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A GLBTQ EDUCATION INTERNET RESOURCES Latin America, The Caribbean & Africa: Latin America & The Caribbean

Index: Latin America & Africa -  - Middle East / Asia -  - Race/Ethic Minority Issues: U.S., Canada, Europe,  New Zealand & Australia -  - Homosexuality:  Biological  or  Learned ? -  -  Public School Issues -  - Transgender / Tranvestite / Transsexual -  - Lesbian  &  Bisexual Women -  - Homo-Negativity / Phobia -  - Identity Formation  &  Coming Out -  - Counseling  &  Therapy -  - Professional Education  -  - Bisexuality -  - Religion   &  Spirituality -  - Male  Youth Prostitution -  - HIV-AIDS -  - Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems -  - Drug / Alcohol Use / Abuse / Addiction  -  - GLBT  History -  - Community Attributes  &  Problems -  -  Couples / Families / Children / Adoption / Spousal Violence -  - The Elderly

Latin America & Africa: Latin America (Part 1: Mexico & The Caribbean)

Section Index

Part 1 - "Latin America" (This Page): Mexico - Cuba --- Caribbean: Jamaica - Trinidad / Tobago - Puerto Rico - Haiti - Martinique / Guadeloupe - Netherland Antilles - Cayman Islands - Bahamas - Bermuda - Barbados - Dominican Republic - Grenada - Saint Lucia - Dominica - British Virgin Islands - Cayman Islands. --- Latin American / Caribbean Resources --- International Issues & Resources.

Part 2 - "Latin America": Central America: Panama - Honduras - Belize - Costa Rica - Nicaragua - Guatemala - El Salvador --- South America: Brazil - Peru - Chile - Columbia - Argentina - Ecuador - Venezuela - Uruguay - Bolivia - Guyana - Paraguay --- Latin American / Caribbean Resources --- International Issues & Resources.

Part 3 - "Africa": South Africa - Kenya - Zambia - Namibia - Nigeria - Uganda - Burkina Faso - Botswana - Ivory Coast - Senegal - Egypt - Algeria - Morocco - Tunesia --- Angola - Benin - Burundi - Cameroon - Cape Verde --- Central African Republic - Chad - Comoros - Republic of Congo - Democratic Republic of Congo --- Equatorial Guinea - Erithrea - Ethiopia - Gabon - Gambia -- Ghana - Guinea - Guinea Bissau - Lesotho - Liberia --- Ghana - Guinea - Guinea Bissau - Lesotho - Liberia --- Mauritius - Mozambique - Niger - Reunion - Rwanda --- Sao Tome and Principe - Seychelles - Sierra Leone - Sudan - Swaziland - Tanzania - Togo --- General African Resources --- International Issues & Resources.

To "The SEARCH Section" For...
The Best Search Engines & Information Directories, The Searchable Sites to Locate Papers & Abstracts...
And The Sites - Some Searchable - Where "Free Papers" Are Available!

Sexuality Policy Watch (2008): Position Paper on the Language of “Sexual Minorities” and the Politics of Identity.

LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO & THE CARIBBEAN

 

Preocupa homofobia en México (2010, Translation): El presidente Calderón decreta el 17 de mayo como "Día de la Tolerancia y el Respeto a las Preferencias".

Coming Out: the Gay Experience in Mexico (2000). - Chavela Junks the Closet (2000): At age 81, the legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, an icon of several generations of Latin American lesbians, has finally come out of her transparent closet. - M'shell, from Mexico to New Mexico (2001): M'shell moved to Albuquerque three years ago, and when she did she came out and found an identity she was happy with. We met up at the Frontier Cafe...

Election of Gay Legislator Marks Major Shift in Land of Machismo (1997): The sweeping changes in Mexico's political landscape include a striking first: for the first time anywhere in Latin America, an avowed homosexual has won a seat in the country's legislature. In an overwhelmingly Catholic, largely conservative, and strongly male-oriented society, the election of Patria Jimenez, with the full backing of her party, may mark the dawn of a new era for Mexico's gay citizens. - Macho Mexico elects a lesbian (1997). - Mexican Institute Offers Special GLB Summer Programs (2000). - Bush, Fox, Gays and Triumphant Love (2001). - Mexico City legislators propose gay rights law (2000).

Between June 1991 and February 1993, at least 11 gay men were killed in the locality of Tuxtla Gutierrez, state of Chiapas (1994). - Rights-Mexico: 495 Murders of Gays Go Unpunished. - Two Wealthy Gays Dead in Mexico City N/A. - A Life of Fear for Gays: For homosexual men in Mexico, every day brings threat of danger (2000). - Mexicans Unite in Effort to Stop Anti-Gay Terror N/A. - Gay purge in Mexico: Murders go unsolved and campaign against scum" gathers steam (2000). - Gay Hate Crimes on the Rise in Mexico N/A. - Police Officers Attack Gay Men, Lesbians and Transvestites in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (2001). - Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals (1997). - Update 2000: Treatment of Homosexuals in Mexico (PDF Download). - Mexico: Fear for safety/torture (2004).  - Mexico (2006): A group called "movimiento lesbico-gay" in Mexico City; its leader and whether this group has been harassed or attacked; if yes, the nature of these attacks; whether past or present members were specifically targeted by police or city council members; whether there are any overtly homophobic city councillors in Mexico City; a list of gay and lesbian non-governmental organizations in Mexico City (2002-April 2005)... - Gay Unions Draft Statute Sparks Struggle in Mexico (1999). - Mexican Gays to Gather in Vera Cruz - Mexican Gays Meet in Sonora (1999).

Mexican Gay Man Wins Right to Flee Homeland (2000). - More Seek Asylum to Flee Anti-Gay Persecution (1999). - Gay Rights, Prejudice and Politics in Mexico (1997). - Law/Attitude Summary & Resources (1990s). - Asylum, Refugee, and Other  Protected Statuses (2000): "The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that gay men in Mexico with female sexual identities constitute a "particular social group" for purposes of establishing eligibility for asylum and withholding of deportation. The ruling comes on a petition for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals.  In reaching this decision, the court modified its interpretation of the term "particular social group" as a basis for meeting the definition of "refugee" under the Immigration and Nationality Act." - Canadian Government Gives Lesbians Asylum N/A.

ACLU Lauds Appeals Court Ruling Granting Asylum for Gay Man Persecuted for Sexual Orientation (2000). - Victory for Transvestite: Appeals Court Grants Gay Mexican Asylum (2000). - Mexico: Treatment of Sexual Minorities (1999). - Update: Treatment of Homosexuals in Mexico (2000, PDF Document).- Mexican gays march against intolerance (1999). - La opresión de minorías sexuales desde la inequidad de género (2004, Full Text. PDF Download. Translation. - Violence Against Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians in Mexico City (2006). 

Gays from Australia, Mexico share concerns in N.Y. (1995): ""Things are changing," he says. "What I see in New York may come to Paris in five years." For Mexico City, make that 10 years. "The Jewish community has no idea of our group," says Luis, who didn't want to use his last name. "Practically nobody [in Mexico] thinks being Jewish and gay can co-exist."" - Una Cara del Homosexualism en Merida, Mexico, Yucatan. - The Construction of Male Homosexualities in Oaxaca, Mexico (2003). - Even the whales are gay down Mexico way (2002).

Cultural Insights: Gay identity in Mexico forged by popular singer Juan Gabriel N/A: "Juan Gabriel is a hero of popular music, and he has played a fundamental role in the creation of individual and group identities, in particular the formation of a gay identity in Mexico," says Mexican historian Rodrigo Laguarda... According to Laguarda, Juan Gabriel's success has obligated a traditional and rigid society to admit to a condemned and persecuted sexuality... Laguarda asserted that if anyone doubts Juan Gabriel's homosexuality, they can look it up in a book that was published in 1985 entitled, Juan Gabriel and I, written by Joaquín Muñoz Muñoz, which offers many details, including photographs of the [singer]. - Mexican singer Juan Gabriel engaged to younger man (2010).

Nahum Zenil: ...has long been an ardent supporter of gay rights in Mexico. He has projected himself both in his art as well as in his private life as one of the country's most adamant activists in both the cultural and political spheres. He has maintained a key role in the organization known as the Circulo Cultural Gay which, since the early 1980s, has..." - The colonial self: homosexuality and mestizaje in the art of Nahum B. Zenil. - Chronology of Mexican Gay History (2002). 

Way down Mexico way (1998): "As for the gay bars -- not really gay bars at all so much as good imitations -- they're pretty grim. As in Spain, homosexuality is still admirably latent in Mexico, lending the entire culture a certain homoerotic charge, but rendering gay expression somewhat superfluous. The difference between a straight Mexican and a gay Mexican, I was informed on more than one occasion, is two drinks..." - A Weekend's Respite in Mexico City (2001): "The other big night spot we hit was Zona Rosa, the center of gay bar life in Mexico City. The district, three subway stops away from Alameda Central in the opposite direction from the Zócalo, is actually a restaurant and nightclub district generally. Gay bars are an important part of the mix, however, and we were impressed by the visibility of the establishments - Pride flags out front and windows on the street - and of the patrons, many who strolled hand in hand down the main drags, Avenida Londres and Avenida Florencia. As with much of our stay in Mexico City, the crowds were predominantly locals..." - La Ley Azteca (2001).

Mexico's queerest corner: the author of Sliced Iguana (2005): Travels in Mexico finds a rare point on the globe where queer life is not only respected but revered: In the hazy glow of a Pacific afternoon two teams of transvestites are engaged in their weekly basketball match. They're wearing microskirts and crop tops and shrieking like schoolgirls. They run as badly as I do, kicking up their heels and flapping their arms around, and throw the ball to each other like it's a bomb about to go off. Their hairdos are miracles of invention and peroxide, with enough hair spray on them to stop a palm tree rustling in a hurricane. Two or three substitutes are lolling about on the sidelines, idly plucking their legs. When they notice me watching, they lift their chins and pose like swans. This scene takes place in Juchitan, a thriving commercial town on the Pacific coast of Mexico, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It's not something you would see anywhere else in the country (or, possibly; any other). In the rest of Mexico, coquettish gay extroverts like these would be hounded out of town by the local machos: There would be shouts of putos or jotos (pools, faggots), wolf whistles, the odd missile... They refer to them as muxes, a Zapotec word, and though the phenomenon is widespread across much of the Tehuantepec peninsula, Juchitan, they tell me, is so famous for homosexuality it's known as "Muchitan." Traditionally, muxes dress, like the basil seller, as Juchitecas. They are honorary women and therefore the only men allowed to sell in the market. Or they wear pantalones like other men, the only giveaway a back-pocket handkerchief or a hibiscus in their hair.

CETLALIC is accredited by the Ministry of Public Education, State of Morelos, Mexico N/A: (Archive Link) (Home Page) "Winter Gay & Lesbian Program (January 4 - 17, 2003) For gays and lesbians interested in learning about G/L life in Mexico today. - Coming Out: The Gay Men's Experience in Mexico (June 15 - July 5, 2002) For all gay men intersted in learning about the real situation of the gay community in Mexico through the study of the language and cultural exchange. - In/Visibility: Lesbian Lives in Mexico (June 15 - July 5, 2002) Supported by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission--IGLHRC, San Francisco. For all women interested in learning about lesbian life in Mexico today." - CETLALIC is accredited by the Ministry of Public Education, State of Morelos, Mexico.: Queer Program, Winter 2005. (Archive Link) - CETLALIC Social Justice Programs: 2008. - Learning Spanish... with a gay twist (2007): CETLALIC has been operating for 20 years and is accredited by the State of Morelos Ministry of Public Education. Mexico school offers special courses for gay and lesbian students. - Derechos De Los homosexuales: PDF Download.

Sobre Sexualidad y homosexualidad en el México Prehispánico (2010, Translation). - Aceptaron las culturas prehispánicas la homosexualidad (2005, Translation): Integración y tolerancia de la diversidad sexual en el México antiguo; contrario a lo que se piensa la homosexualidad era permitida, aceptada y bien vista entre las culturas precolombinas. - Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals (to 1998). - Basic chronology of LGBT movement in Mexico.

Grinnell, Lucinda (2010). Challenging 'Moral Renovation:' Lesbian and Gay Activism and the 1982 Economic Crisis in Mexico. Paper presented at the 2010 Congress of the Latin American Studies Association, Toronto, Canada. PDF Download. We came here to denounce that in Mexico the economic crisis has accentuated the traditional repression against lesbians and homosexuals. By invoking morality as a method of order used to protect the citizens and thus making police repression a form of government, the Mexican government has instilled a climate of fear and insecurity amongst the people. In a rapidly deteriorating social situation, lesbians, gays, and young people in general are considered vagrants, prostitutes, and delinquents because we frequent certain public places, we have been converted into intolerable subjects and suffer violence, harassment, and extortion at the hands of the government. Police raids, which are unconstitutional, continue to be a daily reality that violates our most fundamental human rights.

Granados-Cosme, José Arturo (2009). La vivencia del rechazo en homosexuales universitarios de la Ciudad de México y situaciones de riesgo para VIH/sida [The experience of rejection in homosexual university students from Mexico City and risk situations for HIV/AIDS]. Salud Pública de México, 51(6): 482-488. Full Text (Translation) PDF Download. Abstract:  In-depth interviews were administered to homosexual men at a Mexico City university by means of a snowball technique...  The experience of homophobia as expressed by the interviewees resulted in psychological suffering, including sadness, fear, loneliness and suicidal behavior associated with risk situations for HIV/AIDS... Homophobia, translated into discrimination, contributes to an increased vulnerability to the sexual transmission of HIV. .

HIV/AIDS and sexual minorities in Mexico: a globalized struggle for the protection of human rights (2011). - Advances and challenges for the prevention and control of AIDS in Mexico (2010). - Implications of AIDS on the biography of men with homoerotics practices in Mexico City (2010). - The AIDS epidemics in Mexico up to 2008 (2010). - Impact evaluation of MSM HIV/AIDS prevention activities in Mexico - the use of quasi experimental methods for measuring behavioral change (2010). - 20% de los homosexuales en México tienen Sida; OMS (2011, Translation): La Organización Mundial de la Salud, elaboró informe sobre las probabilidades de que personas homosexuales o transexuales contraigan el virus del sida, por falta de prevención o discriminación.

Homosexualities, HIV, and Prostitution in Mexico (1995). -  Homosexual Role Preference and the AIDS Epidemic in Mexico and California (2000). - AIDS in Mexico (1998). - [Epidemic of AIDS in Mexico. Global analysis 1981-1996]. - El SIDA y las relaciones sexuales entre varones (1998, PDF Download, Translation). - Las púberes canéforas, la sensibilidad social y sexual en la nocturna ciudad de México (2000, Translation).

Pub Med Abstracts of HIV/AIDS Related Papers: - Sexual behavior patterns and HIV risks in bisexual men compared to exclusively heterosexual and homosexual men (2003). - [The homosexual transmission of HIV/AIDS in Mexico] (1995). - AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior among Mexican gay and bisexual men (1994). - AIDS-related illness trajectories in Mexico: findings from a qualitative study in two marginalized communities (1998).  - An HIV/AIDS prevention project for Mexican homosexual men: an empowerment approach (1997). - Sexual behavior and spread of AIDS in Mexico (1989). - [Internalized oppression and high-risk sexual practices among homosexual and bisexual males, Mexico] (2005).

Revealing Hidden Lives: Under Water in Mexico (2000): "It's complicated, living as a lesbian in Mexico..." - "A Very Queer Thing:" Mexico and the Quest for Economic Improvement (2002). - AIDS International Training and Research Program: Background Information on HIV/AIDS in Mexico. - AIDS Now a Migrant to Mexico (2000): Workers carry virus back to their villages, where it spreads to wives and girlfriends. Health officials believe 30% of the 4,300 to 16,000 cases originated in the U.S. The number is rising rapidly. - California and Mexico: HIV Infection Cases Surging Among Latinos; Gays in Border Towns Most at Risk (2002). - HIV infection cases surging among Latinos: Gays in border towns most at risk (2002). - Overview of HIV/AIDS in the Mexican Border States (2008): Homosexual and bisexual contact account for 28.4% and 20.2% respectively.

Pub Med Abstracts: - Cultural change, hybridity and male homosexuality in Mexico (1999). - Reflections on ethical problems encountered in field research on Mexican male homosexuality: 1968 to present (1999). - Assessment of non-response bias in a probability household survey of male same-gender sexual behavior (2000). - Juan Gabriel and audience interpretation. cultural impressions of effeminacy and sexuality in Mexico (2000). - [Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of severe poisoning in an adult population admitted to an intensive care unit] (1999). - Aztec homosexuality: the textual evidence (1993). - [Sexual behavior and drug abuse in homosexuals, prostitutes and prisoners in Tijuana, Mexico] (1992). - "Homosexual occupations" in Mesoamerica? (1991) - Gay liberation and coming out in Mexico (1989). - Mexican male homosexual interaction in public contexts (1985). - Mexican male bisexuality (1985).

Abstracts: - Bodily and Symbolic Constructions among Homosexual Men in Mexico (1998). - Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Mexico City: Rectal Bleeding and Anal Warts as Risk Factors among Men Reporting Sex with Men (1996, Full Text). - Ethnographic study of homosexual practices in men from Mexico (1990). - Cultural change, hybridity and male homosexuality in Mexico (1999). - Rethinking Sexual Initiation: Pathways to Identity Formation Among Gay and Bisexual Mexican Male Youth (2010).

Activo/Pasivo and Gay Mexican Male Homosexualities: A Social Class Analysis (2005, James Thing, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association) N/A: Abstract: In this paper I move towards offering a social class analysis of the construction of Mexican and Mexican American male homosexualities. Drawing from my own qualitative research on a multi-classed population of homosexual Mexican and Mexican immigrant men, I argue that, in Mexico, within middle-class communities the activo/pasivo model, which appears to have dominated at one time, has increasingly been replaced by an object-choice or gay model of homosexuality. Similarly, I argue that in Mexico within poor or working class communities, the activo/pasivo form continues to dominate. By focusing on impact of social class on homosexuality throughout this paper, I contribute to the empirical study of Mexican homosexuality which has nodded towards the importance of such an analysis, but which, to date, has not provided a thorough examination of the relationship.

Silva, Sócrates (2009). Observing Homosexual Encounters: The Joseph M. Carrier Papers at the ONE Archives. Paper presented at SALALM 54, Berlin, Germany. PDF Download. Abstract: Joseph Carrier is a pioneer anthropologist in the field of Mexican homosexuality studies. His groundbreaking book De los otros: Intimacy and Homosexuality among Mexican Men assembles ethnographic data about same-sex relations between men in Mexico as well as Latino men in Southern California gathered from 1968 through the 1980s. His papers, found at the ONE Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles, include correspondence, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, research notes, and conference materials documenting Carrier's anthropological field research. This presentation highlights materials from this collection, especially ephemera, and contextualize these items in terms of Carrier’s work.

Hernández MG, Herrera OB, Guzmán Cedillo YI, Fernández MAG (2010). Diseño de Estudio de Caso en Línea Como Propuesta Educativa Sobre la Homosexualidad Para Jóvenes de Bachillerato Universitario.  PDF Download. Translation. Abstract: This paper shows an experience of an on-line Case Based Learning (CBL) designed as an internet educational strategy from a constructivist perspective in order to promote meaningful learning and, in particular, to develop argumentative and problem solutions abilities accompanied by a respectful attitude to homosexuality as a part of Sexual Diversity in societies. The case designed is named "Ser gay ¿es ser diferente?" it is located in: http://www.psicol.unam.mx/tecnologias/casos/sergay/. The most important principles in this design are three: activation of knowledge previous, work of awareness-raising and based learning problem.

Christian gay(friendly) churches and organizations in Mexico. - En México, un tercio de los seminaristas son homosexuales (2005, Translation). - La Iglesia Católica respeta a homosexuales (2004, Translation). 

Finkler, Tamara (2008). Sexual diversity challenging HIV AIDS prevention in Oaxaca, Mexico. Master's Dissertation, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. PDF Download.

Verduzco IL, Díaz-Loving R (2010). Medición de la identidad sexual en México. Revista Puertorriqueña de Psicología, 21: 133-154. PDF Download. Translation. Abstract: Sexual identity in Mexico has been approached theoretically from two distinct models. Sexual identity is considered to be central for individual development; influencing the way a person is, acts, relates, thinks and feels. Two models were used to develop a scale to measure sexual identity: Castañeda’s model, and the Generic Preference Model developed by the Mexican Institute of Sexology. The items for the scale were written based on the four areas of Castañeda’s model and were answered in a likert type scale of six options. The items were answered by 252 participants living in Mexico City with ages ranging between 14 and 77. A T Student test was used to determine the power of discrimination of each item; a Cronbach’s alfa was applied for reliability, and an orthogonal rotation factor analysis was used to determine de construct validity. A robust, conceptually clear 20 item scale emerged, with a reliability of 0.82 and an explained variance of 68%.

