He who mistreats a woman is a fag

When it comes to the usage in Latin America of Spanish-language terms that most people would deem homophobic, I admit sometimes I am left feeling a bit flummoxed.

There is, for example, the song "Puto" by the legendary Mexican rock band Molotov. The literate translation of the title is "Faggot" and it has a quaint chorus that says "matarile al maricón" ("kill the fag").

But whenever I've called it a homophobic song I've gotten push-back from people who say that in the song's context "Puto" does not really refer to gays but, instead, to the powers that be. And, to be sincere, I partly get it. The band itself has said as much and, in the face of criticism, insists on playing it live during their tours.  But even if "fag" can be contextualized to mean something else in a song, do their fans make the distinction?

These thoughts come to mind today in light of a new campaign launched today by the National Women Services Ministry of the Chilean government (SERNAM):



SAY WHAT? Yes, the Chilean government says a "fag" is he who mistreats a woman (official government announcement here).

Speaking to La Tercera, Carolina Schmidt Zaldivar, Director of SERNAM, explained:

[Domestic] violence is based on the abuse of power and a poor understanding of what true masculinity is.  Does it make you more of a macho man to mistreat, beat up or denigrate a woman?  The answer is clear: He who mistreats a woman is a lesser man... let's say things as they are.

 I do think the Minister makes a relevant point which actually is also pertinent to the discussion about the Molotov song: The Mexican rock band and the Chilean government might argue that "maricón" and "puto" is in no way related to "fagness" but they both admit they use the homophobic terminology as a means to question a man's masculinity.

Here is what complicates things somewhat: The first man you see in the video is Chilean soccer referee Pablo Pozo who has previously denounced soccer fans calling him a fag at several games and directly challenged homophobia in one of the most homophobic sports in the world.

The second man is television personality and talk show host Jordi Castell who is one of the few openly gay personalities on Chilean television.  They both say they decided to participate in the campaign as opponents of domestic violence.

The ads also have the backing of the country's leading LGBT rights organization, the Homosexual Movement of Integration and Liberation (MOVILH), who tweeted the following tonight:

With the SERNAM campaign things are left clear: Relatives and people you know who are gay aren't fags. The man who beats up his woman is. 

MOVILH, really?

There are a couple of things that strike me as very wrong with this brief statement. MOVILH lets SERNAM use the word "faggot" in a campaign and backs it up.  They also buy into the meme that 'fagness' can be used to denigrate a man's masculinity.

In addition, the campaign assumes all domestic violence in a heterosexual partnership comes from the man, which is not always the case.

One Chilean LGBT rights organization is not having any of it.  Speaking tonight on Radio Bio Bio, Marcelo Aguilar of Acción Gay said the campaign was discriminatory and questioned whether the message would be received as intended.

Tonight we have an answer to that: The term "maricón" [fag] became the #1 trending topic on Twitter in South America tonight thanks to SERNAM.

I personally think it's an awful campaign, it elicits unintended consequences, and gives people license to use the word "maricón" as if it wasn't anything bad.

But what's your take? Does the shock value make men respond? Is the campaign homophobic? Please let us know.

Related:

• El 'rupturismo' del SERNAM (Spanish) - Observatorio Género y Equidad

Peru: LGBT advocates wash blood off Peruvian flag to protest inactivity on hate crimes

The Tumbes regional online edition of Peruvian newspaper Correo reported that a number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates gathered at Tumbes' main plaza on Saturday to demonstrate against hate crimes.

Although crowd estimates were not given, the protest is said to have drawn many onlookers.

Demonstrators carried banners and rainbow flags as well as one unusual prop: A Peruvian flag that they claimed had been stained by all the participants' blood.

Before the cameras, protest leaders held the flag and dropped it into a plastic bowl filled with soapy water and cleaned the 'blood' from the national symbol.

"We want the State not to be indifferent to the needs of our community - We are making a statement which is a demand - not only in Tumbes but on a national level - for our rights to be recognized," said Melissa Zapata Sánchez, a transgender woman.

She said that many of the legal processes involving hate crimes had yet to end in punishment and demanded follow-up measures that would hold criminals accountable for the crimes they had committed.

In addition, LGBT advocates also questioned the role of the Catholic church on State issues and asked for the right to walk freely through the streets of Peru as well as the right to work in the public and private sector.

Previously: 

• On Valentine's Day, gays in Latin America demand marriage equality and an end to homophobic violence (Feb. 15, 2010)
• Ecuador: In a busy street, free "makeovers" (Oct. 29, 2009)
• Peru: 25 hurt at Iquitos gay bar (Aug. 10, 2009)
• Peru: IGLHRC demands investigation of attack on trans woman (Feb. 27, 2009)
• Peru; News cameras capture inhuman beating, undressing and humiliation of transgender street worker (Jan. 30, 2009)

Nicaragua: Gay US citizen murdered, authorities suspect 'crime of passion'

Nicaragua's El Nuevo Diario reported on Saturday that 45 year-old Jackson Briceño, a former US resident who had moved to the Central American country two years ago "to enjoy his savings, after a life of work in the United States", died on the way to a hospital after being found at home with five stab wounds ("When love kills", Dec. 13, 2008).

