@article{ref1,
title="'We are Jamaicans:' living with and challenging the criminalization of homosexuality in Jamaica",
journal="Contemporary justice review",
year="2016",
author="Lovell, Jarret S.",
volume="19",
number="1",
pages="86-102",
abstract="Today, some 80 countries around the world have legislation criminalizing homosexuality, while those who engage in same-sex relations risk mob violence resulting from cultural intolerance. Despite this, gay rights advocacy within these countries exists. This paper examines gay rights advocacy in Jamaica - a nation which criminalizes same-sex relations and which has been identified by observers as among the most intolerant of same-sex relations. Using interviews with gay rights activists working with Jamaica's leading gay rights organization, this paper describes the gay rights movement in a climate of repression. It begins with an overview of Jamaican sexual values, tracing its condemnation of homosexuality to a history of plantation slavery. Next, it discusses the emergence of a gay pride movement and the development of a broad-based association for all sexual orientations and identities. Finally, it examines the advocacy and activism of the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays, a voice for Jamaica's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. Throughout, the paper reveals how even an oppressed identity may find a voice and thrive despite the greatest of legal and cultural challenges.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1028-2580",
doi="10.1080/10282580.2015.1101687",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2015.1101687"
}