Guerrero RM (2002). Homosexualidad, Decheros Naturales y Cultura Popular: 1790-1820. La Ventana, 15: 263-312. PDF Download. Translation. En este texto analizo las relaciones entre la homosexualidad y la cultura popular en relación con los derechos humanos y la administración de justicia durante 1790 y 1820 en el territorio bajo la jurisdicción de la audiencia de Guadalajara.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Mexico: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Mexico. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Country: Mexico). - Puerto Vallarta International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (2010). - They Shine,,, On Being Gay in Morelos, Mexico (2002). - Broken Sky (2006): a beautiful, if overlong study of gay first love (Broken Sky). - Burn the Bridges (Quemar Las Naves) (2007) (Mexico) (Dir. Francisco Franco) (Language: Spanish) (Subtitles; English). - Biutiful (2010): a film by a renown Mexican director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film has two gay men characters that play a good part in the whole story. - Frida: a Mexican bisexual-themed movie about the life of Frida Kahlo, a surrealist painter and one of the most prolific in the 20th century (2002). - Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN / AND YOUR MAMA, TOO: a gay-themed Mecican film about two young teenagers on a road that they will never ever forget in their lives (2001).

Catholics Fight New Gay Movie (2011): The Catholic Church appealed to people not to go and see a new Mexican movie about gay parenting. In La Otra Familia (The Other Family), Mexican director Gustavo Loza deals with obstacles faced by gay couples with children. - Mexican documentary of gay Zapotec Indians to open Pride film festival. - Two gay movies festivals will take place in Mexico City during this week. (2009). - Gay Mexican Drama Wins Teddy Award at Berlin Film Festival (2009): Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo (Raging Sun, Raging Sky).- Diego Luna percibe homofobia
 (2011, Tanslation): Cock, la nueva puesta en escena del actor mexicano, se estrena mañana en el Teatro de los Insurgentes. José María Yazpik, Ilse Salas y Javier Díaz Dueñas son parte del elenco de una obra con humor y drama.

Behind the Rainbow: Queer Studies Easter Symposium 2007: Abstracts. - Homosexualidad en México (Wikipedia). - Esparza, Hortensia Moreno (2010). La construcción cultural de la homosexualidad. Revista Digital Universitaria, 11(8): 3-9. PDF Download.(Translation): Abstract: There is a crucial affinity between cultural and identity development. When a social sector distinguishes itself in regard to identity, it also requires the creation of is own culture to answer the questions about its definition, comprehension of the world and relationships with the others. En México, the process of construction of a homosexual culture has its own characteristics. The various dimensions—theater, film, cabaret, narrative, poetry, plastic arts, press, popular culture - where the meaning of homosexual identity is expressed has a strong link with the politic movement which gets closer and closer to a complete citizenship for people with sexualities that do not follow the norm.

LA MANZANA: Revista Internacional deEstudios sobre Masculinidades:  Vol 1(2) (2006): Introducción: Una diversidad que explorar… (Translation). - El cuerpo del héroe. Homofobia y homosociedad en El águila y la serpiente de Martín Luis Guzmán (Translation). - Trabajo sexual masculino y factores de riesgo en la adquisición de VIH/SIDA en Xalapa, Veracruz (Translation). - Gay identity after Foucault.. - Hacia una nueva sensibilidad social en el reconocimiento del “otro”: las minorías sexuales (Translation). - Los costos ocultos de la masculinidad (Translation). - -- Vol  2(3) (2007): Presentación del Número (Translation). - Identidades de género, sexualidad y violencia sexual (Translation). - Este tema no es científico: La violencia simbólica en el conocimiento y discurso académico (Translation).

Abrirán hotel de lujo para parejas homosexuales en el Caribe mexicano (Translation): Un hotel de lujo exclusivo para el turismo gay masculino será abierto en enero próximo cerca de la zona arqueológica de Tulum en la Riviera maya en el Caribe mexicano, dijo su director general, Patrick Lurenz. "El hotel es únicamente para hombres, es decir que sólo se aceptan parejas de homosexuales, no es para mujeres, aunque entre nuestro personal tenemos hombres y mujeres heterosexuales y todos han recibido capacitación especializada para evitar que nuestros huéspedes se sientan incómodos o discriminados", explicó el empresario hotelero..

Global Gayz: Central America: Gay Mexico: a Three-Part Journey 2008. Mexico News Reports from 2000 to the Present. - ILGA: Mexico. - LGBT rights in Mexico. - Sodomy Laws.

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Latin America: - Mexico. 

Blabbeando Blog: Latin American GLBTQ News / Commentaries: 2005 to Present.

Pridelinks. - Gayscape. - Google Directory. - QRD.

Gay Mexico: The Men of Mexico - 1998 - by Eduardo David. - Ferrari Guide's Gay Mexico - 1997 - by Richard Black. - Un amor que se atrevió a decir su nombre. La lucha de las lesbianas y su relacion con los movimientos homosexualk y feminista en America Latina - 2000 - by Dra. Norma Mongrovejo (Review). - De Los Otros : Intimacy and Homosexuality Among Mexican Men - 1995 - by Joseph Carrier (Review) (Review) (Review). - Mema's House, Mexico City: On Transvestites, Queens, and Machos - 1998 - by Annick Prieur (Abstract/Contents) (Abstract / Review) (Review) (Book Related) (This book is part of the "Worlds of Desire: The Chicago Series on Sexuality, Gender, and Culture" from the University of Chicago Press.) - Different Rainbows: Same-Sex Sexualities and Popular Movements in the Third World - 2000 - edited by Peter Drucker (Table of Contents). Contains: "Mexican pink" (P. 43-56) "Max Mejia takes a look at the history and the current issues of the movement in Mexico, a movement which he has been involved with since its early days in the late 1960s." - Mexican Masculinities (Cultural Studies of the Americas, V. 11)  - 2003 - by Robert McKee Irwin (Review) (Google Books). - Homosexuality, society and the state in Mexico - 1991 - by Ian Lumsden. - The Night is Young: Sexuality in Mexico in the Time of AIDS - 2002 - by By Hector Carrillo (Review) (Google Books). - Jóvenes corazones gay en la Ciudad de México (Translation) - 2005 - by Mauricio List Reyes

CARIBBEAN (Wikipedia)

Lesbian & Gay Studies Project Hosts First Conference on “Queer Caribbean” (2005): "The University of Chicago Lesbian & Gay Studies Project is holding a two-day symposium on April 15 and 16 to explore the art and activism of queer Caribbean writers and artists. The symposium, entitled “Queer Islands?,” is the first academic gathering devoted entirely to gay and lesbian literature from the region and will include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender poets and authors from Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Suriname..." - Anti-gay Sentiment In The Caribbean (2011).  - Homophobia in the Caribbean varies widely (2011). - Gay, Lesbian and bisexual Nationals of several island-nations Seek Asylum (2011). - The Caribbean's first Gay & Lesbian Social Network launches from Jamaica (2008): Rainbowvibes.com. - On World AIDS Day 2009, sexual minorities are still criminals in the Caribbean (2009). - Caribbean Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Changing, But Violence Toward LGBT People Remains Common (2008). - .Caribbean can be chilly when it comes to welcoming gays (2007). - Gay cruises draw protests in Caribbean (2006). 

Gay backlash worry (2011, Alternate Link): Barbados is on the list of countries whose nationals are seeking asylum in the United States, claiming they are being persecuted because of their sexual orientation. And while Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States, John Beale, said the State Department had not raised the issue with him officially, he is concerned about it because of the damage which the claims can cause to the country’s image... Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Dominica, the Bahamas and St Lucia are among the countries whose nationals consider the atmosphere at home so hostile to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans-gender (LGBT) people that they are seeking asylum in the United States.... “The atmosphere in many English-speaking Caribbean nations is absolutely oppressive,” said Victoria Neilson, legal director of Washington-based gay rights organization Immigration Equality. “Especially in the case of Jamaica, the hatred of gay people is beyond comprehension to me.”... - Punitive Measures and Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Identity in Caribbean Countries (2010). - Denunciarán ante CIDH discriminación a homosexuales en países del Caribe (2010, Translation): Activistas homosexuales de las 15 naciones que componen la Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom) informaron este viernes que acudirán como bloque a la Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos (CIDH), en Washington, para denunciar discriminación en sus países.

Primero Puerto Rico en discusión de la homosexualidad (2011, Translation): “Me parece muy importante el trabajo que están haciendo en Puerto Rico. La discusión del asunto de la comunidad LGBT (Lesbiana, Gay, Bisexual y Transexual) ha avanzado, sin embargo el que se de dentro de una institución universitaria es una postura muy revolucionante”, afirmó de entrada la psicóloga social Gloria Careaga Pérez, profesora de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). “Representa un avance sustancial para América Latina que no se está dando en otras universidades (latinoamericanas)”, aseguró la investigadora que ha laborado en Costa Rica, Brasil y que actualmente es secretaria general de la International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). - Presentación del documental: “Putas o peluqueras”. Historias de discriminación laboral de mujeres trans (2011, Translation): La sistemática exclusión social que viven las mujeres Trans en Colombia, su victimización por un sistema heteronormativo, patriarcal y prejuicioso y el alto nivel de violencia verbal, física y simbólica que viven en Colombia hombres y mujeres que libremente han optado transgredir el género y construir su identidad en relación a sus propias realidades, sentimientos y acciones; ha motivado el trabajo que en esta ocasión presentamos a la ciudadanía de la región Caribe para que en el marco del mes del “Orgullo Gay” (que se extiende por el reconocimiento de los derechos de lesbianas, bisexuales y hombres y mujeres Trans) se generen reflexiones, acciones y decisiones que garanticen al vida digna a las mujeres Trans de nuestra región...

Overlooked and at Risk: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in the Caribbean (2010, Advocates For Youth): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals living in the Caribbean have had a long struggle for acceptance and equal rights within society. Many countries have laws against “buggery/sodomy”, “gross indecency,” or homosexual behaviour. Socio-cultural and religious taboos in many countries deny the existence of LGBT individuals and discourage any tolerance for their diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, regarding them as a threat to deep-rooted social norms of heterosexism and heteronormativity. LGBT people, including LGBT youth, undergo significant levels of stigma and discrimination and in extreme cases, acts of violence, which sometimes result in death. For the health and well-being of these young people, activists must work to end homophobia and transphobia in the region. - Rihanna Relaxes With Another Lesbian In Barbados (2011): All the famous women in Kabbalah are bisexual.. - Tell Rihanna: Promote and Advocate LGBT Rights in Barbados and Caribbean region! (Petition)

Latinoamérica y El Caribe: Campaña: "Por una mejor salud para lesbianas y bisexuales" (2010, Translation). - Call to eliminate homophobia in Latin America and the Caribbean [Llamado a eliminar la homofobia en América Latina y en el Caribe] (2009). - Líderes transexuales de Latinoamérica y el Caribe se reúnen en Buenos Aires  (2008, Translation): En el marco de la conmemoración de los primeros 15 años de la Asociación de Travestis, Transexuales y Transgeneros de Argentina (ATTTA) desde el 27 de este mes y hasta el primero de noviembre se reunirán en las instalaciones del Hotel Bauen, las lideres Trans de 18 países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Para conocer más sobre el evento, conversamos con Marcela Romero, presidenta del grupo argentino y coordinadora del encuentro.... - Servicios integrales de salud para trans en el Caribe (2010, Translation): Los actos sexuales entre personas del mismo sexo son penalizados en 13 de los 15 estados del Caribe anglosajón: una de las herencias de la colonización británica y sus leyes de sodomía. El panorama para la población transgénero en el Caribe hispano y francófono no es más halagüeño: la discriminación e invisibilización en los centro de salud, los altos grados de automedicación, la escasa información brindada sobre los procesos de reasignación sexual a personas transgénero masculinas y la negación de cobertura en los planes de salud, aun cuando son similares a las fases de conversión de las transgénero femeninas, son algunas de las denuncias realizadas por organizaciones de la región..

La situation des LGBT (lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels et transgenres) dans les territoires outremer (2011, Translation): Il existe un surcroît d’homophobie dans les îles d’outremer, comme aux Antilles par exemple, théâtre de violences. Ce sont de petits territoires, ce qui crée de grosses contraintes : pas d’anonymat possible, surveillance continue par les voisins, les parents, etc. Parmi les origines de l’homophobie aux Antilles, on peut citer le poids de la religion, l’héritage historique (société sexiste et homophobe). La lutte contre l’homophobie est d’abord celle de la visibilité : le silence est le premier ennemi, d’où le rôle des médias (RFO). Il est difficile aujourd’hui, voire impossible, de s’afficher en tant qu’homosexuel dans les Antilles françaises. Dans les autres Antilles, la situation est bien pire : en Jamaïque, l’homosexualité est pénalisée et coûte 10 ans de prison....L’Association An nou allé regroupe une vingtaine de membres seulement, car les gens ont peur de s’afficher. Le risque de violence est réelle et il n’est pas plus facile d’être lesbienne (et dans ce cas, la punition est plus vicieuse et le « problème » est réglé dans la sphère privée) que gay où la sanction est « publique ». Plus récemment, l’association An nou allé a demandé au ministère de l’Outremer une aide concrète, notamment pour mettre en place un service d’écoute et de conseils pour les homosexuels, pour pouvoir s’exposer et se revendiquer en tant que tel, avec l’aide des Droits de l’Homme. Rien n’a été fait. An nou allé demande la suppression de la sous-traitance associative car la situation est trop compliquée.

Stop discrimination against Blacks and Gays (2010): The same commission received information indicating that "12 countries of the English-speaking Caribbean still have laws criminalising sexual and intimate conduct between persons of the same sex". The commission named these countries as: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. According to the commission's report, sentences range from 10 years in prison or forced labour to life imprisonment for consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex. The commission received information indicating that the very existence of such laws perpetuates unwarranted stereotypes, is a cause for fear in the sexually diverse community, and fosters impunity for serious crimes committed against this community. Other detrimental factors that could be added to this are the spread of HIV/AIDS that could result from clandestine same-sex practices, the fear of seeing doctors, and the loss of a productive people who could make a real contribution to Caribbean development in the broadest meaning of that term.

Avrett, Sam (2011). Men Who Have Sex with Men and HIV in the Anglophone Caribbean. Arlington, VA: USAID’s AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1. PDF Download. Download Page. PDF Downkoad.  Men who have sex with men (MSM)1 in the Anglophone countries of the Caribbean2 comprise a disproportionate share of the HIV epidemic (Baral et al. 2007; Cáceres et al. 2008a). Although only 4 of the 12 Anglophone Caribbean countries publicly collect HIV prevalence data among MSM, in 3 of these 4 countries (Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago) researchers report an HIV prevalence of more than 20 percent among MSM (Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS] 2008). This data clearly classifies MSM in the Anglophone Caribbean as a most-at-risk population (MARP) for HIV... Unfortunately, according to 2008 data for regions around the world, the Caribbean comes in second in legal and policy environments that pose barriers to HIV programming (Gruskin and Ferguson 2008). All Anglophone Caribbean governments criminalize sex between men, with the exception of Bahamas, where these “buggery laws” were repealed in 1991 and replaced with sanctions against sex acts committed in public places. Most Caribbean legal systems are characterized in a recent UNAIDS- sponsored report as “repressive” to homosexuality (Cáceres et al. 2008b). Governmental attempts to legislate sexual behavior, sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression are usually ineffective, and are often counterproductive to their professed aims, actually contributing to people’s vulnerability to HIV (Gruskin and Ferguson 2009).

Caribbean AIDS Outreach Hampered by Homophobia (2003, Alternate Link): Paradise for gay tourists, for locals, a closet. - La légalisation de l’homosexualité pour vaincre le sida dans les Caraïbes selon les experts (2008, Translaton). - L'Honneur des Makoumès (Translation): "Alors que l’homosexualité reste largement interdite dans les Caraïbes, en Martinique et en Guadeloupe, les mentalités commencent à changer." - Caribbean Nations Fight to Retain Anti-Gay Laws N/A. - Britain to Legalise Gay Sex in Colonies (2000). - UK scraps anti-gay laws in Caribbean (2001, Must Scroll): "Britain has scrapped anti-gay laws in its five Caribbean territories, acting after legislatures of the socially conservative and deeply religious islands refused to do so themselves. London’s move angered religious leaders, who say homosexuality is immoral and goes against the grain of their culture and religions.... It applies to Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos." -  Caribbean Leaders Blast British Demands To Legalize Homosexuality (1999).

Les Antillais et l’homosexualité : l’appel à la tolérance des « Konxs » (2008, Translation): Interview de Julien Dalle, réalisateur de ce film guadeloupéen... Le Festival international cinéma et femme (Fémi), qui se déroule jusqu’au 2 février en Guadeloupe, présente en sélection officielle un film résolument décalé : Les Konxs. A travers son premier long-métrage, le réalisateur Julien Dalle désirait lancer un vibrant appel à l’acceptation de la différence. Pour faire passer le message, ce jeune homme de 28 ans a choisi le thème de l’homosexualité, encore mal vue aux Antilles. Il aborde au passage d’autres thèmes, comme le racisme en France et aux Antilles. Interview... Afrik.com : Pourquoi avoir choisi l’homosexualité pour parler du thème plus global de la tolérance ?  Julien Dalle : A l’époque, et bien avant les problèmes qu’il y a entre les artistes de dancehall et les homosexuels, je trouvais que c’était un bon thème pour mettre le feu aux poudres dans une bande d’amis et ensuite pour décliner tous les autres thèmes qui sont présents dans le film. Je pensais que ce thème était particulièrement intéressant parce que justement aux Antilles on a parfois certaines intolérances qui sont peut-être plus exacerbées et qui peuvent donner lieu à des comportements plus extrêmes. Je me suis dit que si cette bande d’amis de garçons machos avait un ami homosexuel parmi eux, les réactions pourraient être diverses et certaines pourraient être extrêmes...

Kempadoo K, Taitt A (2006). Gender, Sexuality and Implications for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean: A Review of Literature and Programmes. Word Download.   3.3. Same-sex Relations: Despite the claim that homosexuality is unnatural to the Caribbean, since the 1990s a number of studies has appeared that identify same-sex relations.  For women, the main studies are by Gloria Wekker, Joan French and Michelle Cave, Makeda Silvera, M. Jacqui Alexander, Joycelin Clemencia, and Rosamund Elwin (see Alexander 1991; Silvera 1992; Wekker 1992; French 1995; Clemencia 1996; Alexander 1997; Elwin 1997; Wekker 2002 and also for reviews of many of these studies, see Kempadoo 2004 and Calixte 2005). For men, the prominent work on the Caribbean has been written by E. Antonio de Moya, Robert Carr, David Murray, Wesley Crichlow, Mark Padilla Thomas Glave, and Andil Gosine (de Moya and Garcia 1996; de Moya and Garcia 1999; Murray 2000; Herold, Garcia et al. 2001; Murray 2002; Carr 2003; Padilla 2003; Crichlow 2004; Glave 2005; Gosine 2005; White and Carr 2005; Murray 2006; Padilla forthcoming). Aside from establishing that same-sex relations exist in Suriname, Jamaica, Trinidad, Curacao, Martinique, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, noticeable is the flexibility in the naming of homosexual practices and same-sex desire. Terms such as zammi or zami, mati, bullers, gais, lesbians, batty-men, man-royals, sodomites, wickers, kachaperas, chi chi men, bugarones, maricones, etc, are used in different ways in the literature. The range of terms represent a great heterogeneity in the practices, desires, self-identifications, and external views of the people who have sexual relations with or love persons of the same gender (de Moya and Garcia 1996; Alexander 1997; de Moya and Garcia 1999). Most notably, it is found that homosexual practice is not in the first instance claimed as identities, but rather as activity. The studies have also brought to the fore the commonality of bisexual behaviour of Caribbean populations. As various studies show most Caribbean “MSM” (Men who have Sex with Men) have sex with women (de Moya and Garcia 1996; Gosine 2005; White and Carr 2005; Padilla forthcoming). Similar claims are made for “Mati” in Suriname (Wekker 2002).