Authorities interviewed a 16 year-old nicknamed "La Chilo" who neighbors identified as the Briceño's partner but released him and said that he had not been at Briceño's residence on the night of the attack. The teenager, who lives in a poor rural area 15 miles away from Briceño's residence, was said to have been dating the man for eight months, often staying overnight.

“There was blood on the pillows, on the bed's mattress and all over the floor in the house," said an anonymous witness, "the scene was horrible, since it looked as if they had spilled red paint everywhere. When we were able to see that the man was being taken out by firemen and the police, we saw that he had wounds and blood all over his body."

The forensic unit has revealed that a bloody knife was recovered near Briceño's home and that they also found strands of hair belonging to a man at the scene of the crime and have ruled out that a woman might have committed the crime. The police is investigating the killing as a possible "crime of passion." The first, they say, that they have seen between individuals of the same gender in more than eight years.

"Whoever killed him tried to make sure that he wouldn't be left alive," said Sergio Cano, the forensics expert.

Nueva Ya reports that Briceño operated a foreign currency exchange business.

Update: In stunning twist, leniency requested for Chad Ferreira's attacker who is now transgender

In a December 7th sentencing hearing following a felony assault conviction for Kyle Adams over a 2006 street fight that ended with the death of Chad Ferreira, Adam's attorney is asking the judge to consider probation instead of a jail term for his client.

The reason? In a shocking turn of events, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Phong Wang - Adam's attorney - has told the judge that his client, who had previously identified himself as a gay man is now a transgender woman who calls herself London who would be placed at great risk if sent to federal prison. Representatives of San Francisco's Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project also appeared before the judge to support Adams.

Adams had been sentenced to six years in prison but might face additional charges if manslaughter charges are refiled against her (the jury deadlocked on similar charges during the first trial).

Full details over at the Bay Area Reporter.

Previously:

• Man charged with felony assault in Ferreira trial, jury deadlocks on other charges (may 23, 2007)
• Chad, Again (August 24, 2007)
• Latino gay man killed in San Francisco (February 9, 2006)

Colombia Dispatch: Horsing around

Original it is not. I still remember the 2000 ¨CowParade¨ charity event which brought a herd of fiberglass cows - each painted by a different artist - to the streets of New York.

Calling themselves "the world´s largest public art event," the organizers have since set up similar outdoor exhibits throughout the world, auctioning different cows at the end of each exhibit as a fundraiser for different local charities in the host cities.

Enter Equus Arte in Bogota. Walking around the 93rd Street Park in Bogota over the weekend, the hubby and I ran upon several fiberglass horses that had been set up onthe periphery, each with a different design and look, some of them sorta `blah´but some actually quite stunning (the exhibit actually runs through September at various public sites throughout the city and features 74 different horses).

The event, set up by Fundacion Corazon Verde (Green Heart Foundation), seeks to raise money "to improve the quality of life of the widows and orphans of Colombian policemen."

On Thursday, El Tiempo profiled some of the artists, including Maria de la Paz Jaramillo who did "Azul," the blue horse below (next to the hubby). Sorry to say I didn´t take note of the other artists´ names.

Still, in the photo above you can also see how one of the artists took the opportunity to pose the question "Do kidnapped gays have the right to liberty?"

This is an allusion to the outpouring of emotion that erupted earlier this month through the streets of Bogota in reaction to the death of 11 politicians that were being held by the left-wing FARC guerrillas, who had kidnapped them a few months ago.

Tragically, the guerrilla still hold dozens of kidnapped individuals, some whom have been held for a decade or longer, some whom have a lower public profile than the various political leaders that still remain in their hands (including cause celebre Ingrid Betacourt) and some whom were kidnapped when they were very young. Among them a number of small town policemen who, in this country, usually come from the poorest regions and neighborhoods in the country.

The organizers have said that some of the funds raised throug Equus Arte will also go towards helping the families of those kidnapped policemen.

Update: Man charged with felony assault in Ferreira trial, jury deadlocks on other charges

In a case that we have followed for a while, a San Francisco Superior Court jury has found 25 year old Kyle Adams guilty of "felony assault" in the beating death of 24 year old Chad Ferreira (pictured left) as a result of an altercation that happened last year a day before Halloween in San Francisco's Castro district.

The jury deadlocked on whether to charge Adams with and additional assault charge for hitting a friend of Ferreira's, Angel Zepeda, and on a more serious charge of manslaughter against Ferreira.

The Bay Area Reporter has full details.

Cathy Smith, Ferreira's mom, had previously expressed disappointment that the court did not seek murder charges and is said to be upset that the jury deadlocked on the other charges.

For now the San Francisco DA's Office is considering whether to retry Adams on the other charges.

Previously on this blog, Ferreira's mom wrote to thank us about following the developments in the case (her reply here). So did a friend of Adams (who posted a message on the same blog post that drew a response from Ferreira's mom).

Ferreira's boyfriend, Octavio Xtravaganza also contacted us a while back. His reaction to the ruling can be found here.

