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Written by jay
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Monday, 25 February 2008 01:55 |
The New York Times is always particularly good at these sort of newsflashes, but for any gays out there who didn't already know, Jamaica is not exactly a fun and friendly gay tourist destination. In fact, if you're gay and you happen to live in this tropical island paradise and decide to throw a dinner party for a couple of your gay friends, you may find an angry mob outside your house wielding machetes! Not cool guys, so not cool.
Oh, and did we mention that the angry mobs also drop in on funerals?
Not even funerals are safe for gays. A year ago, just down the road
from the disrupted dinner party, a gay businessman's funeral was
interrupted by a mob that gathered outside the church. The mob,
outraged that effeminate mourners wearing tight pants and shirts had
dared to show up, threw bottles and rocks through the church's windows,
then barged inside and ordered that the service be stopped.
Anyway, we always sort of knew this about Jamaica, and in fact The Times has too, having published a story about gay cruises avoiding Jamaica in 2006 and another story 13 years ago advising gay travelers. But the point they seem to making is that it's getting even worse for gay residents, and they quote a man named Gareth, a former head of an island gay organization, who has emigrated to Toronto.
"Here, I'm no longer living in fear," he said in a telephone interview
from Toronto. "I'm finally able to be myself, to be an out gay man."
So, to recap: Don't travel to Jamaica, and if you're gay and live there and can possibly manage it, get out.
And while we're at it and feeling servicey, here's a few other places you might want to avoid lest you be beaten and/or murdered:
Cayman Islands
Iraq
Iran (unless you're a tranny)
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
India
Senegal
Any number of African nations
Stick to Europe, South America and the back alleys of Thailand and you'll be fine. Thank you and good day.
RELATED:
Separated at Birth? Atlantis Cruises vs. RSVP
Apparently Wearing High Heels to School Will Still Get You Killed
Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays (NY Times)
Practical Traveler: Gay Cruises Are on the Seas and in the Mainstream (NY Times, ca. 2006)
New Yorkers & Co: Gay Dollars on the Road (NY Times, ca. 1995)
For Gay Couple, Vacationing in Jamaica Was Frightening (NY Times, ca. 1995)
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