Why We Hate Homosexuals So Much (2005): As talk of decriminalizing homosexuality (to be more accurate, anal and oral sex between two men) sweeps through the Caribbean region and the resulting outrage ensues, I cannot help but ask myself, how come our people hate gays so much? Some would say, “We are islands that embrace Christian values and the bible says it is a sin.” However it is an oversimplified response. The most virulent homophobes are usually not Christian nor strict bible adherents. Dancehall artists famous for calling for violence against gays are certainly are no bible behaving saints. In fact most of us in general, do not abide by strict biblical law in everything, from eating pork to losing our temper to premarital sex to our Carnival revelry to gossip... Abused victims turn their fear of punishment and hatred of the punisher inward. As is often the case, the new convert becomes more of an extremist zealot than the one who converted him, especially when there is much at stake for him to gain if he proves his utter devotion and dire consequences if he does not. Therefore we began to fear and hate our own deities, earth and ancestral spirits. We began to fear and hate our skin colour and features. As for the minorities who love people of the same gender for whom many tribes had a special place in their traditions, we began to hate them too. To make matters worse, the morally hypocritical Europeans, used anal rape during the slave trade as a means of humiliation and emasculation especially on mentally and physically strong black men to break their spirit. Paedophilia was rampant in the new slave based colonies because a culture of repression, injustice, violence and hypocrisy always breeds dysfunctional predatory behaviours. Many young African boys were sexually abused by their white masters and especially picked because they had no recourse... - Anti-Gay Statements Sweep Caribbean (2008).

Homopobie et Société Antillaise (2007, Translation): Le Secrétaire général de l'association An nou allé David Auerbach Chiffrin a accordé une interview au magazine Hétéroclite... A travers son prisme hexagonale et eurocentrique, il nous offre une vision étonnante de la société antillaise... 1.  Peut-on parler d'une homophobie spécifiquement antillaise ?  On peut effectivement parler d'une «homophobie spécifiquement antillaise», dans la mesure où plusieurs facteurs spécifiques aux Antilles déterminent la perception globalement négative de l'homosexualité dans ces îles. Cependant, cette «spécificité» de l'homophobie antillaise ne doit pas justifier une «spécificité» de la tolérance de cette homophobie ! Cela va sans dire apparemment, mais c'est pourtant bel et bien l'argument qu'avance à demi-mot le Parti socialiste quand il refuse de sanctionner Marlène Lanoix, Raymond Occolier et Jules Otto, trois de ses membres éminents en Martinique et en Guadeloupe qui ont récemment, à des degrés divers, tenu des propos homophobes... 3. Quelle est l'audience de la «murder music» aux Antilles ? Pensez-vous que les médias sont trop complaisants à l'égard de ses représentants ?  L'audience du dancehall, du reggae et du ragga est considérable aux Antilles. Les jeunes reprennent des refrains d'une violence sidérante, dont les interprètes sont complaisamment diffusés par les radios et les télés locales : Trace FM, Canal + et Canal Sat Caraïbes ont ainsi récemment retransmis un concert d'Admiral T. À cette occasion, France-Antilles a même publié une interview de ce dernier où il se disait «attaqué» et «agressé» par les associations LGBT ! Toutefois, ce même quotidien reprend régulièrement les informations émises par An Nou Allé, comme d'autres radios ou télévisions locales, notamment RFO. Le paysage audiovisuel antillais se partage donc entre le pire et le meilleur, semblable en cela au reste du paysage audiovisuel français...

In the Caribbean, anti-gay bigotry thrives (2007): Meanwhile, on the tiny islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, French territories in the eastern Caribbean, rampant homophobia goes unchecked... So it is that the Guadeloupean pop singer Admiral T and his musical confrère from Martinique, Lieutenant, have made big names for themselves regionally by peddling vicious, anti-gay "entertainment." In fact, last year, in an event funded in part by the government of Paris, Admiral T was awarded a Music Césaire (something like a Grammy Award in the U.S.) as a noteworthy performer in the new-discoveries category. Admiral T is best known for his song from a few years ago titled "Makoumé" (which means "homosexual" in the local creole). In it, "he clearly announces his hatred against homosexuals, inviting his listeners to 'burn them like cigarette butts.'" In the song, Admiral T declares that he has "come to burn the fags who hang out near city hall," and that the targets of his bigotry are "going to suffer, suffer; they're going to be gassed, gassed." He advises his listeners: "Instead of aiming your gun at your brother, aim it at them..."...

Les homosexuels de la Caraïbe restent dans le placard (2008, Translation): Si les avancées des scientifiques arrivent à faire du sida une maladie chronique, la double stigmatisation - homosexualité/sida - demeure lancinante pour la Caraïbe, après l'Afrique, la région la plus touchée par le virus du sida. En Haïti et à la Jamaïque, la vie des hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec d'autres hommes demeure cachée. Et pour cause... En Haïti, à Guyana, à la Barbade, un peu partout dans les Antilles, les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec d'autres hommes restent encore dans le placard, autrement dit hésitent encore à s'assumer, voire s'afficher. « Si le taux de prévalence diminue d'une manière générale dans la Caraïbe, les indices ont subi une nette augmentation dans des secteurs vulnérables, comme les travailleuses du sexe, les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec d'autres hommes, les prisonniers et les utilisateurs d'héroïnes », constate Peter Figueroa, responsable de la division épidémiologie et de sida au secrétariat de Santé de la Jamaïque. Les causes, selon l'expert, plongent leurs racines dans des valeurs sociales et/ou culturelles de certains pays de la Caraïbe. « En Haïti, ce sont seulement les pratiquants du vaudou qui tolèrent les homosexuels », fait remarquer un participant haïtien aux débats, parfois houleux, sur la stigmatisation que subissent les homosexuels... - Haïti, Martinique, Guadeloupe... A-t-on le droit d'être homosexuel/le aux Antilles ?: Samedi 17 mai, Journée mondiale de lutte contre l'homophobie, Tjenbé Rèd vous invite à une conférence-débat organisée à l'initiative d'Amnesty International (2008, Translation).

Caribbean Vulnerable Comunities: MSM (2010): The Caribbean is well known for its homophobia but remains the home to a large community of men who have sex with men, some of whom identify as gay, others who identify as bisexual, and still others who accept neither label. Countries such as the Dominican Republic, Curaçao and Trinidad and Tobago are home to standing gay bars and clubs as well as NGOs serving the gay and bisexual populations. Other countries, such as the smaller island-states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have smaller and more underground groups. In recent years, however, there has been increasing mobilisation of men who have sex with men in these territories... The situation for young men who have sex with other men is particularly dangerous because of the pressure to conform to heterosexuality often combined with isolation from family and community. - Universal access in the Caribbean must include men who have sex with men (2010).

Push for Gay Law: Caribbean group to present proposal to region's attorneys general (2008): PANCAP, the grouping mandated to co-ordinate the regional response and mobilise resources to address the AIDS pandemic, said it was crucial for Caricom countries to adopt the proposed legislation if the region is to effectively offer intervention programmes to tackle the spread of the disease in the Caribbean, which has the second highest prevalence rate next to Sub-Saharan Africa. PANCAP director Carl Browne said a number of the region's laws were either implicitly or explicitly discriminating against certain vulnerable groups, such as sex workers and gay men. He said they have since had to assess what the law says and how the people feel... Brown, however, told the Observer that the wording of the policy does not say "decriminalise", instead it is phrased as allowing people the right to be of the sexual orientation they choose. "It might be easier to get sex work to be decriminalised," he said. "However, it will be harder for homosexuality as no attorney general may want to take the responsibility to return to their country and say I approved it."

The Not-So Diverse Caribbean Workplace (2008): For over two centuries, Blacks, women, Indians, Chinese, Rastafarians, Amerindians and others were systematically discriminated against in the Caribbean. Over time, a greater tolerance of differences has subsumed much of this prejudice and the society is demonstrably better as a result.  The issue of gays in our workplaces is one that we would just rather not talk about in public. This is the topic that we hope would just go away and leave us alone. Most of us in the Caribbean experience deep feelings ranging from hostility to sympathy on the topic. It's something I should probably not be writing about... Global opinion is growing: the Caribbean is increasingly seen as one of the least inclusive, intolerant and unsupportive regions of the world as it relates to the matter of “differences.” The term “difference” is a fairly new one to the Caribbean workplace and it generally applies to obvious aspects such as race, gender, age, religion, physical ability, etc. However, our international reputation is largely being tainted by our strident relationship to gays and homosexuality...

Act of Atonement: Spain apologizes to queers (2005): An act of atonement to Freddy Mercury, to Federico García Lorca, to all the lesbians and gay men tortured, martyred, degraded and silenced in the history of Spain. And to those in Latin America, where for centuries Spain exported the Inquisition, clericalism, intolerance and misogyny that continue to plague those societies. Each Latin American country, from Chile to Cuba to Brazil, should offer its own, equally explicit, public act of atonement. It does not matter that the worst abuses may have occurred in the past, or under a different government or ideology, or because of an "error" or old values. They happened. And to a large extent, continue to happen. They silenced us (Chile), they sent us to work camps and psychiatric hospitals (Cuba), and they still kill us like dogs in the streets (Brazil). An official and public act of atonement of each nation and each state, and each generation still living in each of our Latin American countries is owed to all of the gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people living, dead, and to come. It is necessary. We have to demand it. 

Homosexual aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, a public health challenge for prevention and control (Word Download) - Homosexual aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, a public health challenge for prevention and control (2000, PowerPoint Presentation): M. De Groulard, G. Sealy, P. Russell-Brown, H-U. Wagner, C. O'Neil3, B. Camara (1CAREC / PAHO / WHO, 16-18 Jamaica Boulevard, PO Box 164, Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago, 2CARE, Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago, 3CAREC/PAHO/WHO, Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago); "Background: Men play a key role in HIV transmission in the  Caribbean, being the group most affected (AIDS sex ratio 2:1).  Sexual contacts between men appear to be a major contributor.  Homosexuality is a criminal offence, highly stigmatised and perceived  as a delinquent behaviour. Individuals are driven underground,  social acceptance is gained in adopting a visible heterosexual  lifestyle. Accessing social and behavioural data is a public  heath challenge in small island communities. Methods: The qualitative research combines focus groups and in-depth  interviews. Target groups are openly gay men, closeted and young  gay and bisexual men. A gay interviewer collected information  over 2 periods, Oct-Nov 95 and Mar-Apr 97, in 9 Caribbean islands.  Interviews and group discussions were audio taped. Transcripts  were analysed by independent researcher and reviewed by investigator. Results: There are several communities of MSM. Social status  mediates ability to live a normal life. Communication is limited.  Younger and more educated MSM have a stronger sense of identity.  There is a lack of trust within the group, and towards the wider  community. The coexistence of a public and a private face presents  a major challenge for AIDS prevention. There are inter-country  differences in the acceptance of MSM. Conclusions: The rising HIV prevalence in the Caribbean is the  second in the World. A heterosexual epidemic coexists with a  homosexual epidemic. High stigma of homosexuality has driven  gay men to adopt bisexual lifestyle where underground homosexuality  coexists with socially accepted visible heterosexual life. The  social context of the homosexual community is dominated by lack  of trust and communication, resulting in poor dissemination of  information and unsafe sex practices. This impacts on the wider  community through bisexual practices." - Poverty, drug abuse fuel Caribbean AIDS outbreak. (1998, Alternate Link): Hatred and fear of homosexuals, together with a fear of losing tourism revenue, drove many high-level policymakers in the Caribbean to ignore the HIV/AIDS in its infancy. 

Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC/PAHO/WHO): Eighteen Years of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the Caribbean:  A Summary (2001, Power Point Presentation): "HIV Seroprevalence: Female Sex workers: 3-45%, Patients with STIs: 2-21%, Pregnant women: 1-12%, MSM: 18-40%... Factors Driving the Epidemic: Social, Cultural, Behavioural: Dysfunctional gender relations, Lack of life-skills for sex education, Cultural and religious taboos, Discrimination & stigmatisation of people with HIV, Sexual  norms, e.g. insufficient condom use, Commercial sex work due to  poverty, Criminalisation of sex work and homosexuality. Substance abuse: alcohol, cocaine -> risky behaviour..." - Caribbean Programme: Sex Work HIV Prevention Programme Start-Up Assessment Trip Report (2003, Word Download N/A) Maybe available here.

Legalize Homosexuality! Beat Caribbean AIDS! Say Activists (2008): Homosexuality must be legalized or else AIDS will never be beaten in the Caribbean region, experts at an AIDS conference in Mexico city said Thursday. - Caribbean should decriminalize homosexuality to help fight spread of HIV, Lewis says (2009: The MSM community, "often disparaged, abused and certainly discriminated against, in order to seize legitimacy has sex with women," thus spreading the virus further into the general population. - HIV fears put repeal of homophobic laws on the table for Caribbean nations (2010): On World Aids Day there is some hope for gay rights supporters with the St Kitts and Nevis prime minister urging fellow leaders to change their stance... Examples abound of government-supported homophobia in the Caribbean. In a recent UN resolution to condemn arbitrary killings based on various identity features, nearly all Commonwealth Caribbean states voted to remove "sexual orientation" as a category. With the exception of the Bahamas, former British colonies of the region all retain laws criminalising male homosexuality. These laws either date back to, or are a literal transplantation of the Victorian 1861 Offences against the Person Act. Offences of "buggery" or anal sex and "gross indecency" meaning any sexual intimacy between men, remain on the books...

Avrett, Sam (2011). Men Who Have Sex with Men and HIV in the Anglophone Caribbean. Arlington, VA: USAID’s AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One, Task Order 1. PDF Download. Download Page.  Men who have sex with men (MSM)1 in the Anglophone countries of the Caribbean2 comprise a disproportionate share of the HIV epidemic (Baral et al. 2007; Cáceres et al. 2008a). Although only 4 of the 12 Anglophone Caribbean countries publicly collect HIV prevalence data among MSM, in 3 of these 4 countries (Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago) researchers report an HIV prevalence of more than 20 percent among MSM (Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS] 2008). This data clearly classifies MSM in the Anglophone Caribbean as a most-at-risk population (MARP) for HIV... A notable lack of human rights protection in the AnglophoneCaribbean also impedes efforts to improve the health of MSM (Waters forthcoming)...

Concerns for Black Gay/Bisexual HIV Raised to Global Platform at Dominican Republic Conference (2011): Much of the recent HIV/AIDS data on Black gay and bisexual men— or, "men who have sex with men"  (MSM)   in public health jargon—has been sobering. A recent Centers for Disease Control study of more than 8,100 MSM found almost one in three Black MSM are HIV positive, compared to only 16 percent of white gay/ and bisexual men.  The numbers were even higher in some cities. Just like the recent reports of soaring black MSM seroconversions in Chicago, New York and other cities, the national data on barely made a “blip” on the local news.  But as the rate of HIV infections among Black MSM in America and the Caribbean continue to skyrocket,  their specific health needs  reached a global  platform at the 2011 Black Diaspora MSM Consultation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The weekend conference was held from March 31 to April 3 and organized by the Black AIDS Institute, the African & Black Global Diaspora Network (ABDGN) and the Black Gay Men’s Network, a professional leadership community.  The conference brought together 40+ researchers, policy makers, HIV/AIDS prevention advocates and physicians from four continents to organize around opportunities and threats Black MSM are facing across the Diaspora...

Tropical Medicine Central Resource: The Imaging of Tropical Diseases (2000, Amazon): "Cuba and the Caribbean: A large screening study within Cuba has revealed that the overall prevalence of infection in that country is extremely low, with higher rates in visiting foreigners and in homosexuals. Those infected are isolated to contain the epidemic. Other Caribbean countries differ greatly from Cuba. In these countries transmission appears to be primarily homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual, with a minor contribution of intravenous drug abuse. Bisexuality is generally believed to be common in the Caribbean because homosexuality is not well tolerated; therefore many homosexuals are married with families. Subsequent spread to the general heterosexual population has occurred, and pediatric AIDS has resulted. Further spread of HIV in the community has been promoted by cultural patterns of multiple sexual partners and a propensity for unprotected sex. Quinn's study of 4000 women attending a prenatal clinic in Port au Prince, Haiti, demonstrated a 9.2% HIV infection rate. High rates of infection have also been seen in the English-speaking Caribbean countries such as the Bahamas and Bermuda..."

Caribbean Anti-Violence Project N/A (Archive Link, Reference, Reference: Caribbean Queers Take On Homo-Haters. Website Hopes To Shed Light On Pandemic of Violence: The Website does not exist anymore): Use this site to report gender, sexual and HIV-related harassment, discrimination, bullying, assault, violence and hate crimes.  The Caribbean Anti Violence Project is a regional initiative based in the HIV Education Unit at the University of the West Indies. The project is supported by a coalition of citizens and groups who share a vision of a kinder, fairer and more caring society. We oppose all forms of victimization, prejudice and discrimination. - Charting the Caribbean: Which islands are gay-friendly, which aren't? (2006, Alternate Link).

How homophobic is the Caribbean? Find out where you can be gay and "feel irie" on your next island hop: The closest Caribbean approximations of gay life will probably be found-ironically enough--in American territories such as Puerto Rico or St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, or on French or Dutch-speaking islands, including the "ABCs" (Aruba, Bonaire Bonaire (bônĕr`), island (1990 est. pop. 11,000), 112 sq mi (290 sq km), in the Netherlands Antilles, West Indies. Kralendijk is the chief town. Tourism is the economic mainstay, though salt mining is also a significant industry. The island is known for its fine beaches, skin diving, and pink flamingos., and Curacao), St. Maarten, and Guadeloupe. But even in these chore hospitable destinations, resorts and nightlife that are gay-specific or-exclusive tend to be few and far between, perhaps with the exception of Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan. However, it is possible to be "gay" and to "vacation" (if not "gay-vacation" per se) happily and safely in much of the Caribbean--provided you're realistic about your expectations and reconcile yourself to the cultural, social, and political realities of your island destination.

Campbell K (2006). Reading Queer Caribbean Identities: Faizal Deen’s land without chocolate and the Gay Caribbean Canon. Postcolonial Text, 2(2). Full Text. Full Text. The label of "homosexual" or "sodomite" in the Caribbean today remains both a marker of absolute difference and a magnet for violence. It is partly for this reason that there is very little gay Caribbean literature being produced; such a literature can often only safely be produced from exile, and even then the exilic writer is forced to negotiate a history of cultural associations which inform even his own perceptions of his sexuality. Nevertheless, gay Caribbean writings have begun to appear with increasing frequency, from the character of Harry/Harriet in Michelle Cliff's No Telephone to Heaven (New York: Plume, 1987), to Lawrence Scott's Witchbroom (London: Heinemann, 1993) and Aelred's Sin (London: Allison & Busby, 1998), to H. Nigel Thomas' Spirits in the Dark (Toronto: Anansi, 1993) and Behind the Face of Winter (Toronto: TSAR, 2001), to Patricia Powell's A Small Gathering of Bones (London: Heinemann, 1994) and Me Dying Trial (Boston: Beacon Press, 2003).

Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles - 2008 - edited by Thomas Glave (Interview with editor): Spotlight on gay writers from across the Caribbean (2010): The first book of its kind, Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles Published by Duke University Press, 2008, is an anthology of lesbian and gay writing from across the Antilles. Glave has gathered outstanding fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry by little-known writers together with selections by internationally celebrated figures such as José Alcántara Almánzar, Reinaldo Arenas, Dionne Brand, Michelle Cliff, Audre Lorde, Achy Obejas, and Assotto Saint. The result is an unprecedented literary conversation on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experiences throughout the Caribbean and its far-flung diaspora. Many selections were originally published in Spanish, Dutch, or creole languages; some are translated into English here for the first time...

Development and Same-Sex Desire in Caribbean Allegorical Autobiography (2005, PDF Download): Shani Mootoo’s Cereus Blooms at Night, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John and Lucy.

Murray DAB (2009). Bajan Queens, Nebulous Scenes: Sexual Diversity in Barbados. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, 3. PDF Download. Excerpt: .One does not have to look far these days to find a position on sexual alterity in the Caribbean. For once, popular culture and academia are, for the most part, in agreement on this topic: The Caribbean is generally depicted as a region whose peoples are not tolerant of homosexuality (Reddock 2004). Men are socialized to think of any form of effeminacy or “soft” behavior as weak and deplorable - accusations of “battyman,” chichi man, buller, macoume, or anti-man are considered to be the worst insults possible (Chevannes 2001, Crichlow 2004, Dann 1987, Lewis 2003, Murray 2002). Certain genres of Caribbean music are gaining an international reputation for being aggressively homophobic (Gutzmore 2004, Mohammed 2004). Caribbean social and political organization has been identified as heteronormative and patriarchal (Alexander 1997, Kempadoo 2004). To sum up, it appears that any expression of sexuality outside patriarchal heterosexuality is uniformly unwelcome. On the other hand, the long-term and widespread presence of sexual diversity in the Caribbean is increasingly well documented and analyzed (i.e. Glave 2008, Kempadoo 2004, Murray 2002, Padilla 2007, Wekker 2006).