Updates: Chad Ferreira, circumcision, Alvaro Orozco, Colombian 'asylum tragedy'

Chad Ferreira: The Bay Area Reporter continues it's coverage of the altercation in San Francisco's Castro district that led to the death of Chad Ferreira (pictured) in January of 2006.

Last week reporter Ed Walsh described opening statements made at a trial that will determine whether 26 year old Kyle Adams committed manslaughter by beating Ferreira so hard that he caused Ferreira to fall and fracture his skull when his head hit a sidewalk curb or if he is, as he claims, innocent and just acting in self defense.

Today, the Reporter describes Adams turn on the stand and his side of the story, some of which differs with witness statements and includes details were not originally provided to the police department when he was first charged.

The paper says that closing arguments after the print edition of the Reporter went to press and that the case went to the jury at 3:10pm yesterday.

Circumcision as HIV prevention: The New York City department of Health and Mental Hygiene held it's community forum on the issue of male circumcision as a possible HIV prevention tool. I was not able to attend but both Gay City News and the New York Blade covered the arguments and the reaction.

Alvaro Orozco: In February we told you about a decision by Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board not to grant asylum to a young Nicaraguan gay man, Alvaro Orozco, partly because they argued that if Orozco wasn't sexually active when he left Nicaragua at the age of thirteen, he could not assert that he knew he was gay then. The Orozco case and his ongoing efforts to appeal that decision receives a coverline in the current issue of The Advocate. For more on the case and on how you can help, please visit his website.

In United States political asylum news, Arthur Leonard calls an April 25th ruling that turned down an asylum application by a Miami-based Colombian gay man "Another asylum tragedy." Leonard says that the court not only denied asylum but also outed him in the process and now is sending the man back to Colombia despite having arguably shown credible evidence of fear of persecution if sent back.

Update: Ruby Rodriguez is mourned in San Francisco

Above: San Francisco Chronicle photo by Mike Keane

Happening Here has images from last night's SF vigil in memory of slain trans woman Ruby Rodriguez - including the one on the left. More here.

Good to see the presence of some public officials such as Assemblyman Mark Leno and Police Commissioner Theresa Sparks.

Ruby's murder has drawn a couple of responses that are shocking in their nastiness:

The infamously homophobic Michael Savage called Ruby a "psychopath" and a "freak" in his national syndicated radio show (Media Matters has the details) and an anonymous caller to the San Francisco Chronicle questioned the paper's political correctness in calling Ruby a "she" instead of "he" and chided the paper for not disclosing Ruby's immigration status.

As Don McPherson would say, the comments mostly reflect both men's insecurities. But part of me wonders why they haven't drawn the ire of the mainstream gay community in ways that other homophobic expressions have recently drawn wide condemnation.

El Salvador: A "shout out" from Sir Elton John

This week's issue of the UK's New Statesman has a "shout out" from Sir Elton John to LGBT rights advocates throughout the world, who often do their work in less than receptive environments and, in some cases, under the threat of violence or death.

In the essay, Sir Elton highlights the work of one of my heroes, William Hernandez of El Salvador's Entre Amigos, who has persevered even as attacks against him and members of his organization have increased and become increasingly violent over the last few years.

In December, reporter Doug Ireland wrote an article for Gay City News on William and Entre Hermanos which is available on his blog, Direland.

Today's issue of the UK's The Independent also has a profile and interview here.

All this is in no small thanks to Amnesty International which has long championed the work of Entre Amigos. For more information on their ongoing campaign to support this crucial organization please go here.

Update: Man in custody, details emerge in killing of Chad Ferreira in SF

In "Latino gay man killed in San Francisco" (Feb. 9, 2006), I linked to a Bay Area Reporter article that described the brutal beating and death of 27-year-old Chad Ferreira. Today, the B.A.R. reports that a 24-year-old man named Kyle Adams pleaded not guilty to one charge of manslaughter and two charges of assault in the San Francisco Superiour Court after claiming that he beat Ferreira in self-defense to police authorities. The B.A.R. says that several witness accounts contradict this assertion and that Ferreira's mother, who was in court for the plea, "criticized authorities for charging the case as manslaughter and not murder."

Sakia Gunn, Rashawn Brazell resurface in media

I have often criticized why mainstream media sometimes turns a blind-eye to the murder of LGBT people of color so it's surprising to see two newspapers run stories today that make reference to the murders of Sakia Gunn and Rashawn Brazell (pictured).

Today, the North Jersey Herald News runs an interview with the only black lesbian couple suing the State of New Jersey to gain the right to marry. Alicia Toby-Heath and Saundra Heath-Toby talk about their involvement in the historic suit and say that one big reason why they decided to become visible advocates on the marriage front was the murder of 15-year old Sakia Gunn in 2003:

"That ... kind of sealed why I did this," Alicia tells the News, "There are young folk who need to know that there is promise and hope as young lesbian and gay kids... that there is the possibility of some solid commitment and family."

