Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
Although Jamaica is considered the most politically tolerant among several countries in the region, most Jamaicans would not support a known homosexual running for public office.
This is one of several findings of a survey conducted by a team led by University of the West Indies lecturer, Professor Ian Boxhill, for the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), based at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, USA. The sample size was 1,595 persons and fieldwork was carried out from June to September 2006.
Jamaica scored 73 out of 100 points on the political tolerance index, the highest among 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Next to Jamaica was Costa Rica, at 62.2. Bolivia was at the bottom of the list with nearly 44 points.
When Jamaicans were asked if homosexuals had a right to run for office, only 19.8 per cent of those surveyed responded positively. That group of supporters was made up mostly of women, people educated at the tertiary level, rural folks and the wealthy. Of the 15 countries surveyed by LAPOP, Mexico, at 50.4 per cent, was the the most supportive of homosexuals running for public office. Jamaica came in second to last, ahead of Honduras at 18.6 per cent.
Respect for rule of law
The researchers suggested that the low support for homosexuals holding public office "could partly be explained from a respect for the rule of law perspective and the culture. Homosexual acts, even between consenting adults, are illegal in Jamaica ... "
Commenting on the finding, University of Technology lecturer and Gleaner columnist, Martin Henry, says: "While Jamaicans themselves living here might not think so, Jamaica, historically, has been a rather tolerant country on the issues which most deeply divide people: religion, politics, race."
He points to data from other sources, like Reporters Without Borders, which show a very high level of press freedom in Jamaica. However, he acknowledges that the prevailing attitude towards homosexuality, with its deep roots in our cultural and social values, is a variation from the socio-political tolerance level.
It is a view Northern Caribbean University lecturer Charlene Sharpe-Pryce shares, arguing that Jamaica's democratic tolerance did not extend to the homosexual community because of the country's Christian make-up.
She says while lesbians might be tolerated and might be seen as harmless and even desirable for some men, the opposite obtains for homosexual males. Homosexuality among men, she posits, represents a different level in the struggle for power.
Says Sharpe-Pryce: "... The trappings of a powerful man do not include effeminate men and homosexuals. Thus, they would not be able to negotiate a space within our society in general and within the heart of power play and decision-making politics. Tolerance for anything that challenges our identity and our ability to etch a niche in our own society is unheard of."