Kempadoo, Kamala (2009). Caribbean Sexuality: Mapping the Field. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, 3. PDF Download. Abstract:  Caribbean sexuality is both hypervisible and obscured. That is, it is celebrated in popular culture as an important ingredient in Caribbean social life and flaunted to attract tourists to the region, yet is shrouded in double entendre, secrecy and shame. In this article, I present a review of the main trends in studies of Caribbean sexuality, arguing that while there are few exclusive studies on the subject there is much we can draw upon for insights into Caribbean sexual relations, sexual expressions and sexual identities. Drawing from published as well as “grey” materials, this article points out that Caribbean sexuality is often perceived and analysed as linked to force and (domestic) violence against women and children, sexually transmitted infections (i.e. HIV and AIDS), and economic imperatives. It is also widely accepted as attached to heterosexuality and gendered imbalances of power, as well as to men’s sexual agency. Studies of same-sex relations, transactional sex, prostitution and sex tourism suggest, however, a far greater complexity, which demands more elaborate and complicated understandings of sexuality. Moreover, given the range of sexual practices and relations that appear in the studies, we argue here for a conceptualization of sexuality as semiautonomous from gender, and begin to map the contours of a specific area that can be designated as Caribbean sexuality studies.

Serrano-García I, Cintrón-Bou F, Rodríguez YR, Acosta-Pérez E, Walters-Pacheco K (2005).  Una mirada a la sexualidad desde el Caribe: Implicaciones de su estudio para las Ciencias Sociales. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 14: 10-21.  PDF Download. Translation. Abstract: Sexuality has been defined as the set of biological, psychological and social characteristics that contribute to an individual’s identity and to his/her behavior as a sexual being. This subject is important, however, it is socially evaded and recibes scant academic priority. The absence of discussion and analysis of this theme is one of the factors that contributes to the high indexes of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. Given that its study does not usually incorporate a developmental or multidisciplinary approach, this special issue includes essays by various professionals who have researched sexuality, as well as the ethical implications of working with homosexuals. It is intended to facilitate a reflection about research in sexuality from a critical, developmental and Caribbean perspective and to promote the knowledge on this subject within our cultural context.

Toro-Alfonso J, Varas-Díaz N (2005).Exclusión e internalización del estigma en hombres que tienen sexo con hombres en la República Dominicana: Implicaciones para la salud en América Latina y el Caribe. PDF Download. Translation.

Calixte, Shana L (2005). Things Which Aren't to Be Given Names: Afro-Caribbean Diasporic Negotiations of Same Gender Desire and Sexual Relations. Canadian Woman Studies. 24(2/3): 128-137. PDF Download. For this paper, I am specifically speaking of the Caribbean diaspora located in Canada and the U.S. (and to a lesser extent, the UK) but which speaks more specifically to the experience of Afro migrants from the Caribbean, who share a specific experience of colonialism and forced displacement, as well as newer migrations to North America - in the era of globalization (see Henry; Anderson; Chamberlain)... It may be that eluding a naming has provided the best (in)visibility of Afro-Caribbean women's same gender desire. As Monika Reinfelder states, "The absence of a label that can be used against women can protect their ability to relate to each other sexually" (3). This (un)naming, speaking one's desire in ways that do not necessitate a verbal appellation of that desire, allows women the freedom to engage in sexual relations with other women without necessarily having to be stigmatized by a western-associated label, such as "lesbian." ... The global gay,  while theoretically imagined to encompass the experiences of those living in tre West, still does not "fit" as an explanatory model for diasporic Afro-Caribbean wornen...

La Fountain-Stokes, Lawrence (2007). LGBTT and Queer Studies in the Caribbean. PDF Download.  Scholarship on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual (LGBTT) and queer issues in the Caribbean is enormously varied and heterogeneous, and has not fully crystallized into a cohesive whole. This has to do in part with the great diversity and complexity of the region, in which numerous languages are spoken (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Papiamentu, and a variety of creoles and dialects) and where colonial and postcolonial ties to different metropoles result in different migration patterns and intellectual traditions... One possible way to appraise the current status of queer/LGBTT Caribbean studies is to focus on a recent academic conference, that of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) - specifically its meeting 2006 held in Port of Spain, Trinidad, from May 29th to June 2nd of. The 2006 CSA conference was a landmark event in terms of the number of presentations on topics pertaining to LGBTT and queer Caribbean issues, and was an important achievement in the light of the region's particular difficulties regarding non-heteronormative sexualities....

Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles - 2008 - edited by Thomas Glave (Interview with editor) (Review) (Review) (Google Books). - UWI Cave Hill Campus of Barbados "Breaking Sexual Silences" & Author Thomas Glave (2010, YouTube): Thomas Glave is a professor at Binghamton University in NY, he is a co-founder of J-Flag {Jamaican Federation of Lesbians And Gays} is author of the collection "The Torturer's Wife" but here is reading an excerpt of the anthology 'Our Caribbean - a gathering of Lesbian & Gay writing from the Antilles' of which he is the editor, this is a portion from Makeda Silvera's essay 'Man Royals & Sodomites' (UWI's Evelyne Callaghan gave permission for recording of the night's lecture to ease distribution and dissemination).

Images of ambiente: homotextuality and Latin American art, 1810-today - 2000 - by Rudi Bleys (Google Books).

Commonwealth Caribbean Countries that Crinimalize Homosexuality (2011):  All Commonwealth Caribbean countries except The Bahamas continue to criminalise the LGBT community. The laws which criminalise the LGBT community in the majority of the commonwealth Caribbean countries are a product of previous colonial legislation which is still in force. Most Caribbean countries use the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act as a means of criminalising the LGBT community or have penal codes that contain ‘sodomy’ provisions similar to those found in the Offences Against the Person Act. Although several countries are signatories to key international treaties that seek to protect individual’s human rights, the presence of laws which criminalise homosexuality means that these states are failing in their obligation to protect basic human rights.

Homosexuality in the Caribbean: crawling out of the closet - 2007 - by Claude J. Douglas. -  Homosexuality in the Caribbean (2008): Professor Claude Douglas’ new book: ‘Homosexuality in the Caribbean-Crawling out of the Closet,’ is simultaneously a sociological analysis and an erudite commentary on sexuality as a critical function of human identity. His terrible burden comes as a priceless gift. He discusses a taboo issue: the maneuvers of homosexuality within the English speaking Caribbean... - Book suggests homosexuality will be accepted in Caribbean soon (2008). - The gay uprising in the Caribbean (2008).

Tongues on Fire: Caribbean Lesbian Lives and Stories - 1997 - edited by Rosamund Elwin: In Tongues on Fire, Caribbean lesbians speak zami desire honestly and eloquently, loudly and clearly. Narrating their life stories, they claim what has never been acknowledged - lesbian history and continuity in the Caribbean. And diasporic writers collectively honour that history and continuity in fiction sweet with intimacy, sensuality, and memory. Like the lives and stories of Caribbean lesbians, Tongues on Fire is unique. Rosamund Elwin has put together a fine collection that includes well-known writers such as Michelle Cliff, Shani Mootoo, and Makeda Silvera.

Sex and the Citizen: Interrogating the Caribbean - 2011 - edited by Faith L. Smith. Abstract: ex and the Citizen is a multidisciplinary collection of essays that draws on current anxieties about “legitimate” sexual identities and practices across the Caribbean to explore both the impact of globalization and the legacy of the region’s history of sexual exploitation during colonialism, slavery, and indentureship. Speaking from within but also challenging the assumptions of feminism, literary and cultural studies, and queer studies, this volume questions prevailing oppositions between the backward, homophobic nation-state and the laid-back, service-with-a-smile paradise or between giving in ignominiously to the autocratic demands of the global north and equating postcolonial sovereignty with a “wholesome” heterosexual citizenry. Contents.

Foster GM (2009). Translating (Black) Queerness: Unpacking the Conceptual Linkages Between Racialized Masculinities, Consensual Sex, and the Practice of Torture. Souls, 11(2): 143-166. PDF Download. Abstract: This essay argues that the 2005 documentary Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story uses narrative strategies that link it with the 2004 Abu Ghraib abuse scandal. The film tells the story of a Caribbean-born boxer who killed his Cuban-born opponent in the ring for allegedly calling him a homosexual. However, corroborating evidence of Griffith's homosexuality is as scanty in the documentary as it is in the boxer's life. Like the absent sexualities of actual gay men in the Iraqi scandal, Griffith's absent sexuality in the film relies problematically on a conceptual confusion between gender and sexuality.

Lewis, Linden (2006). Unsettling Masculinity in the Caribbean: Facing a Future Without Guarantees. Working Paper 06-9: The International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics, and International Economics. PDF Download. Abstract: This working paper is based on a lecture delivered by Dr. Lewis on Nov. 14, 2003 in a lecture series sponsored by Caribbean Women Catalysts for Change. Dr. Linden evaluates Caribbean masculinity in terms of how it is bound up with the crises and contradictions of capitalism. The impact of the process of global economic restructuring, the all-consuming power of transnational capital, the emergence of new forms of globalized masculinity and patriarchy, and the prospects of economic marginalization all represent the context in which Dr. Linden considers men and masculinity in the region. In considering the specific ways Caribbean masculinity could be unsettled or destabilized, the paper considers unemployment, homosexuality, impotence and other sexual disfunction, and masculine essentialism.

Murray, David AB (2005). Who's Right? Human Rights, Sexuality and Social Change in the Caribbean. Salises Seminar Series No. 6. PDF Download.  This is absolutely and fundamentally a politicized process, as it is clear that there are also Caribbean traditions and values that work to promote inequality and/or ranking of people based on behaviours and actions, as is most clearly the case in issues pertaining to sexual practices. If we are to adopt a ‘communitarian’ based approach to human rights then it is important to keep in mind that we are NOT claiming that there are, in Barbados, the Caribbean or whatever other ‘community’ context, a timeless, unchanging set of rules or principles which state in black and white what is acceptable and unacceptable. Furthermore, it is also problematic to think that any culture is composed of a group of people who all think exactly the same way and have the same opinions. Dissent, debate, and difference over what matters or what is right and wrong are equally universal to culture. Social change and internal difference is an inevitable fact of every community everywhere, so the issue then becomes one of how change is effected within local contexts and what principles or values are referred to in that process.

Gosine, Andil (2007). ’Race’, culture, power, sex, desire and love: Writing in ‘men who have sex with men. IDS Bulletin. 37(5): 27-33. Word Download.  ‘MSM’ was and still is being used by many organisations of non-white men in North America and Europe to challenge western ways of naming, knowing and speaking about sexuality. As other terms commonly used to describe same-sex desire, such as ‘gay’, ‘homosexual’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘queer’ were produced in particular social and economic conditions that primarily referenced metropolitan white cultural expressions of sexuality, ‘MSM’ was (and is still seen by some) to be a more appropriate and inclusive descriptor. Indeed, in its earlier usage, ‘men who have sex with men’ was understood to be just a descriptor, not a state of being, and the groups that employed the phrase tended to emphasise the idea that sexual identities were fluid. The 2004 Naz (India) manual on MSM reflects this understanding in its acknowledgement that ‘some believe the notion of a sexual identity, and in particular the use of the term ‘gay’, is a Western import that may not be relevant or appropriate for South Asian countries’ (Naz Foundation (India) Trust 2004: 9). However, as the term has become more widely referenced in international development work, the challenges it once posed to the authority of the West appear to have been blunted. First, through its use as a broad description of men leading very different lives in very different contexts, MSM has mimicked Orientalist strategies of collapsing cultural differences between non-western (and non-white) people, and marked them as “Others”. Kothis in Bangladesh, Ibbi in Senegal, Yan daudu in Nigeria, African-American and Latino men ‘on the down low’ in the USA, and hijra in India are collectively tagged ‘MSM’ despite speaking different languages, holding different religious beliefs, occupying different social positions in various environmental spaces, and being engaged in different kinds of sexual practices and emotional relationships.2 Interestingly, this universalising narration of sexualities across the South is also happening at a time when more challenges are being posed to dominant models in the West....

Agard-Jones, Vanessa (2009). Le Jeu de Qui?1 Sexual Politics at Play in the French Caribbean. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, 3. PDF Download. Abstract: By virtue of their non-independent political status, Martinique and Guadeloupe (France's Antilles) operate under a legal regime unique to the Caribbean vis à vis sexual rights. While in certain independent countries in the region homosexuality is criminalized and “homosexual acts” are punishable by law, France’s legal code both affords protections and extends certain rights, such as access to the PACS (the pacte civil de solidarité is a form of civil union available to both same sex and heterosexual couples in France since 1999), to Martinican and Guadeloupean citizens. This paper seeks to understand the modes of representation that frame lesbian and gay Antilleans as subjects of particular (European) rights and victims of certain (Caribbean) violences. I document the loci of power that emerge as these discourses develop in a circuit between the Caribbean and the metropole, paying particular attention to the questions of legitimacy and authenticity mobilized in these fields. I argue that, despite the best intentions of (mostly) metropolitan-based advocacy groups, these discourses support the mapping of a developmental teleology on the Antilles, labeling them less “modern” than their metropolitan counterparts. I question how this framing dovetails with French nationalism, particularly as it relates to the country’s self-perception as an originator and defender of human rights. Because these discourses sometimes occlude the complicated, everyday experiences of queer Antilleans (both at “home” and in diaspora), I integrate into my analysis conversations with various interlocutors in both the Antilles and in Paris. By examining the politics of sexuality in the French Caribbean, this paper is a simultaneous consideration of teleologies of development and the limits of liberal rights paradigms, as well as a critique of the politics of representation that impact queer lives in the Antilles.

Transgender Caribbean Activists Speak Out (2009, Videos): IGLHRC held its first strategy workshop for trans activists in the Caribbean... designed to provide activists from the most marginalized communities with training in documentation and human rights advocacy... held in conjunction with the Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CARIFLAGS) and the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC). The videos capture the hardships and challenges confronted by some of the activists who attended the workshop.

ILGA-LAC (2009). A 40 años de Stonewall Inn: Transfobia, Lesbofobia, Homofobia, Bifobia en Latinoamérica y El Caribe. PDF Download. - Informe de Asociación de lesbianas, gays, trans, bisexuales e intersex (2009, Translation): “A 40 años de Stonewall: Lesbofobia, Transfobia, Homofobia, Bifobia en Latino América y El Caribe”  El Informe ILGALAC se difunde oficialmente, a semanas de conmemorar los 40 años de Stonewall. El documento es un homenaje a la lucha iniciada, finalizando la década de los 60, por un grupo de personas trans, seguidas por lesbianas, gays y bisexuales y una denuncia de la discriminación jurídica que aún recae sobre la diversidad sexual. De acuerdo al Informe de la Asociación de lesbianas, gays, trans, bisexuales e intersex de Latinoamérica y El Caribe, aún existen diversas leyes que penalizan la homosexualidad asociándola a prácticas sodomíticas o a través de la interpretación de las leyes desde un enfoque que refuerza la normalidad de la práctica sexual heterosexual y estigmatiza la práctica sexual homosexual. En este contexto El Caribe es el territorio en donde más se vulneran los derechos de personas LTTTGBI, en tanto, muchos de sus países aún se rigen por legislaciones heredadas desde los procesos de colonización británica...

Murder Inna Dancehall: DAVID AUERBACH CHIFFRIN (general secretary for An Nou Alle!, a LGBT organisation for Martinique, Guadeloupe & French Guyana)
LGBT people from the French overseas territories or from sub-saharan Africa are particularly exposed to homophobia (and to hatreds associated with transxexualism or AIDS), as well as to sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of suicide for the following reasons. (1) The machismo and sexism current in society; (2) Pressure from extended families; (3) Religious commentaries derived from a literal reading of the Bible or Koran; (4) Political commentaries claiming that minority sexual (or gender) orientations were perversions introduced by former colonists or slave-owners; (5) Taboos surrounding the mere mention of sex and sexuality; (6) The need for scapegoats; (7) Racism, which affects every LGBT people of color. (the following text in French by the same author is more profound analysis of homophobia in the Caribbean). [French text translated by Google]. - Le Dance-Hall aux Antilles : Entre homophobie et mysogynie  (2006, Translation).

The Gay Caribbean/USA Pageant Website: An event developed to help foster tolerance of the gay lifestyle within the Caribbean American Community. Thus, creating a spirit of openness and exposing creative talent. The pageant which is in its third year has generated a lot of buzz within the Caribbean American and gay communities. Whereby gaining lots of media attention for its self. The level of publicity which the pageant received has set the stage for open discussion on matters relating to the lifestyle. This will undoubtedly lead to understanding and eventually tolerance. The pageant is a significant and timely venture which can give rise to positive change within our community. Therefore, the mission of the pageant which is to promote tolerance becomes closer. While its subliminal goal of entertaining is delivered upon. That is with the staging of an over the top, talked about and exciting production. - Miss Gay Caribbean Pageant 2011.

GLBT Caribbean Travel (2011): Even though some of the islands of the Caribbean have a reputation for homophobia (Jamaica is a prime example), for most of the islands, once there are no public displays of affection (PDA), most people look the other way and are generally comfortable and friendly with gay and lesbian travelers... Generally speaking, when traveling in the Caribbean, once gay and lesbian travelers remember the PDA rule and all should be well!

The Gay Caribbean Pageant Part 1 - Host Sunbean Harmonica (2010, YouTube). - Part 2: The Contestants. - Part 3- Entertainment Part not the Contestants. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant footage Part 4. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant Footage Part 5. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant Footage Part 7. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant Footage Part 8. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant Footage Part 10. - The Gay Caribbean Pageant Footage Part 11.

Miss Gay Caribbean Pageant 2011. - 2011 Gay Caribbean USA Pageant: Part One - Hemish Gervis chats with contestants vieing for the crown of 2011 Miss Gay Caribbean USA. In this interview are Miss Jamaica, Miss Barbados, Miss Haiti and Miss St. Lucia. - 2011 Gay Caribbean USA Pageant: Part Two - Hemish Gervis chats with contestants vieing for the crown of 2011 Miss Gay Caribbean USA. In this interview are Miss Guyana, Miss Trinidad & Tobago and Miss Dominican Republic. - 2011 Gay Caribbean USA Pageant: Hemish Gervis interviews the first ever lesbian pageant contestant, Stefon Iman who is a Male Impersonator and represents Puerto Rico.

Une comédie antillaise qui aborde l'homosexualité féminine (2010, Translation). .

Resource Links: - The Gully. - Search GayToday.com Archives. - Sodomy Laws: Caribbean. - Asociación para la Salud Integral y la Ciudadanía de América Latina y el Caribe (Translation). - REDLACTRANS: RED Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Personas Trans. - Coalicion de organizaciones de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transexuales, travestis, transgenero e intesex de America Latina y el Caribe (Translation).

Gay Caribbean. (Global Gayz): - News/Reports. - ukblackout.com's (To 2008):  Caribbesn GLBT Links. - ukblackout.com's Caribbesn GLBT Articles (To 2006). - GLBTQ: Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.  - The Caribbean's first Gay & Lesbian Social Network launches from Jamaica (2008): Rainbowvibes.com. - Cristianos Gays (Translation).

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Caribbean. 

FRee Forum Online (Numerous Articles): No. 1 choice in the fight against AIDS, for men who have sex with men (MSM) and Gay communities in the Caribbean (To 2009). - FRee Forum Issues: #1: Pride 2002. - # 2: World AIDS Day, 2002. - #3: Carnival 2003. - #4: Pride 2003. - #5: World AIDS Day 2003. # 6: Carnival 2004.  - #7: Prde 2004.  #8: World AIDS Day 2004. - # 9: Pride 2005. - # 10: Pride 2005: Advocacy & Human Rights in the Caribbean. - # 11: World AIDS Day 2005: Keeping the Promise. - # 12: What's Your Position: Caribbean Men & HIV. - # 13: Pride 2006. - # 14: World AIDS Day 2006. - # 15: Health & Social issues for the Men who have Sex with Men Communities in the Caribbean. - # 16: Pride 2007. - # 17: World AIDS Day 2007. - # 18: Carnival 2008. - # 19: Pride 2008 - United by Pride = Bound by Equity.  - # 20: Treatment and Care 2008. - # 21: Prevention 2009: Steps Toward Personal Change.  - # 22: Human Rights & Advocacy: Chances to Change, 2009. 