And, while Sakia's attackers were eventually brought to court, today's issue of the New York Times looks back at the yet unresolved and brutal killing of 19 year-old Rashawn Brazell, whose body was found dismembered and in separate trash-bags in two different Brooklyn sites a year ago.

In the Times article, Kareem Fahim and John Kolbin report that leads have led nowhere and tips have stopped coming in. What shines in the article is Desiree Brazell's unfaltering call for justice for her son. I was also struck by the fact that an officer from the NYPD spoke to the Times off-the-record regarding the case. NYPD policy is not to comment publicly on open murder investigations unless 1 Police Plaza says it's ok but sometimes police officers within the department truly watch over these cases and help to keep the investigations alive (as was the case in the murder of a friend, Eddie Garzon, back in 2001 although the case of his murder has also not been resolved).

On a related note, Larry Lyons and Mervyn Marcano, founders of the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Fund, also have re-launched the RashawnBrazell.com website which I encourage you to visit. Larry and Mervyn, as well as other community activists and bloggers have been also instrumental in keeping this unresolved crime in the spotlight.

Latino gay man killed in San Francisco

The Bay Area Reporter is reporting in today's issue that Chad Ferriera, a former Club Papi staffer and gymn trainer, died on February 4th, six days after two men beat him up on Market Street, near the Castro Street intersection. According to a witness quoted in the article, the assault apparently stemmed from an angry exchange of words that one of Ferreira's friends had while standing in line for the bathroom inside the Castro gay establishment, The Bar.

A memorial service is planned for tonight at the Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel on 710 Willow Street (off Bird Avenue in San Jose). Club Papi will also be holding a benefit party in his memory on Saturday, February 11th. More details (and photos of Chad) here.

• UPDATE: Man in custody, details emerge in killing of Chad Ferreira in SF (March 16, 2006)

Emanuel Xavier: New York Post OpEd

On Wednesday, January 11, the New York Post ran an OpEd piece by Emanuel Xavier in their weekly Latino supplement, Tempo. In "A Random Act of Violence" he writes:

A RANDOM ACT OF VIOLENCE

By EMANUEL XAVIER

January 11, 2006 -- Crime may be down in the Big Apple, but in certain areas of Nueva York, it's at an all-time high.

Three months ago, I was randomly attacked in Bushwick en route to visit my sick mother. I was brutally beaten and left with permanent nerve damage to my inner right ear.

While I am a gay man, it was not a hate crime. The group, made up of nearly 20 teens, stole my keys - which I was later told is a gang initiation rite. The gang responsible for my bruises had skin color much like mine and spoke a language that I could easily understand.

More than physically hurt, I was spiritually broken by the ignorance of my own hermanos.

Violence against anyone should be deplored. But in an age where we talk about abuse coming from others, we must also stop to look at the toll Latino-on-Latino violence is taking on our own. It's an issue that we, as a community, must address, because accountability lies on our doorstep.

Those of us who live in the barrios know that the war is not only abroad but in our salas. Like men and women willing to destroy themselves and others in the name of religion, our youth continue to commit acts of cruelty to prove their machismo.

As a familia, we must start talking about it, and find ways to curb this disturbing trend.

Youth violence - present in all classes, nationalities, religions and ethnicities - is a complex issue with no single solution. And I'm sure that years of discrimination have left our young men struggling to define what it means to be masculine.

But there is one sobering fact which remains - that a generation of our men (roughly one out of three, according to recent surveys) is being raised without their fathers.

Many of our boys lack father figures to teach them how to be real men and, as a result, look to the streets to seek out opportunities for male bonding.

As the largest growing ethnic group in the country, we cannot afford to lose any of our boys.

We should be able to walk through these calles unharmed and to raise our children to respect others.

Xavier is the author of "Americano." He's appeared on "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry" and in the film "The Ski Trip."

What do you feel are the causes of Latino-on-Latino violence? Send your comments to Tempo, New York Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, N.Y, N.Y, 10036 or tempo@nypost.com.

Updates: Jamaica murder, Emanuel Xavier, Lesbian Council Speaker and Taking a T

Been a bit busy to blog more consistently. But I thought I'd give you some updates:

The Nov. 30th murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey in Jamaica: I haven't seen any new stuff in media but in the Jamaica Land We LGBT blog, there has been an ongoing discussion on the murder and the international attention it has gotten from a Jamaica-based vantage-point.

On the attack on spoken word artist and actor Emanuel Xavier: I am glad to report that Emanuel is doing much better. He's been amazingly grateful for the support that he received and, closer to home, he has decided to put together "Mariposas," a night of spoken word poetry and performance as a benefit for "SOMOS..." (the anti-homophobia program at the Latino Commission on AIDS that I used to coordinate and is now run by the great Francisco Lazala and Bolivar X. Nieto). The event will take place at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery @ Bleeker, right across from CBGB's, F Train to 2nd Avenue or 6 Train to Bleeker, on Saturday, January 28th, 2006 from 6 to 8pm - suggested donation $5). Elizabeth Latex will MC and performers include Emanuel, Dino Foxx, Simply Rob, Robert Ortiz and Marty Cohen.

