The Editor, Sir:

There have been many articles in your papers recently concerning gays, from news of mob beatings to opinions about tolerance. Debate is the best place to start. Dr. Orville Taylor raised some interesting points in his article 'Gays again?' (Gleaner 27/04/07).

I agree with Dr. Taylor, as a black male you would certainly not walk in on a Ku Klux Klan meeting 'wearing a black panther jacket'. However what Dr. Taylor failed to recognise was that the beauty of developed societies is that people have the right (and freedom) to express and have an opinion whether it's for or against, they even have the right to hate. If a person wants to consume his or her life in hate, and live accordingly, he or she has the right to do so. What he or she doesn't have the right to do is to translate that hate into violence against anyone; the laws will certainly not tolerate it.

And that's the issue in Jamaica. People don't have to like gays or condone it (for whatever reason they can come up with), but there is no justification for any form of violence against any human being, based on sexuality or any other criteria, and this is where leadership must step up to the plate and lead by example. Enough is enough.

The law

Developed societies encourage freedom, and this includes the will not to condone or like whatever. However, you cannot take that hate and translate it into violence, or make their lives intolerable. The laws in advanced states will simply not allow it. As such, Jamaicans when they emigrate, have to either have to fit in, leave, or face the consequences of the law.

The fact that Jamaicans learn to be tolerant when they leave, tells us that Jamaican society can be encouraged to be tolerant, with education, exposure and with the appropriate laws. I've seen so many things in my short life, things I like, things I don't like, but I could never take time out from my busy and productive day to go and join some mob, to beat a man dressed as a woman (or a woman dressed as a man), or someone perceived to be gay, or anyone for that matter.

It's idle, it's unproductive, it's ignorant, it's primitive, it's also a reflection of very poor self-esteem and lack of mental development driven by lack of education and exposure. The Jamaican Government has the responsibility to address these issues through special programmes and more so, through heavy investment in education.

On the contrary, Jamaicans can learn to be tolerant.

I applaud those Jamaican gays who are bold enough to step forward, bold enough to cross the line (cross dress), blur the lines, in your face, love it or leave it. Slavery wasn't abolished easily and history has shown repeatedly that even basic human rights weren't achieved without a fight. People have the right to be, and people need to stop interfering in other people's private lives, and Jamaicans as a whole need to learn that. It's that simple.

I am, etc.,

PETE LEVY

levy_pete@yahoo.com

New York

Via Go-Jamaica