Blabbeando Blog: Latin American GLBTQ News / Commentaries: 2005 to Present.  

 
To "The SEARCH Section" For The Best Search Engines & Information Directories, The Searchable Sites to Locate Papers & Abstracts... and The Sites - Some Searchable - Where "Free Papers" Are Available! 

CUBA (Wikipedia): - Cubans stage ‘independent’ Gay Pride march (2011):  Despite gains in recent years, an alternative gay rights group held a small protest in Havana on Tuesday to “demand” respect for the rights of gays. - En Cuba ya no es políticamente correcto ser homófobo (2011, Translation). - Cuba’s Revolution in Attitudes About Gays, HIV+: A First-Hand Report (2011). - Gay Cubans taste growing freedom (2011). - Are Cuba's communists getting ready to support LGBT rights? (2011). - Gay Cuban man, transsexual to wed on Fidel's birthday (2011): Activists seek to use island nation's first gay marriage to advance gay rights. - Cuba Education Tours Announces Rainbow Cuba Tour For LGBT People For May 2011 (2011). - Televisar la homosexualidad en Cuba (2011, Translation): La Habana, 3 may.- Aunque la televisión cubana se ha acercado un poco al tema de la homosexualidad, ausencias y tendencias negativas cuando se representan a personas que gustan del mismo sexo prevalecen en este popular medio de comunicación masiva en Cuba, según especialistas. - En Cuba, la homosexualidad aún está cargada de tendencias negativas en programas televisivos (2011, Translation). - ¿Es tan terrible ser homosexual en Cuba? (2011, Translation). - Partido Comunista contra discriminación por orientación sexual en Cuba (2011, Translation).

Parade: Gay Rights in Cuba (2011, YouTube). - Cuba Carefully Doles Out GLBT Rights (2011). - Cuba's gay pride parade: big debut, few marchers (2011). - A Gay Fiesta, Cuban Style (2011). - Gay Pride Parade in Havana (2011). - Pink Planet: Cuba’s gay oasis (2011). - Cuba Goes Both Ways on Gay Rights: United Nations vote opens room for dissent (2011). - Gay Pride in Cuba: The Campaign for GLBT Rights (2010). - Raw Video: Castro's Niece Leads Cuba Gay Parade (2010, YouTube). - Young and Gay In Cuba  (2010). - International Day against Homophobia celebrated in Cuba -- three reports from Havana (2009). - Cuba plans its first gay pride parade (2008). - First Gay Pride in Havana Cuba, June 14 2008 (2008, YouTube). -  Se les tolera, pero aún no se les acepta, porque no existe una implicación sociológica para pensar que quienes difieren de nosotros por su preferencias sexuales, son iguales por su condición de individuos (2008, Translation). - Havana – A Homoerotic City - The Cuban Gay Experience  (2007, by Moshe Morad): . “We have a saying here - In Cuba always try to enjoy yourself, never try to understand” tells me Lazaro, a 30 year old choreographer.  Cuba is full of paradoxes and trying to understand the logic behind things might indeed prove to be a difficult task. Enjoying yourself in Cuba is much easier

Taboos & Truths on Homosexuality in Cuba (2011). -  Gay Pride in Cuba: A Constant Battle (2011). - Homosexuality in Cuba (PPT Presentation). - Cuban drag queens, from closet to the public stage (2010). - Sex Change Operations in Cuba (2010). - Ten Years Fighting HIV/AIDS and Reaching Out to Gays (2010).- Gay Rights in Cuba: Cuban Policy Towards Homosexuality (2010). - Cuba's gays look back on dark past (2010, YouTube). - Castro takes blame for Cuba's anti-gay persecution (2010). -  Castro takes responsibility for past anti-gay persecution in Cuba (2010). - Fidel Castro regrets discrimination against gays in Cuba (2010). - Inside Cuba:: Gay Life in Cuba (2009): Not much has changed since Reinaldo Arenas’ time. - Castro champions gay rights in Cuba  (2008). - First day in Havana,First Impressions and trying to Meet Gay Cubans... (2008). - Why many Cuban gay men and lesbians left after 1959 (2007).

Cuba surpasses world on same-sex, trans rights (2007, Alternate Link): The Communist Party of Cuba has welcomed an update of the revolutionary Family Code to include same-sex and trans rights... If the initiative is approved, gay and lesbian couples would enjoy the same civil, patrimonial, inheritance, housing and adoption rights as heterosexual couples. - No Turning Back on Gay Rights in Cuba (2005). - Se propone legalizar derechos de minorías sexuales (2007, Translation). - Monsignor Carlos M. De Céspedes accepts “legal protection” of gay unions but not marriage (2007). - Gay marriage coming to Cuba? - Communist Cuba Goverment Seeks to Secure Homosexual "Right" to Adoption (2007). - Cuba vive una revolución... sexual (2007, Translation). - Cuba's CENESEX proposes ground-breaking transsexual rights (2007). - Cuba entierra el 'machismo-leninismo' (2007, Translation). - Being LGBTQ in Cuba Gold at the end of the rainbow? (2007).

Gorry, Conner (2010). Transgender Health in Cuba: Evolving Policy to Impact Practice. MEDICC Review, 12(4): 5-9. PDF Download. Cuban policy on the national and international fronts, propelled forward by the Ministry of Public Health’s Resolution 126, has led to decades of education, training, lobbying, and research by CENESEX, the National Commission, and other entities working towards specialized health care and full rights for Cuba’s sexual and gender minorities. Commission members maintain that enacting upcoming bills to extend protection of transsexual people’s rights and stepping up efforts to empower transsexuals and educate the public will eventually lead Cuban culture to adopt a more inclusive outlook. But it’s a process, says psychologist Rodríguez. “We can’t give up. All of this takes time. We are making progress, and the most important thing is to be open to change.”

Mariela Castro: Cuba is prepared for transformation with and without Fidel (2007). - Cuba's sexual minorities find a champion in a Castro (2007). - Interview (2006): Mariela Castro, MS, Director, National Center for Sex Education. - Mariela Castro speaks out for Cuba's gay minority (2006). - Gay revolution hits Cuba (2006). - FSM: Evolución de la situación de las lesbianas, gays y transexuales en Cuba (2006, Translation). - Cuba, homosexualidad y travestismo (2005, Translation): El nuevo documental de la realizadora cubana Lizette Vila, “Sexualidad, un derecho a la vida”, estrenado esta semana en La Habana, calienta un polémico asunto en la isla: la homosexualidad y el travestimo, sobre el cual pesan prejuicios y tabúes que frenan hasta las políticas oficiales. La película de 30 minutos se refiere a un grupo de travestis locales que, luego de pasar un curso, trabajan como promotores de salud sexual.

When it comes to gay rights, is Cuba  inching ahead of USA? (2007, Alternate Link) - Helping Cubans realize `what it means to be gay' (2006). - El tema de la bisexualidad polariza a Cuba (2006, Translation). - Cuba divided on the issue of bisexuality (2006). - U.S. votes with Iran, Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe against two gay groups at United Nations (2006). - Mapplethorpe gay art comes to Cuba (2005, Alternate Link). - Exposicion de Mapplethorpe en Cuba (2005, Translation). - ¿En Cuba se persigue la homosexualidad? (2007, Translation): Es un tópico recurrente en las campañas contra la Revolución cubana la afirmación de que en Cuba se persigue la homosexualidad. Una construcción mediática repetida tantas veces y durante tantos años que es asumida como verdad indiscutible incluso por sectores progresistas vinculados a la lucha por el derecho a la diversidad sexual en el mundo.

The Status of Gays in Cuba: Myth and Reality (2006). - Panel Sobre la Situación de los Homosexuales en Cuba en el Festival Gay de Estocolmo (2006. Translation) (Stockholm Pride): En la tarde de hoy, 2 de agosto, del 2006, se realizó en la capital de Suecia, Estocolmo, un seminario sobre las condiciones de los homosexuales en Cuba, como parte de las actividades del Festival Gay. Con la presencia de más de medio centenar de personas, el panel compuesto por varios integrantes cubanos y suecos, conocedores de la realidad cubana, expusieron a los presentes un panorama de la situación de los gays, lesbianas y bisexuales en la isla. - Gay revolution hits Cuba (2006). - Gay rights in Cuba (2004).

Cuba: Homosexualidad, burla y silencio (2003, Translation): Una reciente versión de la novela El Conde de Montecristo para la televisión cubana fue extremadamente fiel al original de Alejandro Dumas, menos en un pequeño detalle: la hija de uno de los enemigos del Conde se escapa con su novio, en lugar de hacerlo con su mejor amiga. La televisión cubana tampoco ha exhibido el film Fresa y chocolate, que fue nominado al Oscar como mejor película extranjera... - Sobre Cuba y los Gays: Extraido del foro de Joves Comunistes (2005, Translation).

Escapate a la Habana (Translation): Sin duda uno de los países del mundo que tiene una activísima vida gay, pero que no la ventila a través del Internet por sus condiciones específicas en los económico, lo político y lo social, es Cuba. Uno podría pasar horas enteras en la Internet buscando una guía o recomendaciones generales para orientarse sobre las actividades sugeridas para la gente gay que viajará a la hermosa Antilla Mayor, y realmente lo único que se encuentra son alarmantes noticias de supuestos ataques contra homosexuales o información tan tendenciosa, caduca o engañosa como la que –desafortunadamente–  aparece en la edición 2001 de la guía gay mundial Spartacus; ahí se dice que la homosexualidad está prohibida en Cuba (lo que fue cierto en alguna medida y durante un tiempo), que muchos sitios meramente turísticos son gays (lo que es falso) o que a las personas a las que se les detecta VIH son separadas de la sociedad y confinadas a sitios alejados de las concentraciones urbanas (lo que es totalmente falso e ignora la existencia de importantes programas de prevención, investigación médica y servicios de atención a personas con VIH). En fin, lo que quiero manifestar es mi sorpresa ante la enorme vaguedad, falsedad e imprecisión de la información que existe en la red con relación a la vida gay en la bellísima Cuba...

The situation for Cuban gays is also awash in misinformation (1996). - Havana workshop discusses homosexuality (1993). - Rights - Cuba: Gay rights: How much has changed? (1993). - Here, queer and going to Cuba (1995). - A gay May Day in Havana (1995). - 'Strawberry' takes a look at Cuban sexuality (1995). - Gay disco raided in Havana (1997). - Government Attacks Against Homosexuals (1997). - Cuba - Black, Gay Male Perspective (1994). - Commentary on Cuba by a gay Singaporean (1998). - The Queens of Cuba (1999). - Transvestites face police scrutiny (2004).- Cuba's Transsexuals Get Powerful New Friend (2004, Alternate Link). - Con pasión y sin prejuicio: Gays en Cuba (2001, Translation). - La Sociedad Cubana Ante La Homosexualidad (2003, Translation). - Homosexualidad en Cuba (2003, Translation). - Gays in Cuba: Invisible no more (2004). - Carlos Sanchez, ILGA LAC rep tells us about his cuban experience. - Reunión entre gays y heterosexuales, en Cuba (2004, Translation). - Gay rights in Cuba: how much has changed? (2004). - Proposed Reform Would Give Gay Couples Equal Rights (2007). 

Carlos Alfonzo's Canvas of Suffering (1998): "Although he hid his homosexuality in Cuba..." - Gay Cuba (1998) (Living the Gay "La Vida Loca" (Crazy Life) under a repressive regime, Must Scroll): "Cuba's history of brutal treatment of its Gay citizens, particularly Gay men, is a permanent scar on the face of the Castro regime." - Joel Angelino (1996, Translation): "Tu es né à Cuba un beau jour de 1971. Parle-moi un peu de ton enfance." - Rights-Cuba: TV Opens Debate on Taboo Subject - Homosexuality (2004). - Gay Cuba Libre! (2001, Alternate Link) - Cuba Libre? Guess Again (2003). - Gay Cubans Struggle Under Castro N/A. - Havana Boys (2000). - Gay Cuba (2003). - Por enmienda constitucional en defensa de los homosexuales (2004, Translation).

Morad M (2005). Cuba'a article 303 in a regional perspective: Legislation and gay human rights violation in Latin America.  Word Download.  Amnesty's report on human rights violations against gays and lesbians, or as its title indicates "based on sexual orientation", published in 1997, sheds light on the approach of the Latin American regimes towards gays and towards gay rights in the first years of the 1990's , providing the right "regional" setting to the period of my research in Cuba. Although Cuba's internal policies do not always follow the regional trend due to the centralism, the separatism and the political isolation of Castro's regime, it is important to understand the regional background, climate and dynamics, in order to better understand developments in Cuba. Castro has always (and now more than ever)  aimed for Cuba to be included in some kind of "pan Latin " installation, and in a way, culturally and historically, Cuba does belong to the Hispanic / Latin American world, rather than to the closer Caribbean regional community...

Homosexuality in cuban literature: An Approach to a Taboo (2007). - Oye, do you know of any other gay Cuban writers? (2008). - Discurrir, decursar y discursar de una sensibilidad homosexual en Cuba: algunos hitos y momentos cruciales (2008, Translation). - Cuba: Homosexualidad, burla y silencio (2005, Translation). - Lauro Vázquez y la literatura homosexual en Cuba (2011, Translation). - Cuba conmemorará centenario de escritor marginado por homosexual (2011, Translation). - Jesse Monteagudo: Florida's Foremost Gay Scholar (2002).

Welcome to Cuba: The Cuban Gay Underground (2000). - Beyond Machismo: a Cuban Case Study (2000?). - Gays Wed In Cuba: The Second Revolution (2001). - Gay Cuban Nation (2002). - Homosexuality in Cuba: revolution within the revolution. (1999, Alternate Link) - Homosexuality in Cuba. - Gay in Cuba: A Talk with Gisela Arandia Covarrubia (2000?). - Gay Cubans Enjoy New Freedoms N/A. - Homosexuality Is Not Illegal In Cuba, But Like Elsewhere, Homophobia Persists. - Viva gay Cuba! Out and married in the increasingly tolerant Communist island (2001). - Gays Wed In Cuba: The Second Revolution (2001). - Travestismo en Cuba: La estrategia del disfraz (Translation). - El homosexualismo en la cultura cubana. Algunas aproximaciones a una cultura tabú (Translation). -  In Cuba: Young, Gay, Out and Married Southeast of Havana. Cuban Association of Gays & Lesbians was Founded in 1994.  Anti-Gay Scene Mellowed after Film Strawberry & Chocolate (2001).

The Cuba Gospel According to Chuck 45 (2000):  "And while I've never been too fond of American moralizing, that was before I started doing it myself right here, right now, in my own queer way. It feels good. Get used to it." Cuba Now: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (2000): Castro's Cuba is a maddeningly complex knot. The opposition is oppressed but not shot, the citizens live long healthy lives, the queens have returned, and the bumbling economy is getting a boost from Europe. Gay Cuba links at the end. - Gay Rights in Cuba (Must Scroll). - Gay Rights and Life in Cuba.

AIDS High Rate Infection in Homosexual Men Continues (2011). - AIDS and Human Rights in Cuba: A Personal Memoir: Attending an AIDS conference in Havana as 70 Cuban dissidents are tried and three men executed (2003, Alternate Link). - Gay Cubans fight own Aids battle (2003). - Homosexual and AIDS in Cuba (1998). -

QueerTheory: Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990). - Reinaldo Arenas, 47, Writer Who Fled Cuba, Dies (1990). - Reinaldo Arenas (Wikipedia). - After Night Falls (2000): The Revival of Reinaldo Arenas. - Queer Classic: Reinaldo Arenas's "Before Night Falls" (2001). - Alert on Before Night Falls: Old Trash in New Buckets (2001). - Activists protest film about gay Cuban writer (2001). - "Before the Night Fall" Film Review (2001). - Gays in Cuba, from the Hollywood School of Falsification (2001): A Movie Review of "Before Night Falls". - Apropos Before Night Falls: Gay pa Kuba (2001). - Reinaldo Arenas or gay hedonism in Cuba. (2000, Alternate Link) - The Sexual Politics of Reinaldo Arenas: Fact, Fiction, and the Real Record of the Cuban Revolution (2001). - The defiant one: Gay writer Reinaldo Arenas was persecuted by Castro's homophobic regime. Now a film about his life has outraged Fidel's followers (2001). - Sexual Revolution (2003). - Reinaldo furioso. - Reinaldo Arenas: The Sexual
Politics of a Queer Activist. - The Sexual Politics of Reinaldo Arenas: Fact, Fiction and the Real Record of the Cuban Revolution. - Homosexualidad en Cuba: lesbianas, las más rechazadas (2003, Translation).

Fidel Castro on homosexuality (2006): Lacking the details on when this book will be published in English, CubaNews is presenting this excerpt from the new book of interviews with Fidel Castro on this topic which is always of such interest to so many people. Fidel has given two previous on-the-record interviews on this subject, in 1992 and 1965. You can find them at the page linked below, which contains a very comprehensive listing of items, links and recommended readings on Cuba and homosexuality... - Homosexuals as the New Niggers (1973). - Critical dialogue: Homosexuality in Cuba (1978). - El manejo de la homosexualidad por la Psiquiatría cubana  (2010, Translation). - El lesbianismo en Cuba (2005, Translation). - Race and sex in Cuba (2007).

Gay Cuba? Not yet! The homophobia of the Castro regime has eased, but queers still suffer discrimination: "Julian Schnabel’s new film, Before Night Falls, dramatises the persecution of gay Cuban writer, Reinaldo Arenas, and reignites controversy over the homophobia of the Castro regime. Peter Tatchell looks at this dark period of Cuba’s history and reveals that while the anti-gay witch-hunts have ceased, gays still suffer discrimination." - Havana Boys: " I found ten Cubans-nine gay men and the mother of one of the men-who agreed to be interviewed about what it’s like to be gay in Cuba today. All agreed to allow me to use their photographs as well as their real names: Julio, Mario, Darvin, Alexander, Javier, Osmany, Alex, Faubel, and Adonis. Despite the potential danger, the agreed to the interview so that their voices could be heard outside of Cuba... Alex: Because of the social system it is hard for us [to be gay], the police are always abusing us because they think that we are not human and they think that they are helping the society. Julio: Everyone looks at us as if we have a sex sign of our faces, and all we want to do is live our lives, to enjoy our life and to be together... We are nobody here, a gay person is nobody. We are not seen as normal."

Gays in Cuba still struggling to find place of their own (2002): "It was the night's clandestine ''floating party,'' reserved for gays. ''Tomorrow the party will be somewhere else,'' said Jose Miguel, a 27-year-old publishing company employee who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of reprisals. ``We have to keep it moving.'' early a decade after the debut of ''Strawberry and Chocolate,'' a landmark film that opened new horizons for gays in Cuba, homosexuals are still struggling to find a place of their own. Literally. Gay discos and clubs are banned under the socialist regime. Gay marches are taboo, and so are gay magazines and gay organizations... ''I think we're accepted by society, but not by government and definitely not by the police,'' he said..." - In Cuba: Young, Gay, Out  and Married Southeast of Havana - Cuban Association of Gays & Lesbians was Founded in 1994 - Anti-Gay Scene Mellowed after Film Strawberry & Chocolate (2001).

Gay Rights and Wrongs in Cuba. - Sexual politics: What do Fidel Castro and Margaret Thatcher have incommon? Jeffrey Weeks explains why many politicians of both Left and Right oppress lesbians and gays. - America's Left and the Double Standard Over Gays in Cuba (2001). - Una visión poco interesada sobre los homosexuales en Cuba (2001, Translation): La cultura homosexual en Cuba pudo haber estado reprimida hace treinta años. ¿Dónde, en qué otro lugar, era diferente en ese tiempo prehistórico? Sin embargo no es verdad hoy. Verdaderamente sería impensable que “Out Magazine” (una revista sobre nuevas tendencias y corrientes) presentara La Habana como “el actual sitio de moda de los homosexuales” si en Cuba hubiera tanta represión como afirman los colegas de Kent..