On Christine Quinn having a chance to become the first ever openly-gay New York City Council Speaker: Over the weekend, the New York Times actually endorsed her over Bill De Blasio, which makes that reality a little bit closer.

Comments regarding murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey

Some people have been leaving comments to the posts I have made regarding the murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey. As some of you might not be going back to check the comments to previous posts, I wanted to highlight these three (and thank the writers for posting them):

W.S. James said...

I am very much angry over this. Not only have met and dialogued with Steve on an HIV/AIDS conference earlier this year but saw the impact he was doing. This is a loss to many in Jamaica and Humanity as a whole. It is long overdue for these sodomy laws to change across the Caribbean and more stands be taken on Stigma...yes I am upset and sad

Melissa said:

Dear Andrés,

I am a returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Jamaica. I worked with Jamaica AIDS Support and very closely with Steve Harvey.

Steve's death is an overwhelming loss for Jamaica and also a personal loss for me. I loved Steve dearly as so many others did inside and outside of JAS. His work and his talent for reaching out to others and making them listen to the plight of stigmatized persons marveled all of us. My only relief now is to know that his death and work is not going unnoticed.

Thank you for the attention that you are bringing to his story. I know that many people, especially within Jamaica, want to dismiss the possibility that his murder was a hate crime. After working for over a year with the GLBT community in Jamaica, I am quite certain that sexual orientation was at the heart of this crime.

Past commentators on your site have been correct. Steve was not openly gay outside of the Jamaica AIDS Support community; HOWEVER, the work that he did and that JASL continues to do is very controversial and it implicates everyone as supporters of the human rights struggle for gays. This association makes them a target in some respects regardless of whether they are homosexual or heterosexual. I would also say that in Jamaica if you are a man and you do HIV/AIDS work or assist the gay community then it is assumed that you must be "batty".

Steve knew the danger of his work. He approached it without fear and with a clear vision of what Jamaica could be without the stigma and hatred that presently exists for both homosexuals and Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. He adopted this cause as his life's mission. In the end, I believe Steve died for this cause. I know him to have been an extremely honest person and unlikely to deny his identity as a homosexual even at the cost of his own life. He believed very strongly in his right and the right of others to live freely as they are.

rosey g said...

I lived in Negril the summer that Mr. Williamson was brutally slain. The homophobic and anti-woman culture that persists in a society that touts its "friendliness" is paradoxical to say the least. If the average tourist only knew or cared to know the bitter realities.

I had been assisting some women in terms of leaving abusive hetero relationships and had been receiving numerous death threats or taunts of "lesbian, we are gonna git you and fock you up good." I went to the police locally who did not believe that I should feel threatened so I took my complaint to the female superintendant at Savannah la Mar who did take action...that action being to light a fire under the Negril constabulary's butts forcing them to go after the individual threatening
me.

The year before, just up the road from where I was staying, two expat men were slain simply because they had been sharing a home together with no women present. Machetes were the weapons of choice.

In many hotels outside of the larger compounds two men cannot share a room because of the homosexual assumptions. Just last year Sandals finally issued a statement saying that they would no longer discriminate on the basis of orientation. I wonder if that holds true.

If I rebuked a gigolo on the beach for his sexual advances I was called a "focking dyke". I sought out isolated beaches outside of Negril as I found the gigolo straight culture to be just too much for this woman.

How many times I heard Jamaican males say that they preferred "skin to skin" instead of using condoms! Yes, there was a nationwide television campaign extolling the virtues of condom use but has it made an impact?

One good thing that came out of the Williamson slaying that summer was seeing more articles in the mainstream Jamaican press that dealt positively with the LGBT community. I know this pissed off many homophobes but too damned bad sayeth I.

Sometimes I just want to scream about Jamaica in a very general way but that would be condemning those whose work is starting to make an impact. Education is the key and until that field of access is level countrywide myths will continue to prevail.

There are many things I could add based on my many years of living not only in the hot zones but in a major redneck Canadian city that would be germaine to this situation in particular. Suffice to say I will continue to do what I do no matter what.

That is all I can do and damn those who believe that my published writings should never be negative. Sorry Jamaica but the truth can hurt.

New York Times Editorial on Murder of Steve Harvey

The New York Times has published an editorial today on the murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey. Read the full text by going here. Some excerpts follow:

Jamaica has a well-earned reputation for homophobia and murderous violence against gay people, most recently the murder of an internationally known AIDS outreach worker, Steve Harvey, after he was abducted from his home at gunpoint. The killing of Mr. Harvey has drawn condemnation from international organizations like Unaids and Human Rights Watch, and it should prod the Jamaican government to pay attention to the gay rights issue. [...]

International human rights advocates have urged the Jamaican police, who have a spotty record in cases of anti-gay violence, to bring Mr. Harvey's killers to justice. But the country must go beyond this case to take a firm stance against all kinds of homophobic violence.

A good first step would be to repeal the archaic laws that implicitly sanction anti-gay violence - and drive the AIDS epidemic - by making sexual activities between consenting adults of the same sex illegal.

