 2008, during an interview with Stephen Sackur on the BBC programme Hard Talk, then prime minister Bruce Golding openly stated that he would not tolerate any gays in his cabinet. By saying this, he legitimized job discrimination against gays in this country. His statement suggested that sexual orientation took precedence over attitude, aptitude, qualifications, competence and experience. It was an asinine and bigoted thing to say. What I also found to be disturbing, was the fact that there was no public outcry. Most Jamaicans appeared to be okay with what the prime minister said, and life went on.
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Growth! 
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