My Love Affair With A Secret Place (1998?) - by Cleo Manago: "I was anxious to learn for myself what life was like for same-gender-loving people in Cuba. I had heard that Cuba had a particularly "macho" culture and that "gays and lesbians" were not treated very well... According to the same gender loving people I met, there are people who don't agree with or understand homosexuality but what's called "gay" bashing in the U.S. is rare in Cuba. Pablo Milanes, one of the most celebrated musical artist in the country, wrote a popular song in honor and acknowledgment of Cuba's same gender loving people. Cuban homosexuals are not interested in building a separate sexuality based community. This idea is foreign to Cuban consciousness. Often what's called homophobia by "gays" who visit Cuba is cultural imperialism on the part of these "gays" who tend to think the white "Gay Pride" social model should be adopted by all same gender loving people throughout the world. This divisive practice also causes a rift between communities of color and "gays" in the US..."

Personas transexuales demandan apoyo social y familiar  (2011, Translation): Muchas veces incomprendidas en los ámbitos social y familiar, las personas transexuales necesitan del apoyo de sus seres queridos y del entorno comunitario para avanzar en su inserción plena, precisaron en la capital cubana varias de ellas, durante el I Coloquio Internacional Transidentidades, Género y Cultura, celebrado del 9 al 11 de junio de 2010. “Más que una reasignación sexual, que es importante, necesitamos una reasignación social, sentirnos más aceptadas, contar con el apoyo de nuestros familiares”, dijo Wendy Iriepa, una de las transexuales cubanas beneficiadas con las cirugías de readecuación genital que, desde 2008, se realizan en Cuba como parte de la atención integral a personas transexua¬les naturales y residentes en la isla caribeña...

Prostitution and Sex Tourism in Cuba (2001). Cuba in Transition, 11: 356-71. (PDF Download, Alternate Link): "Male prostitution is also present in Havana. In Cuba, unlike in other Caribbean islands such as Jamaica,14 gay men dominate male prostitution. Hustlers and other gay men congregate nightly at the corner of the Cine Yara, in Vedado... Gay prostitution is similar to heterosexual prostitution. Hustlers cater mainly to European men, especially Italians. They charge between $30-$50. They see prostitution as a good way to make money, and generally do not prostitute themselves out of desperation or to support a drug or alcohol addiction... Transvestites are common within the gay community. Some transvestites simply dress in women’s clothes at night. Others are transsexuals, who have had operations to change their gender..." - Notes (in French) on male prostitution in Cuba for tourists - by voyager.com. "La prostitution masculine connaît aussi une augmentation notable au pays. Ce n'est pas une prostitution masculine habituelle, mais plutôt une façon subtile qu'ont certains hommes de soutirer tout ce qu'ils peuvent de leurs conquêtes féminines venues de l'étranger."

The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Country: Cuba). - Controversial gay soap opera grips Cuba (2006). - Cuban gay soap cracks a legacy of hate (2006). - Gay in Cuba; The Dark Side of the Moon (2006). - Gay film cycle inaugurated in Cuba (2004). - El tema gay en el arte cubano (Translation). - Gay Cuba. - Plot summary for Gay Cuba (1996). - Gay Cuba: related article (2007). - Gay Cuba (1997, Review). - GLBTQ: Cuba. - Two Homelands: Cuba and the Night (Dos Patrias: Cuba y la noche): What is life like for gays in contemporary Cuba? In this myth-dispelling film, German director Christian Liffers presents six unforgettable personal stories that underscore the many differences in experience, social status and opinions of gay men in Havana. - From Cuba, where homosexuals fare poorly (2007): Documentary filmmaker Christian Liffers looks at the plight of homosexuals in Cuba in his provocative Dos Patrias Cuba y La Noche (Two Homelands, Cuba and the Night) showing tomorrow as part of the Providence Latin American Film Festival. - En Miami documental sobre la prostitución homosexual en Cuba (2009, Translation).

Sexuality and the Public Sphere: The previous scene is the opening of the Cuban documentary Mariposas en el andamio (Butterflies on the Scaffold), directed and produced in 1995 by Luis Felipe Bernaza and Margaret Gilpin. Mariposas depicts a gay-identified transvestite movement in the La Güinera neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana by exploring three intertwined narratives: one that observes the transvestites during their performances and backstage, another that depicts La Güinera's transformation from a shanty town to a "model" community development, and a third that explores the subjects' private lives, their families, and the community's reactions to their lifestyles through an interview format. In my analysis of the film, I chose to focus on its more ambiguous and contradictory moments... - "Mariposas en el andamio" contiene el tema "Paloma o Pantera" Cancion de amor - Musica romantica  (YouTube). - Mariposas en el andamio (Google Video). - 'Como el Ave Feníx', la homosexualidad en Santiago de Cuba. Del documental de Guillermo de la Rosa, 2006 (Video). - 'Queda muchísimo camino por andar en la aceptación de la homosexualidad en Cuba'. 'Casa Vieja' recoge los tabúes de la homosexualidad en la sociedad cubana. La cinta está basada en la obra del dramaturgo cubano Abelardo Estorino (2011, Translation).

Homosexuality in Cuban literature (1993). - Cuba's Hammett: Interview with Leonardo Padura Fuentes (2005): Havana Red or Mascaras (Masks) is a complex novel. On one level, it is a well-executed whodunnit about the murder of a transvestite in a Havana park, but, on another, it is an examination of Cuban attitudes towards homosexuality and a revisiting of themes first aired publicly by the 1993 Oscar-nominated film Strawberry and Chocolate - namely the persecution of Cuban artists and writers in the early years of the revolution because they were homosexuals... What is the position of homosexuality in Cuba today? "Fortunately, at the official level, things have changed and today there is more tolerance, although, from time to time, one hears about some crackdown of transvestites or such like. "But, today, to be a homosexual in Cuba is not a political or a social problem. Nevertheless, deep down there is still a problem that is not entirely resolved and that is Cuban machismo, which has profound historic roots. "On the other hand, more and more gays and lesbians are doing as they please. "They live together as couples and they make their sexuality obvious and completely reject the old sexual prejudices." - MA Thesis Prospectus: Queer Cuban Nationalisms (2008). 

Cuba conmemorará centenario de escritor marginado por homosexual (2011, Translation): Cuba saldará una de sus “más grandes deudas” culturales al celebrar el centenario del nacimiento de Virgilio Piñera, uno de sus más importantes escritores, marginado en los años 70 por homosexual, informó el jueves el diario oficial Granma. - La homosexualidad en la literatura cubana (Translation): La homosexualidad es una circunstancia que no ha pasado por alto a lo largo de la historia de las letras, y en ese sentido, Cuba no se ha quedado atrás. - Lauro Vázquez y la literatura homosexual en Cuba (2011, Translation). - Tema homosexual en la literatura cubana de los 80 y los 90: ¿renovación o retroceso? (2007, Translation). - Eros pluralizado o del tratamiento de la homosexualidad en la TV Cubana (2011, Translation).

Estrenan en México documental sobre los homosexuales en la Isla (2006, Translation): Víctor Jaramillo dijo que en principio le llamó la atención la naturalidad con que los niños de 13 ó 14 años aceptaban su homosexualidad o ejercían la prostitución.

Arguelles L, Rich R (1984). Homosexuality, Homophobia, and Revolution: Notes toward an Understanding of the Cuban Lesbian and Gay Male Experience, Part I. Signs, 9(4): 683-699. PDF Download.

De La Torre, Miguel (1999). Beyond Machismo: a Cuban Case Study. The Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, 19, 213-33. Internet Availability: Full Text. Full Text. "To tell a man not to be a maricón, also means "don't be a coward." Cuban homophobia differs from homophobia in the United States. We do not fear the homosexual; rather we hold him in contempt for being a man who chooses not to prove his manhood. Unlike North Americans, where two men engaged in a sexual act are both called homosexuals, for Cubans only the one that places himself in the "position" of a woman is the maricón. Only the one penetrated is labeled loca (crazy woman, a term for maricones).[13] In fact, the man who is in the dominant position during the sex act, known as bugarrón, is able to retain, if not increase, his machismo."

The culture of gender and sexuality in the Caribbean - 2003 - edited by Linden Lewis (Amazon). See:  Queering Cuba: Male Homosexuality in the Short Fiction of Manuel Granados - by Conrad James. Book Review. Book Review.

Guerra, Lillian (2010). Gender policing, homosexuality and the new patriarchy of the Cuban Revolution, 1965-70. Social History, 35(3): 268-289. PDF Download.

Larson, Scott (2005). Gay Space in Havana. In: Changing Perceptions, Emergent Perspectives, Chapter 6, pp. 64-77. PDF Download. PDF Download.

Morad M (2008). 'Invertidos' in Afro-Cuban Religion. Gay & Lesbian Review, 15(2): 26-28. PDF Download.

Morad M (2006).Male Homosexuality, Transvestism and Cross-Gender Manipulation in Cuban Santería. Word Download.

Ocasio, Rafael (2002). Gays and the Cuban Revolution: The Case of Reinaldo Arenas. Latin American Perspectives, 29(2): 78-98.  PDF Download.

Negrón-Muntaner, Frances (2008). «Mariconerías» de Estado: Mariela Castro, los homosexuales y la política cubana. Nueva Sociedad, 218: 163-179. PDF Download. Translation.

Peña, Susana (2007). "Obvious Gays" and the State Gaze: Cuban Gay Visibility and U.S. Immigration Policy during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 16(3): 482-514.  PDF Download.

Strongman, Roberto (2006). Gay Human Rights in Cuba: Exile, Hegemony and Liberation in Reinaldo Arenas's La Vieja Rosa and Arturo, La Estrella Más Brillante. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, 15(3): 355-367. PDF Download. Download Page.  At its broadest and most ambitious, this paper strives to resolve the problematic political situation in which the discourse of human rights is appropriated by the hegemony of industrialized capitalist states in order to de-legitimize Third World regimes that refuse to submit to and be dominated by the economic, political and cultural ideologies of these industrial superpowers. For the sake of keeping to the more realistic goals that a paper of this length requires, my study will concentrate on one particular case – that of the Euro-North American moral attack on Cuba’s record on gay rights – which, because of its recent history and topical nature, provides a fresh and clear example of this larger practice.

Resource Links: - The Gully: Gay Cuba Articles Listing. - Lesbian-Gay-Bi-Sexual-Transgender issues in Cuba: An ongoing webliography. - Search GayToday.com Archives. - LGBT CUBA: Exploring island lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Global Gayz: Caribbean: Cuba. Cuba News Reports from 1997 to the Present. - Gay Cuba - Changing. - Gay Cuba 1997-2002. - ILGA: Cuba. - LGBT rights in Cuba. - Sodomy Laws. - The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Cuba.

FRee Forum Online (Numerous Articles): No. 1 choice in the fight against AIDS, for men who have sex with men (MSM) and Gay communities in the Caribbean (To 2009). - FRee Forum Issues: #1: Pride 2002. - # 2: World AIDS Day, 2002. - #3: Carnival 2003. - #4: Pride 2003. - #5: World AIDS Day 2003. # 6: Carnival 2004.  - #7: Prde 2004.  #8: World AIDS Day 2004. - # 9: Pride 2005. - # 10: Pride 2005: Advocacy & Human Rights in the Caribbean. - # 11: World AIDS Day 2005: Keeping the Promise. - # 12: What's Your Position: Caribbean Men & HIV. - # 13: Pride 2006. - # 14: World AIDS Day 2006. - # 15: Health & Social issues for the Men who have Sex with Men Communities in the Caribbean. - # 16: Pride 2007. - # 17: World AIDS Day 2007. - # 18: Carnival 2008. - # 19: Pride 2008 - United by Pride = Bound by Equity.  - # 20: Treatment and Care 2008. - # 21: Prevention 2009: Steps Toward Personal Change.  - # 22: Human Rights & Advocacy: Chances to Change, 2009.

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Caribbean: - Cuba. 

Blabbeando Blog: Latin American GLBTQ News / Commentaries: 2005 to Present.

Books: - Machos, Maricones, and Gays: Cuba and Homosexuality - 1996 - by Ian Lumsden (Review) (Review) (Review) (Review) (Amazon). - Gay Cuban Nation - 2001 - by Emilio Bejel. (About the Author) (Abstract) (Review) (Review) (Review) (Google Books) - Sexual Politics in Cuba: Machismo, Homosexuality, and AIDS - 1994, 1999 - by Marvin Leiner (Review) (Review) (Review) (Review) (Review). - Unmasking lesbian Cuba: (Alternate Link) "Exiled Cuban novelist Zoé Valdés talks about Dear First Love, her tough [2002] novel of passionate women in Castro’s Cuba (Excerpt) (Review) (Review). - Faces, Bodies, Personas: Tracing Cuban Stories - 2008 - by Babak Salari (Review: So to be gay on the enigmatic island is to enter into the realm of the outsider’s outsider, a netherworld of sexual and identity politics where merely waking up can become an existential journey. For sure, the days when homosexuality was considered a crime by the eager social engineers of the revolution are long gone. ). - Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles - 2008 - edited by Thomas Glave (Interview with editor) (Review) (Review) (Google Books).

JAMAICA (Wikipedia):  - Jamaica’s “Violent Homophobia” (2011). - First-Ever Legal Challenge to Jamaica’s Anti-Gay Laws (2011). - Jamaica Wants Unconditional Love for Gays (2011). - Gay and lesbian Jamaicans find refuge in NYC from persecution back home (2011). - Jamaica's gays flee homophobia, seek asylum in U.S. (2011). - Courageous Jamaican Gleaner Editorial Stands Up For Gays & Lesbians In Jamaica Says Discrimination Must End!!! (2011). - I love my gay son (2011). - Gay Jamaican Men Practice Christianity Underground Due To Homophobia In Jamaica!!! (2011, Video). - Jamaican lesbian wins appeal to stay in UK (2011). - Jamaican lesbian threatened with ‘corrective rape’  (2011). - “Out and bad”? The politics of homosexuality in Jamaica (2011). - Jamaica's attitude towards homosexuality is supposed to be moving towards providing equality before the law. So would Bruce Golding ever appoint a homosexual to his Cabinet? (2008, YouTube). - Jamaicans weigh in on rejection of gay ad (2011): JAMAICANS have expressed mixed views about a decision by Television Jamaica (TVJ) not to air a public service announcement (PSA) encouraging tolerance for the island's homosexuals. - Homosexualidad en Jamaica (Wikipedia, Translation). - The Status of Homosexuals in Jamaica (2008)

Big Blow for homeless/displaced MSMs in Western Jamaica (2011): Another big blow was dealt to the Jamaican GLBTQ community this time in Montego Bay western Jamaica as a controversial police raid involving more than 20 officers some with badge numbers covered happened on Sunday morning of February 20th around 2am at a popular lgbt entertainment spot, this coming on the heels of another mainstream exotic club in Kingston being raided by cops where an exotic dancer was raped by five officers of the law who are sworn to protect and serve... - Jamaican gay bar raided (2011). - Homophobic Violence on the Increase in Jamaica - J-FLAG (2011). - Oppression in paradise: Homosexuality and homophobia in Jamaica (2010).

Jamaica Calls For 'Unconditional Love' of Gay Citizens (2011): Progressive Jamaicans are urging other people in their country to be accepting of their LGBT family members in a new series of public service announcements launched by advocacy group J-FLAG, Jamaica Forum of Lesbian, All-Sexuals, and Gays. The current ad features Christine Straw, former Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe, along with her gay brother Matthew. - Watch The Anti-Homophobia Ad Running On Jamaican TV (2011). - Gay TV advert angers clerics: ‘Part of a wider plan by militant homosexuals to desensitise Jamaicans’ (2011): . - BBC Hard Talk: Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding Spreads Homophobia Against Gay & Lesbian Jamaicans!!! (2011). - J-FLAG welcomes JCF's withdrawal of homo-criminals claim (2011): The local gay community has expressed pleasure at the Police High Command's withdrawal of Senior Superintendent Fitz Bailey's recent controversial claims about links between homosexuals and organised crime.

First Ever Jamaica Gay Pride - 2010. - Anti-Gay Mobs Nowhere to Be Seen at Jamaica's First Pride (2010). - Gay Rights Activist Killed in Jamaica (2010). - Jamaica's Gay Underground Christians (2010). - Gay protest at Emancipation Park (2010). - Jamaica – LGBT organisation J-FLAG refused permission to host a meeting in Jamaica Pegasus Hotel (2010). - There are no gay pride parades in Jamaica (2009). - Jamaican Town Expels Gay Men, Lesbians (2009). - Jamaica: A grim place to be gay (2009). - Jamaica PM: Strict Laws Against Gays Still Stands (2009). - Fear and Loathing in Jamaica (2009): Jamaica is a land of contrasts. Tourists from around the world fly to tranquil, opulent resorts offering sugar white sand and all you can eat and drink getaways, while Jamaicans struggle in a flailing economy and increasing public instability. Jamaica has also had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years and the LGBT community gets hit hard with this violence. The simple reality is that the vast majority of LGBT Jamaicans cannot be publicly out and physically safe. - More Tour Dates Canceled for ’Homophobic’ Jamaican Singer (2009). - Jamaican Anti-Gay 'Murder Music' Heard by Millions in the US (2010). - Murder Music (2010): Jamaica’s dancehall music is being blamed for the country’s violent attacks on gays. But there are many who don’t see the music as homophobic, only the battle cry of a changing nation.

Nelson CA (2008). Lyrical assault: dancehall versus the cultural imperialism of the north-west. Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, 17: 231-278. PDF Download.I would go to Jamaica, but there is so much “gay-bashing.” For the first time in my life, I was ashamed to be Jamaican.

Jamaican Gay Rights Activist Seeks Assylum in Canada (2008): Gareth Henry is a prominent gay rights activist in Jamaica, yet after the murder of 13 friends in the past four years, is seeking refuge status in Canada. - Gay Jamaican cop eyes asylum in Canada (2008). - Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays (2008). - Homosexuality in Jamaica: The Views, The Harsh Realities (2008). - The Caribbean's first Gay & Lesbian Social Network launches from Jamaica (2008): Rainbowvibes.com. - Anti-gay violence defies laid-back image of Jamaica (2008). - Jamaican Bishop: “I will fight homosexuality and lesbianism with every fiber of my being!” (2007). - Jamaican gay leader escapes lynching (2007): Four men narrowly escaped being lynched by a homophobic mob in Kingston, Jamaica, on Valentine's Day, last Wednesday, 14 February 2007. A crowd of around 200 people besieged the men in a pharmacy in the Tropical Plaza shopping centre, abusing them with anti-gay taunts and threats to kill them.

Upsetting the Balance » Why Many Gay Jamaicans Reject Change-Activism (2011): This is a continuation of the post “Oh, to be a queen! Let’s Be Real.” Over the weekend, I engaged with a few other gay and lesbian Jamaicans who criticized ‘flamboyant gay men’ and ‘butch lesbians’ for making the ‘rest of us’ look bad, and for misleading people to think that everyone in the gay community is as deviant(?). Sigh. One gay man even told me that “people like [me] who are out don’t understand the need for discretion.” This boy doesn’t want to be defined by his sexuality, and so he will not present himself in a way that marks him as homosexual. (I chuckled as the four of us walked home together, because I’m not sure where any of them got the idea that they could pass for straight.) Someone also mentioned that it is necessary to respect Jamaican society and cultural values. Of course, by this point I was about to explode. Why should we respect a cultural standard that renders us outcasts? What is so wrong with challenging hegemony? - Video: The two faces of Jamaican gay life (2011). - Conference aims to facilitate informed opinion on sexuality in Jamaica and the Caribbean (2011).

The Status of Homosexuals in Jamaica (2008). - 'Gay Eradication Day' imposed by Jamaican town (2009). - University thesis seeks to explain homophobia in dancehall reggae (2009). - Gay Jamaican officer speaks out (2008): A Jamaican police officer says he's living in fear after coming out as a gay man and hopes to come to Canada where he can safely speak up on behalf of other gay Jamaicans. Michael Hayden, who has been on the police force for four years, said other officers routinely attacked and abused him after becoming suspicious of his sexual orientation.But after speaking out publicly about the problem in The Jamaica Star newspaper this month, the 24-year-old Hayden said he began receiving death threats... - Jamaica: Amnesty International condemns homophobic violence (2007).