Remembering Steve Harvey in Jamaica, the wrong editorial - and what you can do

A Memorial

Yesterday, Jamaica AIDS Support held a memorial in honor of Lenford "Steve" Harvey, who used to be their Coordinator of Targeted Interventions (more photos here courtesy of Nigel Mathlin, Creative Director of the Granada-based AquaDesign). As Blabbeando has reported over the last couple of weeks, Mr. Harvey was murdered on November 30th, on the eve of World AIDS Day, apparently for being gay.

The Wrong Editorial

On Saturday, The Jamaican Observer continued to play semantics with whether homophobia is truly widespread in Jamaica and whether Jamaican authorities should be taken to task for not investigating attacks against gays. In a lead editorial titled "The Misperceptions of Gay vs. Heterosexual Murders" the paper says, among other things, the following:

...there is a myth, which is gathering steam, most dangerously abroad and perpetrated by skilled propagandists, that somehow the murder of gays, particularly homosexual males, are less likely to be solved than if a straight person is the victim [...] Another myth being parlayed with great political skill, is that every murder of any crime against any homosexual is, first and foremost, a hate crime, perpetrated because of the sexual preference of the victim [...] This newspaper does not dismiss the fact that openly gay men, in some circumstances, may face harassment and ridicule and even assault, which can lead to murder [...] We, however, do not believe that improving tolerance or ending stigma are achieved through propagandist exaggeration and/or a misunderstanding, deliberate or otherwise, of the social construct of Jamaica so as to place all utterances on a literal plane.

The paper argues that the killing of gays in the island is part of a larger crisis in public safety - they say 1,500 people have been killed so far this year - and argue that the failure to resolve these murders are a reflection of the incompetence rather than outright homophobia.

Most shamefully, the editors end by backing the recently announced police plan to appoint an independent civilian monitor to oversee their investigation of the murder of Mr. Harvey but also imply that they see this as special attention being given to the gay community and demand that the same happen with all other crimes:

Perhaps the system can now be applied to murders in inner-city communities where the bulk of the 1,500 homicides victims reside, whose friends insist that the police will not bring them justice.

The Jamaican Observer is right in pointing out that there are other factors that come into play when it comes to violence in Jamaica and that the police's failure to resolve and prosecute more than 50 percent of these crimes is appaling. And some, and not only The Observer, have raised the issue of why it is that an international community can mobilize quickly around this specific murder but seem to disregard other killings as well as the many who continue dying of AIDS in the island.

I personally believe that the issue of violence in Jamaica is larger than all this and should be confronted but I also believe that the reason why the murder of Steve Harvey seems to have drawn so much attention so quickly is that it has all the markings of a death foretold. Mr. Harvey might not have lived an openly gay life but the reason why he was taken from his house and shot was the fact that he was the only one who did not answer "No" when asked if he was gay. That various international and local human rights agencies had alerted the Jamaican authorities that this would happen and yet they chose to ignore, dismiss or ridicule their findings puts the blood of gays and lesbians in Jamaica in their hands. It might be mostly international agencies raising the alarm but the blood spilled is 100% Jamaican.

As a matter of fact, by playing semantics, continuing to say that questions raised about homophobia and hate crimes in Jamaica amount to "myths.. most dangeroulsy abroad... perpetrated by skilled propagandists... with great political skill," The Jamaica Observer opts to stay the course and blame others for calling attention to the murder of Jamaicans instead of truly taking leadership that is needed to stop these murders.

What Can Be Done (recently forwarded to my mailbox):

Action: Solidarity for Steve Harvey
Mary Ann Torres, ICASO
***********************
Dear friends and colleagues:

The night of the 30th of November, 2005, Steve Harvey, a leading Jamaican HIV/AIDS activist who had been working for 14 years to defend the health and human rights of people living with and at high-risk of HIV/AIDS, was murdered. He was found dead early in the morning with gunshot wounds in his back and head in a rural area, miles from his home.

Steve worked with Jamaica AIDS Support since 1997, and represented the interests of marginalized people and people living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica and throughout the region. As coordinator of targeted interventions for Jamaica AIDS Support, he had been responsible for ensuring that the most marginalized of Jamaicans—gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals; sex workers; prisoners—were provided access to HIV/AIDS information and services. By mid 2005, he was chosen as LACCASO's (Latin America and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service organizations), in-country project coordinator for Jamaica. His capacity, dedication and courage signaled the way for the most successful implementation of our Advocacy Project.

"Steve Harvey was a person of extraordinary bravery and integrity, who worked tirelessly to ensure that some of Jamaica's most marginalized people had the tools and information to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS," said Rebecca Schleifer, researcher with the HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch and author of a recent report on anti-gay violence and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.

