Latoya Grindley, Features Writer

A section of the male bathroom in a shopping mall in St Andrew that is said to be a popular meeting place for homosexuals. - Norman Grindley /Deputy Chief Photographer

Buggery is still illegal in Jamaica, but many people believe that what men and women do in private is their own business. They are, however, adamant that it should be kept just that, private.

This seems to be far from compatible with the intentions of many homosexuals who have started to adopt some very public spots in the Corporate Area as 'meeting points' where they engage in sexual acts right in the open.

A public bathroom in a popular shopping mall along Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, is one of the places that many say have become a 'meeting room' for homosexuals.

Last Saturday, the shopping mall was the scene of high drama when two men, who were believed to be gay, were allegedly caught having sex in a bathroom. This caused a huge crowd to converge upon the scene, giving the security guards and police a difficult time trying to protect the men.

Suspicions raised

According to reports, the men, one of whom is believed to be married, were caught by a security guard after she claimed their behaviour raised suspicions, with one entering the bathroom first and the other minutes later. It is said that she went into the bathroom where she heard a 'funny' sound. She then checked the bathroom stalls and saw the feet of the two men in a single stall. This was when she realised what was happening. An alarm was made and the men were taken to the security post for protection. An angry crowd demanded the release of the men, just outside. While they did get some protection, the men did not completely escape the wrath of the crowd, as it is reported they received a few blows on their way out.

A security personnel, who asked not to be named, said the incident was just one of many that have occurred at that location. For some reason, there is a spike in the number of incidents when it rains.

"It's a normal thing for them to go up in that bathroom go carry on with dem things deh. A lot of gays come here and they like to walk in groups and carry on and, when it rain, some will go in the bathroom."

He said these incidents occurred more frequently months ago, before a guard was posted at the food court.

He added that, apart from that, other steps have been taken elsewhere on the plaza to lessen that type behaviour. "Because they frequent the plaza and love to congregate in the passage, we have taken steps to ensure that no unnecessary gatherings take place, because they can be quite bold about their sexuality and sometimes make people feel uncomfortable. The thing is they need to realise that this is illegal."

A nuisance

When the management of the plaza was contacted earlier this week, a spokesperson said he was unaware of the latest incident and could not speak on the issue. However, workers in some stores support the claims by security personnel. A sales representative at one of the stores said while he did not condone the assault on homosexuals, they were still a nuisance and would prefer if they kept their activities to themselves.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com