To be gay in Jamaica "to be dead" (2007): Amnesty International has publicly condemned recent episodes of violence in Jamaica, the latest at a church on Easter Sunday, against people who are perceived to be gay.- Jamaica To Appoint Civilian Monitor In Gay Murder Probe (2005). - Four Arrested In Gay Jamaican AIDS Worker Murder (2003). - The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? (2006) Brian wears sunglasses to hide his gray and lifeless left eye—damaged, he says, by kicks and blows with a board from Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton. Brian, 44, is gay, and Banton, 32, is an avowed homophobe whose song Boom Bye-Bye decrees that gays "haffi dead" ("have to die"). - ‘I Have Not Been Accepted By My Family’: What it's like to grow up gay in Jamaica, where bigotry is widespread (2007, Alternate Link). - Jamaica gay attacks spur attack on rationality (2007). - A Bashing in Jamaica (2007): This is hatred. Set someone apart. Make them “other.” Make them less than human. This is where it leads. This is what it looks like. Warning: The images and video below the fold are disturbing and violent. - Gay rights and wrongs (2007). - Exploding homosexual myths (2007). - Another trial, more gay violence allegations (2006): RJR94FM radio is reporting tonight that Donald "Zeeks" Phillips, who is on trial for the alleged killings of two men in Kingston, is denying that he is a gay man, or that he killed the two men, much less that he forced the two men to "commit homosexual acts before he murdered them."

Jamaica, Island of Hate (2006). - Jamaica's Queer Obsession (2005): Is it all that's holding the country together? Google the words "gay" or "homosexual" at the daily national Jamaica Observer and you'll find articles like "Help! my man is bi-sexual" or "Emergency! My girlfriend/wife is a lesbian." Letters to the editor regularly claim in graphic, overwrought terms that homosexuals are destroying Jamaica. Even when the concerns of LGBT people are reported, activists are often lampooned. The relentlessly hostile media reinforces the homophobia on the street, where queers face everything from taunts to machetes. - Gay rights activists clash over tackling Jamaican homophobia (2005). - Anti-Gay Climate Breeding Violence in Jamaica (2005): Fatal attacks, popular song lyrics and a human rights report spotlight the Caribbean island's hostile attitude toward homosexuality.

Jamaica, global transformation and the gay lobby (2007): Opposition Leader Bruce Golding would have surprised no one with his assertion in yesterday's Sunday Observer that his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will not attempt to remove Jamaica's anti-gay laws should they win political power in the upcoming elections. Any such attempt at this juncture in Jamaica's history would be tantamount to political suicide. The anti-homosexual sentiment among Jamaicans and much of the Caribbean runs across all social classes and all sectors. It is deeply ingrained - embedded in our culture and traditions. - “Battybwoys affi dead”: Action against homophobia in Jamaica (2004). - Batty Boy (Wikipedia). - HIV/AIDS Risk Mapping Study of Men Who Have Sex With Men in Jamaica (2003).

Reggae singer backs gay rights: Rastafarian tells The Voice why he has released reggae’s first pro gay album (2011): A US based singer has decided to taken on broken one of reggae’s biggest taboos by making an album that supports gay rights. Jamaican-born Mista Mahaj P, who lives in Oakland, California, released the album called Tolerance last month, telling The Voice he did so in a bid to tackle homophobia and hypocritical attitudes about the issue among people in his native Jamaica and elsewhere in the world. He said having lived away from Jamaica for years, he decided to “set the record straight” after being barraged by stereotypical comments that wrongly painted all Jamaicans as people who hate gays.. - Homophobic Violence on the Increase in Jamaica (2011): More than fifty men and women who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual have faced various human rights violations between January and June. 

"Murder Inna Dancehall" Website (Homophobia in Dancehall Music): "... Rastafarians, followers of the Old Testament, cannot deal with homosexuality, as is true in many other religions. Over the years, the biblical concept has been prominent in their music, but dancehall singers have taken this to a completely new level. They now promote discrimination and violence towards gays and lesbians. When they sing about male homosexuality, they use street terms such as "Mauma Man" (Maama Man), "Fassy Hole" (or simply "Fassy"), "Faggot," "Fishman," "Funny Man," "Freaky Man," "Poop Man," "Bugger Man," and the most commonly used, "Batty Man" (butt man) and "Chi Chi Man" (chi chi, in Jamaica, is the slang for vermin). For women they use: "Sodomite", "Chi Chi Gal" or simply 'Lesbian." I believe the majority of dancehall singers are not Rastafarians,but some seem to be strict followers of the Rasta faith. The Rastafarian movement has evolved into four, main distinct groups over the years: the Orthodox Rasta, the Nyahbinghi Order, the Twelve Tribes Of Israel and the Bobo Shanti. Some say that homosexuality is a Babylonian disease brought to the Caribbean by the white conquerors, and that it must be eradicated. They condemn it, as expressed by Judgement Day, to be thrown in fire. The Bobo Shanti seem to be the group that have the strictest views on homosexuality, and the way to deal with it. The Bobo Shanti, which include popular dancehall singers such as Sizza, Capleton and Anthony B, condemn everything that doesn’t go along with their beliefs: “Fire pon politicians, Fire pon Vatican, Fire pon chi chi man...” Singers defend themselves in interview by saying that it’s a "spiritual fire." Jamaican strong homophobia can be partly explained by the following factors: a society in which the majority of the population live in extreme poverty, and in which religion and machismo are very prevalent..." - Jamaica: Reggae Stars Renounce Homophobia (2007). - Top Jamaican singers have signed a deal to renounce homophobic hatred and halt 'murder music' - but do they really mean it? (2007). - Reclaiming Jamaica's gay past: cross-dressing pirate heroes and gay-friendly reggae gods -- true Caribbean culture contradicts the homophobia of dancehall music (2005).

Anti-Gay Reggae Performer Charged In Hate Attack (2005). - Murder Music Campaign Suspended as Truce Offered to Gay Activists (2005): The campaign against music that incites violence towards lesbian and gay people could be on the verge of halting today, after organisers agreed to a new partnership with representatives of the reggae industry. - ‘Murder Music’ Star Jailed (2005). - Stay Out of Our Bedrooms! Homosexuals Weigh in on Gay Debate (2004): Members of Jamaica’s homosexual community have added their voice to recent calls for the island’s buggery laws to be repealed, saying Jamaicans are being hypocritical on the issue. “We really are a very sexual nation, just like anybody else, and we have everything here,” said a Jamaican lesbian who writes poetry and stories under the name Adreana Ingram. “Jamaicans are privately tolerant and publicly intolerant because they have to save face. I am just sick and tired of the hypocrisy.” - Lesbian Activists in Jamaica Tell Horror Stories (2005, Alternate Link). - Jamaican juggernaut: the new cochair of Jamaica's only gay rights group says he isn't deterred by his country's abusive police and angry mobs (2005).

Murder Inna Dancehall: DAVID AUERBACH CHIFFRIN (general secretary for An Nou Alle!, a LGBT organisation for Martinique, Guadeloupe & French Guyana)
LGBT people from the French overseas territories or from sub-saharan Africa are particularly exposed to homophobia (and to hatreds associated with transxexualism or AIDS), as well as to sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of suicide for the following reasons. (1) The machismo and sexism current in society; (2) Pressure from extended families; (3) Religious commentaries derived from a literal reading of the Bible or Koran; (4) Political commentaries claiming that minority sexual (or gender) orientations were perversions introduced by former colonists or slave-owners; (5) Taboos surrounding the mere mention of sex and sexuality; (6) The need for scapegoats; (7) Racism, which affects every LGBT people of color. (the following text in French by the same author is more profound analysis of homophobia in the Caribbean). [French text translated by Google]. - Le Dance-Hall aux Antilles : Entre homophobie et mysogynie  (2006, Translation).

Amnesty International (Caribbean) removes paper documenting Jamaican anti-gay violence in early 2000 (2011): In January 2004, around 30,000 people attended a huge stage show and Rastafarian celebration, Rebel Salute, in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Some of Jamaica's most celebrated artists were present. Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or "battybwoys" they urged the audience to "kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem... who want to see dem dead put up his hand" (kill them, gay men have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand). Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, TOK, and Capleton are amongst the stars who have written lyrics variously urging the shooting, burning, rape, stoning and drowning of gay people. From Buju Banton's Boom Bye Bye, which threatened "batty boys" with "ah gunshot in ah head", to Beenie Man's "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays" to Babycham & Bounty Killer's "Bun a fire pon a kuh pon mister fagoty, Ears ah ben up and a wince under agony, Poop man fi drown a dat a yawd man philosophy" (Burn gay men, til they wince under agony, gay men should drown, that's the yard man's philosophy), the exhortations to kill and maim seem to know no bounds....

HRW (2004). Hated to Death: Homophobia, Violence and Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Human Rights Watch, 16(6) (B). PDF Download. On June 9, 2004, Brian Williamson, Jamaica’s leading gay rights activist, was murdered in his home, his body mutilated by multiple knife wounds. Within an hour after his body was discovered, a Human Rights Watch researcher witnessed a crowd gathered outside the crime scene. A smiling man called out, “Battyman [homosexual] he get killed!” Many others celebrated Williamson’s murder, laughing and calling out, “let’s get them one at a time,” “that’s what you get for sin,” “let’s kill all of them.” Some sang “boom bye bye,” a line from a popular Jamaican song about killing and burning gay men... Homophobia in Jamaica and its role in driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic: Violence against men who have sex with men, ranging from verbal harassment to beatings, armed attacks, and murder, is pervasive in Jamaica.13 Physical attacks against gay men and men perceived to engage in homosexual conduct are often accompanied by expressions of intent to kill the victim, such as “Battyman fi dead” [gay men must die].14 They are reluctant to appeal to the police for protection, as police routinely deny them assistance, fail to investigate complaints of homophobic violence, and arrest or detain men whom they suspect of being gay. In some cases, the police attack them and promote homophobic violence by others...

The bodies of two Jamaican women, who were allegedly having a lesbian relationship, were found in a ditch last week (2006). - They were lesbians: Was it Forbidden Love between lesbians that cost two young women their lives? Statements to the police and evidence at the murder scene of two women in their 20s strongly suggests this. - Jamaica waits on lesbian murder investigation (2006). - Lesbian Murder in Jamaica *2006). - Anti-gay action gets reaction: Sandra Rodrigues and her girlfriend, Stephanie Perez, were denied service at the Tedeschi’s at 684 Centre St. last month, for displaying affection too openly for the store clerk’s taste... A representative from Tedeschi’s told the Gazette last week the organization has investigated the incident and taken “appropriate action.” - Gay Congregation Sparks Threats in Jamaica: A Florida clergyman from a church that has founded a gay and lesbian congregation in Jamaica appeared recently as a radio guest on Caribbean radio station WAVS AM 1170, only to be met with threats from Jamaican callers-including one warning that he risked a bullet through the head should he return to Jamaica. - Jamaican Lesbian Denied Asylum (2007). - Report on Persecution of Sexual Minorities in Jamaica (2003, PDF Download).

Jamaica, beware of homosexual backlash (2007): Whether Jamaica likes it or not, the homosexual issue is very much on the nation's agenda, and we had better pay close attention. The past week, the media carried the story of a Canadian group that decided to cancel its conference in Jamaica because of our buggery laws, citing its concern for the safety and well-being of it members in light of public attacks against homosexuals. - Anti-Gay Jamaica Gets Bad Press (2007). - MCC Responds to Escalation of Anti-Gay Violence in Jamaica (2007). - Trade Unions Urge End To Gay Persecution in Jamaica at Cardiff Mardi Gras (2007). - Troubled island (2006): In Jamaica, where politicians are openly homophobic and song lyrics incite violence against gay people, coming out can be fatal. Gary Younge investigates. - BBC Documentary: Gay in Jamaica (2008).

Large number of gay cops (2007): Like their counterparts in many other parts of the world, Jamaican cops are learning to live with a large and growing number of gay and lesbian colleagues, in a profession known to be typically hard on homosexuals. - Jamaican Police Fire Teargas Into Mob Attacking 'Gay Men' (2007): Three men who had bleached out their faces and wore in tight jeans and cut-off shirts were cornered in a drug store for more than an hour by several dozen men yelling homophobic remarks. The crowd swelled to more than 2,000 people the Kingston Observer reports. As the mob became more threatening, there were yells of "kill them" along with gay slurs and demands the three be sent out "to face justice"... "Jamaica has lost its way if men think they can openly flaunt being gay without any consequences. We don't want that kind of open gay life in this country," the she said. - Gay leader escapes St. Valentine's Gay Lynch Mob (2007): A St. Valentine’s Day homophobic lynch mob of more than 200 in the Kingston, Jamaica suburb of St. Andrew’s Parish chased and assaulted three men presumed to be gay and threatened to kill them -- and the leader of the gay rights organization J-FLAG (Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays) was repeatedly and viciously assaulted by police when he went to the aid of the three alleged homosexuals targeted by the angry mob.

Jamaican Students Riot, Try To Kill Gay Student (2006). - Jamaican extricated from anti-gay mob (2006): A young Jamaican man is in police custody after being targeted in an anti-gay attack at the University of West Indies campus. The man, whose name has not been released, allegedly approached a student Tuesday evening on campus and made sexual advances. A group of students gathered and began attacking the man, and reportedly chased and hurled rocks at him. - The state of Jamaican homosexuality: fear or disgust? (2006) - Jamaican Bishop (2007): "I will fight homosexuality and lesbianism with every fiber of my being!" - In Jamaica, fatal attacks push homophobia into the open (2005). - Revisiting My Ugly Reaction (2006): Being called gay [a battyman] in Jamaica is one of the worst things that someone can be accused of (2006).. - Land of Reggae and Homophobia: Jamaica's intolerant attitude toward gays runs counter to its unofficial motto, 'No problem, mon.' - Homophobia in Jamaica (2005).

Growing up gay in Jamaica (2004): The homophobic lyrics of Jamaican reggae stars have hit the headlines, but what is the reality of being gay in a society where it is illegal to practise your sexuality? - Recreational lesbianism in Jamaica: but humour aside most of the jamaicans that i spoke with adopted a 'live and let live' philosophy on the whole gay/lesbian issue. although nearly always paraphrased with "as long as they don't try it on with me". - Reclaiming Jamaica's gay past: cross-dressing pirate heroes and gay-friendly reggae gods—true Caribbean culture contradicts the homophobia of dancehall music.

Dangerous Spots for Gay Travel: Interview with David Kirby (1999). - Grave violencia contra homosexuales (2004, Translation). - Gays Living in Fear (2004). - If You’re Gay in Jamaica, You’re Dead (2004, Alternate Link). - Jamaica's Gays: Protection from Homophobes Urgently Needed, Mob Violence/Police Torture Reported by Amnesty International, Gay Men and Lesbians are Being Beaten, Cut, Burned and Shot (2004). - Amnesty International wants Jamaica to protect gays (2004).  - MTV bars Beenie Man as gays plan protest (2004). - One love? Uproar over anti-gay lyrics stirs controversy in the birthplace of reggae (2004). - Black Gays Should Stop Beenie Man (2004). - Casting the first stone! Policing of Homo/Sexuality in Jamaican Popular Culture (Abstract: PDF Download). - Jamaica: Queer in a Culture of Violence: Cops are deadly, politicians corrupt, the people poor, but musicians sing, "Kill the fags, burn the sissies." (2003).

Leading gay rights activist found murdered in Jamaica (2004). - The Death & Light Of Brian Williamson (2004). - Slain Jamaican gay leader honoured in London (2004). - Do We Forget Before We Remember? (2004). - PM Patterson accused of collusion with anti-gay violence (2004). - Gay rights activist's killer gets life (2006). - Father encourages students to maul 'gay' son at Dunoon Technical High School (2004): "In notoriously homophobic Jamaica gay men can hardly expect protection even from their parents - as was made very clear recently. A father, concerned that his son might be gay, turned up at the Dunoon Park Technical High School in east Kingston and apparently encouraged other students to beat the boy, an eleventh grader. "Them bruck up desk and bench and beat him up badly," one Dunoon student told the Observer. "Him get nuff lick, box, kick and thump from boy and girl." The boy's name was withheld by school officials and the extent of his injuries was not immediately known. But whatever they were, it would have been worse were it not for the intervention of ancillary staff. According to students and teachers at the school, the boy's father apparently found pictures of nude men in the boy's school bag..." -  Chilling Call to Murder as Music Attacks Gays: Jamaican rights activist's death is officially said to be motivated by robbery, but campaigners point to pop-fueled homophobia (2004).

Jamaica: Homophobic Atmosphere Grows Fierce (1999). - Jamaica: Big Tourist Dollar Loss in Store for Bigots (1999). - Jamaican Church Leaders Protest Gay Pop Group N/A. - Caribbean Bishops Oppose Jamaica Proposal on Gays (2001). - Jamaica is the most hostile island toward homosexuals in the Caribbean. - Jamaica: Gays Fighting to Get out of the Closet N/A  - "Paradise" Can Be an Ordeal for Gays (1999). - Jamaica says will not abolish ban on homosexuality (1998). - Doctor makes case for legalising homosexuality, prostitution N/A (2002). - Jamaica: Accounts of Anti-gay Violence: Lesbians and gay men describe harassment, assaults, and murder (2003, Alternate Link). - Gays gain ground (2003). - Violence Forces Gay Jamaican Men to Seek Asylum Overseas (2002). - Paradise Lost: Struggling to be gay in the land of 'one love' (1999). 

Jamaican Bishops Protest Civil Rights Reform (2001): "Roman Catholic bishops in the Caribbean have protested against recommendations that Jamaica decriminalize sex between consenting  adult males, calling such behavior immoral..." - 'I was born this way' (2001).  - Gays in Jamaica - Sexual orientation: Is there a conclusion? (2001). - Bisexual woman struggles with identity (2001). - Homophobia remains high: Gays remain in seclusion, health officials worry Homophobia (2001). - Homos at risk (2001): " Homosexuals are increasingly becoming the targets of hate crimes in Jamaica but are afraid to press charges against their assailants for fear of bringing attention to their lifestyle." - Homosexuality to remain illegal in Jamaica N/A (2002). - Taking a Stand Against Homophobic Violence (2001). 

Fear Among Gay Men Said to Fuel HIV/AIDS Cases (2002): "High levels of discrimination and the threat of violence force male homosexuals to ''fit in" by having sex with women, increasing the risk of females becoming infected with HIV, says Yitades Gebre, head of the national HIV programme." - Anti-gay hate fuels Jamaica HIV crisis (2004). - A Cultural approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and care: Jamaica's Experience (1999, PDF Download). - Jamaica at the Crossroads (2002). - HIV and HTLV-I infection among homosexual and bisexual men in Kingston, Jamaica (1989). - Speaking out: sexual minorities in Jamaica use panel presentations to educate the public (2004): Violent homophobia permeates Jamaican culture. Discrimination exists with impunity. Under these conditions, the MSM population remains hidden and aloof. Most LGBT people assume a heterosexual lifestyle for public consumption, but pursue same-sex relationships in private. They routinely fail to disclose their orientation to health care providers. As a result, appropriate healthcare cannot be administered, placing the entire public at greater risk of contracting HIV.

Adolescent MSM in Jamaica: HIV Risk, Homophobia, and Gender Stereotypes in Relationships (2006, PPT Download, Alternate Link): UNAIDS report that the prevalence rate for Jamaica in the 15-49 age group is 1.5 [0.8 – 2.4] %. From 1994-1996 the HIV prevalence in major urban areas for men who have sex with men (MSM) ranged from 30% to 67%. - Hated to Death: Homophobia, Violence and Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic (2004, PDF Download). - Homosexuality and HIV/AIDS stigma in Jamaica (Full Text).- Lecturer labels Jamaica as Anti-Gay at AIDS Conference (2008). - Jamaican Laws Against Homosexuality Helps Spread AIDS (2009).

Situational Homosexuality or Behavioral Bisexuality ... a recap ... subsequent discourse so far (2001): With the recent discourse on the issue locally at fora held across the island and a bloggers' lyme I thought I'd repost this important part of the equation often left out on the public discourse on homosexuality in Jamaica, it is also sad to think we have so many gays and lesbians in the psychiatric and psychological communities who are not helping us and by extension the public to understand what are the differences in the same gender loving arena. The open biphobia coming from the lesbian and MSM (men who have sex with men) communities is frightening to me and it deserves some serious interventions if not at least the commencement of the discourse...

Teenage boys and the sex trade - A tragedy in waiting? (2002) "Within Kingston and St. Andrew's fancy houses and hotels, and outside along those daytime busy streets, twilight hides a sombre reality: scores of boys below the age of 19 years, frolicking with men two or three times their age in exchange for money...  He, however, explained that this activity mainly takes place in the Kingston and Montego Bay area, but should not be seen as sex workers in the strict sense. According to him, sex workers are persons whose main occupation is transactional sex.But regardless of whether they are sex workers or not, health workers believe the activities of the boys can cause serious long-term health problems, apart from STIs... "Many are afraid to stop it - some say they are born this way and some are being programmed. We try to counsel them, but it all boils down to money," Nurse Holly Alvaranga of the Glen Vincent Clinic said."