Considering the enormous loss Steve's death means for all of us, we request your solidarity, to condemn this brutal crime and request to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Please sign on the following letter, which will be sent to the Jamaican Prime Minister in the days to come. Please distribute this message and collect signatures. Send your support to laccaso-sr@accsi.org.ve

Mary Ann Torres
Senior Program Officer
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations – ICASO
Central Secretariat
65 Wellesley Street E., Suite 403
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4Y 1G7
Tel: (1-416) 921-0018 Ext. 16
Fax: (1-416) 921-9979
Email: maryannt@icaso.org
Website: http://www.icaso.org/
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The Most Honorable P.J. Patterson
Prime Minister of Jamaica
1 Devon Road
Kingston 6, Jamaica, West Indies

Honorable Prime Minister Patterson:

We the undersigned, organizations and individuals from around the world, condemn the brutal murder of Steve Lenford Harvey, which occurred in Kingston, Jamaica the night of 29th to 30th of November, 2005.

Steve Harvey was a leader and activist who defended the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and those most vulnerable to infection. He began working for Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS) in 1997; and by the time of his murder he was dedicated to bringing a Jamaican perspective to the implementation of an important international human rights project on HIV prevention and access to HIV treatment.

Steve's vicious assassination has brought pain, anger and desperation to people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to HIV/AIDS activists and advocates around the world. It ended a life full of commitment, energy and dedication, seeking to improve the quality of life of those most vulnerable to human rights violations. It is difficult for us to understand how this violence without limits and control can take the lives of those who work for a peaceful world and for the development and well-being of our people.

Honorable Prime Minister of Jamaica: We, the undersigned, call on you to:

1. Publicly call for aggressive investigations into this crime, and to punish Steve's murders to the full extent of Jamaican law;

2. Ensure that justice is carried out and impunity avoided, so that other vulnerable Jamaicans are not victims of such criminal attacks;

3. Ensure that the Jamaican Government formulate and enact policies to protect Jamaican citizens from violence, homophobia and all forms of discrimination;

4. That all investigations and findings of criminal responsibility will be undertaken in accordance with human rights conventions and treaties signed by your Government.

On behalf of human rights defenders and HIV/AIDS activists and advocates from around the world, we await your response.

[Mods note: Please contact LACCASO at laccaso-sr@accsi.org.ve or Mary Ann Torres from ICASO at maryannt@icaso.org for a letter in Spanish or French version.]

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Previous Posts:

• Jamaican Aids Activist Murdered on Eve of World AIDS Day (December 2, 2005)
• Update on Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey (December 5, 2005)
• Agencies Condemn Senseless Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lanford "Steve" Harvey (December 8, 2005)
• International Outrage at Murder of AIDS Activist in Jamaica is Having Some Effect (December 9, 2005)
• Four charged in murder of Jamaican gay man (march 9, 2006)

International Outrage at Murder of AIDS Activist in Jamaica Is Having Some Effect

Today's Jamaica Observer is reporting that, "in an apparent first for Jamaica, the police are to appoint an independent monitor of their investigation of the murder of AIDS and gay rights activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey, and could do the same in future investigations of gay men believed to have been killed because of their sexual preferences. This according to Mark Shields, Deputy Police Commissioner (pictured), who aknowledges that the move comes as a response "to claims by Jamaican and international gay rights activists that the police have not been aggressive enough, not only in this investigation, but those involving crimes against gay men generally."

Mr. Shield says: "I have received several calls from human rights groups internationally and I have expressed to them that I would keep them up-to-date and informed as to where the investigations are heading."

The article also gives additional details about the murder: "Harvey, who worked with the NGO, Jamaica AIDS Support, was killed a month ago in Kingston. Five men apparently intercepted him as he returned home from work one evening. The attackers are reported to have taken Harvey into the home where other persons who were there were tied up. Harvey, having been allegedly warned that he would be harmed because of his sexual preference, was driven away. His body was found the next day."

But it also says that some "Jamaican authorities" still argue that the high number of homophobic attacks are not necessarily due to an increased level of homophobia in Jamaica but rather to the fact that Jamaica has a generally higher crime rate accross the board.

Previous Posts:

• Jamaican Aids Activist Murdered on Eve of World AIDS Day (December 2, 2005)
• Update on Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey (December 5, 2005)
• Agencies Condemn Senseless Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lanford "Steve" Harvey (December 8, 2005)
• Four charged in murder of Jamaican gay man (March 9, 2006)

Agencies Condemn Senseless Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey

Yesterday, UNAIDS became the largest international agency to condemn the senseless killing of Lenford "Steve" Harvey in Jamaica on November 30th, 2005.

They were also joined today by the Latin American and the Caribbean Council of AIDS Services Organizations, with a regional secretariat office based in Venezuela (they will be gathering signatures from Latin American organizations and activists for a letter of repudiation being sent to P.J. Patterson, Jamaica's Prime Minister), and the National Black Justice Coalition which released this statement.

UNAIDS press release reads as follows:

Press statement

UNAIDS Condemns Killing of AIDS Activist in Jamaica

Geneva, 7 December 2005 -- UNAIDS condemns the recent killing of Lenford “Steve” Harvey, a Jamaican AIDS activist who, since 1997, worked tirelessly with the Jamaica AIDS Support to contribute to the response to the AIDS epidemic.

Steve Harvey’s death is a profound shock and loss not only to the AIDS movement in Jamaica and the Caribbean, but to the whole world. UNAIDS expresses its sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Steve Harvey will be remembered as an extraordinarily brave and committed activist, who, irrespective of the dangers of his work, represented the interests of people living with HIV and those at risk of infection. His courage was inspiring and his capacity to reach out to those in need outstanding, providing them one on one counseling, and access to HIV and AIDS information and services.

UNAIDS is confident that the Government of Jamaica will investigate Steve’s death to ensure that those who committed this hideous crime are brought to justice.

UNAIDS reiterates its support for the strengthening of efforts by the Jamaican government to address homophobia and other causes of stigma and discrimination, which are fuelling the spread of AIDS not only in Jamaica but across the Caribbean.

Legal and policy reform have an important role to play in ensuring that human rights of all are respected, and also in helping to change broader social values and in setting standards. It is freedom from fear and discrimination that will finally empower individuals and communities to act, to mobilize their resources, and to respond collectively and positively to the AIDS epidemic.

For more information, please contact: Annemarie Hou, UNAIDS Geneva, tel. +41 22 791 4577, Dominique De Santis, UNAIDS Geneva, tel. +41 22 791 4509 or Miriam Maluwa, UNAIDS Jamaica tel. +1 876 960 6536-38. For more information on UNAIDS, please visit www.unaids.org

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Previously Posted:

• Jamaican AIDS Activist Murdered on Eve of World AIDS Day (December 2, 2005)
• Update on Murder of Jamaican AIDS Activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey (December 5, 2005)

Updates:

• International Outrage at Murder of AIDS Activist in Jamaica is Having Some Effect (December 9, 2005)
• Four charged in murder of gay man (March 9, 2006)

Argentina Gay Pride Confrontations

Photos: Buenos Aires police show up in force to 'protect' the city's Cathedral on gay pride day. According to news reports, this year's 14th annual gay pride march drew over 10,000 marchers. Police threw tear-gas and made some arrests after a confrontation between a small fundamentalist religious group clashed with left-wing protesters not associated with the march (photos taken by Nicolas Parodi courtesy of Indymedia, additional photos here)

By all accounts, this weekend's gay pride march was a resounding success, drawing more than 10,000 marchers and filling the streets of Buenos Aires with rainbow flags and confetti, despite the light rain that fell on a warm afternoon. March organizers selected "We Want the Same Rights" as this year's theme and demanded the passage of a national civil union bill which would expand the landmark 2002 Buenos Aires same-sex civil union law to cover same-sex couples around Argentina (to date, according to Corrientes Noticias, 400 Buenos Aires couples have sought civil union protections). In addition, organizers also said that they were demanding the right to adopt and the right to one's body.

Not everything ran peacefully, as a few members of a fundamentalist religious organization called "Bringers of the Faith" gathered outside the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral to 'defend' the Church from gatherers at the Plaza de Mayo - which marks the starting place for the march - and about 100 individuals associated with socialist, anarchist and queer groups stood in front of them and began to shout them down.

The confrontation has a history: In 2003, a group of mostly left-wing queer organizations and activists organized a 'counter-march' to denounce the assimilationist and non-revolutionary nature of the gay pride march. At the start of the march, they decended upon the Cathedral and spray-painted its outside walls with anti-Catholic slurs drawing strong rebukes from Argentine society, the government and, of course, the Catholic Church. The action also exposed a split in LGBT organizing in Buenos Aires between those who seek gains through governmental lobbying and legislative pressure and activists who see this as sleeping with the enemy and want to take more aggressive measures (Similar fissures exist the United States LGBT rights movement).

So it should not have been a surprise that the Buenos Aires police was out in full force at the beginning of this past Saturday's march. But the mix of right-wing religious zealots, left-wing organizers, anarchists and police proved to be a powder keg with a fuse that was lit - according to Cadena 3 - when one of the Church defenders reached out and grabbed a transgender woman who was shouting at him.

As the confrontation began to spill out of order, the police threw tear gas supposedly to protect the religious folk who were smaller in number than their opponents. This was met by a hail of rocks and bottles thrown by demonstrator at the police as the protesters retreated into the wider crowd of march participants. The police followed a few of them into the crowd and arrested six people. A video of the police dragging a young pregnant woman off to jail was shown on Argentine television and on this weekends edition of Univision's Primer Impacto (the anchorwoman, inexplicably, ended her comments by asking "I sincerely do not know what a pregnant woman was doing at such a march" - then again, their report was insubstantial and alleged that the clash represented a bunch of angry gays attacking the police). A policeman was taken to a hospital where he was treated for injuries to an eye.

After the arrests, the clashes died down and the marchers were able to make their way from the Plaza de Mayo to the National Congress Building.

The repercussions are still rippling through the Argentine LGBT movement as some march organizers have alleged that some of the mostly non-gay anarchist protesters actually shouted anti-gay slurs at them as they were also clashing with the police and the church folks. At the very least, I hope that it leads to concrete steps on how the more politicaly savvy (some may say entrenched) organizations such as the CHA and the more progressive elements of the LGBT movement in Argentina can mend fences and work together.

Otherwise, expect to see a repeat of these clashes at next year's march.