"’Boom Bye-Bye in a Batty Boy Head’: Reggae Icons, Jamaican Culture, and Homophobia." (2001).  - A Culture of Intolerance: Insights on the Chi Chi Man Craze and Jamaican Gender Relations with Julius Powell of JFLAG (2002). - Jamaican pastors say 'no' to gay bishop (2003). - Smile Jamaica: Won’t you help to sing another song of freedom? (2003). - Thomas Glave Speaks at Cooper House (2001): "Author, professor, and social justice activist Thomas Glave spoke about founding the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG) to a standing-room-only crowd at the Cooper House on Friday, February 9th. During his Friday evening discussion, titled "Gay Murder, Race and Class," Glave talked in general terms about life in Jamaica and about the violence gays and lesbians face in the country...." - A Trip Into Gay Jamaica (2004).

Jamaican artistes heckled by gay rights group at Mobo Awards (2002): "Members of the British gay rights group OutRage! who heckled Jamaican artistes in London, Tuesday, also found themselves on the receiving end of some arsh punishment." - Dancehall burning itself (2002): "Homosexuality, rather, anti-homosexuality stances, are raved about on-stage here in Jamaica because it is one surefire way to ensure a 'forward' and earn the screams of the crowd. This sort of thinking is extremely short-sighted and does not serve to provide any sort of longevity for the careers of those involved. In addition, Jamaica's international reputation, which is already beset by exaggerations of violence, is ill-served by such songs." - Homophobia Rife In Jamaica (2002). - Jamaican Gays Fight Back (2002).

Jamaica at the Crossroads (2002): "It's well-known that Jamaican men find using a condom extremely 'un-manly'. Jamaica is also, and this goes for several of the Caribbean countries, a society rich in hypermasculine attitudes and values. A real man has several girlfriends - baby mothers, they are called - and preferably children with all of them. All in all, there is a toughness in Jamaican society, and this is especially true for metropolitan Kingston - for decades a magnet for the unemployed and landless poor. This roughness is also very evident in attitudes towards gays and lesbians. Homosexuality is extremely despised in Jamaica, and there is still a law in force against 'buggery' or anal intercourse, which is used as a weapon to target and harass gays. The buggery law also functions as a formidable obstacle to those who want to limit the transmission of HIV." - Gay boys get a beating. - Welcoming Congregation Resolution Passed: "First Church in Jamaica Plain Unitarian-Universalist took a dramatic step forward in affirming gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals by unanimously passing a resolution to become a "Welcoming Congregation"."

Prison Riot Inquiry in Jamaica Focuses on Gays N/A (1997): "Reuters reports a commission of inquiry looking into riots at Jamaica's two main prisons last August heard yesterday that regular sexual relations between guards and gay prisoners contributed to the three-day melee. The riots at Kingston's General Penitentiary and the St. Catherine district prison in Spanish Town claimed 16 lives between Aug. 20 and 23. All of the 16 prisoners killed in the riots were presumed to be gay." - Over 300 prisoners in St Catherine's District Prison, Spanish Town (2000). - Horror in Jamaica: 16 Men Burned and Stabbed to Death in Anti-Gay Prison Riots (1997). - Background, Homophobia in Jamaica and its role in driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic (2004): In 1997, the mere suggestion that a task force was considering whether condoms should be issued to inmates and staff as part of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in prison prompted a violent rampage and derailed HIV education efforts for years.  After then Commissioner of Corrections John Prescod proposed that condoms be distributed to prisoners and correctional officers, correctional officers—apparently offended by the implication that by distributing condoms they, themselves, were also having sex with men—walked off their jobs.  The officers did not return for several days, until they received an apology from the Commissioner and an agreement that condoms would not be distributed in prisons.  Following the walkout by the correctional officers, inmates at two of Jamaica’s largest prisons rioted.  Sixteen prisoners were killed and more than fifty injured, apparently targeted because other prisoners believed that they were homosexuals. 

Jamaican gays flee to save their lives (2002): "Homophobia runs so deep in society that asylum can be the only chance of survival... Last week, it was revealed that David, 26, had been granted asylum in the UK on the basis that homophobia in Jamaica is so severe it represents a serious threat to his personal safety. The fate of gays reveals a deep strain of homophobia in Jamaican society... 'I can't find work - I had to leave my last job when my boss found out - and I can't find a home. It doesn't matter how much you try to hide it. If you are seen in certain places or with certain people, you get branded as gay. Once the torment starts, it never stops... David's experiences are equally terrifying. 'I was walking one night down a road where a lot of gay men go cruising. I was attacked by two men and stabbed. The knife went right through my back and came out my stomach. Two taxi drivers refused to take me to hospital. They told me: "You are a faggot, you cannot come with us or people will think we are gay too." I had to walk a mile to hospital, bleeding all the way. When I got there I had to lie and say I had been robbed otherwise I would not have got any treatment.'" - Jamaicans Win Gay Asylum Right (2002). - Asylum is granted to gay Jamaicans (2002).

White YR, Barnaby L, Swaby A, Sandfort T (2010). Mental Health Needs of Sexual Minorities in Jamaica. International Journal of Sexual Health, 22(2): 91-102. Abstract. PDF. This study examined the prevalence of Axis I disorders and associated risk factors in a sample of sexual minority men and women in Jamaica, a country that is widely known for its high societal rejection of homosexuality. Poor relationships with family, negative or abusive experiences related to one’s sexual orientation, and greater openness about one’s sexual orientation were independent risk factors for Axis I disorders. Prevention of mental disorders in sexual minorities in Jamaica should focus on rebuilding family support and promoting social acceptance of sexual minorities.

On “Judgements”: Poverty, Sexuality-Based Violence and Human Rights in 21st Century Jamaica (By Robert Carr, Published in the Caribbean Journal of Social Work, 2, july 2003, PDF Download): "This article will examine poverty, social justice, human rights, homophobia and violence in contemporary Jamaican society and the relationships among these phenomena.   In the second half of 2002 three gay men were granted asylum in the United Kingdom (UK) on the premise that were they to be deported to Jamaica it would be tantamount to a death sentence (Thompson, 2002).  “Homophobia runs so deep in society” ran the subtitle of a report in The Observer, a UK-based newspaper, “that asylum can be the only chance of survival.”  “More than 30 gay men have been murdered in Jamaica in the past five years” the article continues. The article further reported, “a group of university students were almost beaten to death.” ... Both Royes (1992) and CAREC (2000) documented that many Caribbean MSM in their studies had married, had girlfriends, and had fathered children.  There was a sub-group that identified themselves as “women” and referred to each other as “she” and had sex with men only, but this was a minority (CAREC 2000). A major push factor for bisexual behaviour in men who would otherwise be gay was that homosexuality is so anathematised in the Caribbean, that men who might have otherwise identified as “gay” felt compelled to present themselves as heterosexual to the wider society... Nevertheless, in 2002, a series of articles in the same newspaper found that levels of intolerance remained high, and tied this intolerance to popular songs extolling the masculine virtues of shooting, killing and burning to death homosexual men, all within a context in which laws permit the harassment of effeminate men as common practice (Watson, 2002a; Watson 2002b).  Further, a Gleaner poll undertaken by Don Anderson found that nearly 96% of “all Jamaicans are strongly opposed to any move that would seek to legalise homosexual relations” (Gleaner Poll, 2001)... Methodology: The researcher gathered the data analysed in this study under conditions of privacy and anonymity to compile a series of testimonies.  The first method was through direct interviews.  The objective was to systematically obtain first-hand data about violence experienced within the MSM community... Three focus groups were held with the MSM community at which in participants shared their stories.  One participant was identified through these focus groups and his testimonial was documented.  The material from the focus groups themselves was not analysed for this study, although the information that emerged there supported the findings presented below...." - Testimonies: Prepared By The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) - In Collaboration With Robert Carr, PhD., The Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, University of the West Indies: PDF Download (2003).

Cooper, Carolyn (2005). Sweet & Sour Saucw: Sexual Politics in Jamaican Dancehall Culture. The Sixth Jagan Lecture Presented at York University on October 22, 2005. CERLAC Colloquia Paper. PDF Download. In this paper, Carolyn Cooper explores sexual politics in Jamaican dancehall culture, arguing transgressively for the freedom of women to claim a self-pleasuring sexual identity that may even be explicitly homoerotic. She analyzes particular contemporary music and movements of Jamaican women in dancehalls, and explores the credentialising of sexual orientation in Jamaican culture.

Murray, David AB (2005). Who's Right? Human Rights, Sexuality and Social Change in the Caribbean. Salises Seminar Series No. 6. PDF Download.  Furthermore, I think there are problems inherent in the language of some international human rights organizations’ reports in their tendency to over-simplify and misrepresent what are in fact complicate and contested issues and experiences grounded in different political, historical and cultural contexts. For example, when the HRW report speaks of a ‘culture of homophobia or hatred’ in Jamaica, it does a disservice to many Jamaicans who are supportive, neutral or non-committal in their attitudes towards homosexuality, nor does it address how sexual behaviour or the relationships between sexuality, gender, private and public domains, race and class operate differently in different spaces and places across Jamaica. Or to put it slightly differently, the report shoots itself in the foot through its uniform condemnation and oversimplification of Jamaican society, and its implication that solutions must be imposed according to supposedly ‘international’ standards of human rights.

Lewis RA, Carr R (2009). Gender, sexuality and exclusion: Sketching the outlines of the Jamaican popular nationalist project. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, 3. PDF Download. Abstract: “Inevitably, the underprivileged carve out for themselves spaces which they hegemonise”. - Figueroa, 1998. -- In recent years, with some notoriety, there has been a vibrant debate in Jamaica over the boundaries and contours of national identity in relation to sexuality and fundamental rights and freedoms. It has involved a broad spectrum of participants, from clergy to dancehall artistes and academics; from journalists and the political elite to the leaders of the private sector. At the heart of the debate lie controversies over what constitutes “Jamaicanness” and what may be tolerated under the category of “rights” within Jamaican society. The debate has been taking place in a context where physical violence against persons deemed to have violated national mores has occurred. Chief among the violators are sexual minorities, portrayed as deviants in a nationalist paradigm that is extensively influenced if not defined by Jamaican popular culture (cf. Human Rights Watch 2004).

Larcher AA, Robinson C (2009). Fighting ‘Murder Music’: Activist Reflections. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Genser Studies, 3. PDF Download. Editor’s Note: Debates about the meanings of, and how to respond to, “murder music” have raged for as long as some forms of Jamaican dancehall have been afforded this tag for their promotion of violence against gays. British gay activist and OutRage! cofounder Peter Tatchell has been a driving force behind efforts to stop production and distribution of music by artists such as Beenie Man, Sizzla and Elephant Man through the “Stop Murder Music” (SMM) campaign, which has since been adopted or supported by over 60 organizations worldwide. SMM and similar campaigns have been championed by some advocates of social justice and denounced by others as “racist” for their representations of black cultures. For this edition of CRGS, I invited two activists who have been engaged in this work to share and explain their experiences with and points of view of Murder Music campaigns: Saint Lucian-born and now Canadian-resident Akim Ade Larcher, who founded the Canadian chapter of SMM, and Trinidad-based Colin Robinson.—Andil Gosine.

Pinnock AMN (2007). “A Ghetto Education Is Basic”: (Jamaican) Dancehall Masculinities As Counter-Culture. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 1(9): 47-84. PDF Download.  Jamaica’s intense homophobia is also explained in such a context. I concur, in this regard, with Hope’s (2004) ‘femiphobia’ thesis where she argues that the construction of the female body is a key part of how Dancehall defines its concepts of masculinity. Both are inter-related. This is synonymous with Dancehall’s own brand/definition of the Jamaican ‘nation’ wherein “femaleness” is considered a dangerous ‘state of affairs’. Accordingly, the “punaany” (vagina) has to be conquered as a demonstrable way of mastering sex and sexual knowledge and power in the wider society... The validity of the criticisms of the ghetto, therefore, is revealed as questionable in such an instance, as it makes, too obvious (apparently) the ways in which one is related to the other. Discretion, therefore, is a far more useful tool for negotiating such delicate transactions, as far as this reading of the controversial TOK hit would seem to suggest. These emasculating monikers – chi-chi man, batty man, fish and others, represent, then, a means of discrediting such men, publicly, as well as whipping up necessary support for their physical and psychic destructionxi...

Jamaica Forum For Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gays Faces Closure (2004): "Fortunately, the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) will continue its efforts, begun in 1998, to promote legal reforms for the protection of sexual minorities, to educate the public about the brutal anti-gay violence and lack of recourse to the law that is an everyday occurrence, and to serve the needs of the gay community through social and educational programming. J-FLAG is at a crossroads, however, and we are faced with closure. In October, we will lose our ability to retain even a single staff member to do the basic work of the organization. Much of our programming is done by volunteers, but we cannot continue to enhance this work without staff. We are therefore appealing to our supporters for assistance to help us raise US$24,000.00 which will cover the salaries of a full-time Programme Director and an Administrative Assistant for the next year. This modest amount will provide critical short-term support as the organization strengthens its successful programming, and focuses more energy on fund-raising activities. Without this support, the following programming is in jeopardy: ...."

‘Queer Islands?’ symposium will offer opportunity to discuss gay, lesbian life in Caribbean literature (2005). - Reading Queer Caribbean Identities: Faizal Deen’s land without chocolate and the Gay Caribbean Canon (2006).

GLBT Caribbean Travel (2011): Even though some of the islands of the Caribbean have a reputation for homophobia (Jamaica is a prime example), for most of the islands, once there are no public displays of affection (PDA), most people look the other way and are generally comfortable and friendly with gay and lesbian travelers... Generally speaking, when traveling in the Caribbean, once gay and lesbian travelers remember the PDA rule and all should be well! ... Jamaica is well known for it's homophobia, but the island does have a thriving gay community and several gay friendly hotels..

Global Gayz: Caribbean: Jamaica. Jamaica News Reports from 1999 to the Present. - Anthony's Story: Gay in Jamaica. - ILGA: Jamaica. - LGBT rights in Jamaica. - Sodomy Laws: Jamaica. - The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Jamaica Not Included.

FRee Forum Online (Numerous Articles): No. 1 choice in the fight against AIDS, for men who have sex with men (MSM) and Gay communities in the Caribbean (To 2009). - FRee Forum Issues: #1: Pride 2002. - # 2: World AIDS Day, 2002. - #3: Carnival 2003. - #4: Pride 2003. - #5: World AIDS Day 2003. # 6: Carnival 2004.  - #7: Prde 2004.  #8: World AIDS Day 2004. - # 9: Pride 2005. - # 10: Pride 2005: Advocacy & Human Rights in the Caribbean. - # 11: World AIDS Day 2005: Keeping the Promise. - # 12: What's Your Position: Caribbean Men & HIV. - # 13: Pride 2006. - # 14: World AIDS Day 2006. - # 15: Health & Social issues for the Men who have Sex with Men Communities in the Caribbean. - # 16: Pride 2007. - # 17: World AIDS Day 2007. - # 18: Carnival 2008. - # 19: Pride 2008 - United by Pride = Bound by Equity.  - # 20: Treatment and Care 2008. - # 21: Prevention 2009: Steps Toward Personal Change.  - # 22: Human Rights & Advocacy: Chances to Change, 2009.

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Caribbean: - Jamaica. 

Blabbeando Blog: Latin American GLBTQ News / Commentaries: 2005 to Present.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (Wikipedia): -  Homophobia 'rife in T&T' (2011). - Homophobia, society effects and way forward (2011). - LGBT Community of Trinidad and Tobago Call for End to Homophobia (2011). - New politics means respect rights of all (2011): Some history was made on Tuesday as a core activist group speaking on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago's gay and transgender citizens held a march in Port of Spain to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Under the banner of the Coalition for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation, (Caiso) participants in that small, quiet demonstration visited Government ministries and delivered messages advancing the cause of constitutional and legal recognition of sexual orientation as a ground of discrimination on par with race, sex, religion and national origin. It's also historic that the Caiso group reported meeting only "a little hostility'' which, optimistically, might signify a progressive public acceptance of the equality rights applicable to all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation. - CAISO Reporting back from Trinidad and Tobago's first IDAHO  (2011). - In Trinidad and Tobago, first pro-gay legislation enacted (2011). - Trinidad and Tobago debates same-sex unions (2011). - Gay debate comes out of the closet (2011): Denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry and enjoy spousal benefits is a violation of the International Convention of Human Rights, head of the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt has said.

Trapped: Homosexuality in Trinidad and Tobago (2011). - Local gays cry discrimination (2011). - Gays bash Govt on same-sex marriage (2011). - Sexual rights are human rights (2011): It is heartening that the question of the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people has been so much in the news since the topic of same-sex marriage was raised in the Senate on February 15, 2011. That discussion in the Upper House came during a debate on the Statutory Authorities Amendment Bill, as senators noted there was a need for discussion of same-sex marriage given that our country does not recognise even common law marriages of people of the same sex. - Trini gets US asylum after gay persecution claim (2011). - Belize Transgender Claims Mistreatment In Trinidad & Tobago (2011). - LGBT in Trinidad and Tobago ask government for equal rights (2011). - About those gay rights (2011). - Homophobic T&T: One Foot in the Closet (2010). - Christian Groups in Trinidad Vow to Fight Homosexuality (2010). - In Trinidad and Tobago, youth and faith join hands to fight homophobia (2010).

It's about homosexuals and the law, not religion (2011): The decriminalisation of homosexuality should have nothing to do with religion, says Dr Gabrielle Hosein, lecturer at the Institute for Gender and Developmental Studies at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine. Hosein said while religious organisations are ready to hold their own positions based on religious texts, those religious positions should not be applied to persons who do not share those religious views. "We are living in a multicultural society, so we need to live in a society where the views of different persons are not necessarily imposed on others," Hosein said in a telephone interview on Thursday. Her comments came one day after Colin Robinson, spokesman for the Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), called on the Government to adopt a policy of equality for all, inclusive of those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community...

Trinidad and Tobago - Amnesty International submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review, 12th session of the UPR Working Group, October 2011: Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons: Homosexual activity is criminalized in Trinidad and Tobago. Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act criminalise “buggery” (punishable with 25 years’ imprisonment when committed by one adult on another) and same-sex sexual intercourse qualifies as “serious indecency” (punishable with 5 years’ imprisonment when committed by same-sex persons of sixteen years of age or more). Also, paragraph 8 (1) (e) of the Immigration Act prohibits entry into Trinidad and Tobago of “prostitutes, homosexuals or persons living on the earnings of prostitutes or homosexuals, or persons reasonably suspected as coming to Trinidad and Tobago for these or any other immoral purposes”. Although these provisions are not enforced, they contribute to creating a discriminatory environment against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.

Gay Sub-Culture in T&T: The Social Network (2011): When you discuss the homosexual community in Trinidad, you are instantly bombarded by the religious mindset of the wider, Trinidadian culture. Some people automatically assume that the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community is full of immorality, promiscuity, sin, parties, drug users, AIDS and STD carriers, and criminals. But what is the LGBT community really like? What makes up this subgroup of our society? Are they really as nefarious, as is portrayed by those on the religious high ground? I took a walk on the wild side to see what the LGBT community was really all about, and it was an eye opener... While most of the groups within this subculture of society are private, restricted and ‘closeted’, there is one group that forges a path away from that ‘closeted’ status – generating public awareness about the needs and issues of the community. This group of brave and motivated individuals is called CAISO, which stands for the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation... While it’s obvious that the gay community in Trinidad is growing, stereotypes still exist, especially the negative ones. Like straight people, gay people don’t just ‘get their freak on’, and, especially since they face way more stigma than other groups, creating their own support systems and lobbying for inclusion in national policies is their attempt to decrease these very stereotypes, and, in some cases, the violence they may face. We all may not agree on what we consider to be socially or morally acceptable where sexuality is concerned, but, as I’ve learnt, everyone’s lifestyle is different, and understanding the various subcultures in our society can help us to look beyond labels, and better understand the human experience.

Stirrings of a new LGBT movement in Trinidad and Tobago (2010): Anthony Morris and Judea Beatrice, study abroad students in Trinidad and Tobago, report on two LGBT rights protests and the potential beginnings of a new movement for The Socialist Worker. - In Trinidad, Putting Gays and Lesbians Lower Than Adulterers and Rapists (2010). - CAISO – seeking equal rights for gays, lesbians (2009): For those who know the anguish, shame and self-loathing that goes with caging your identity in the closet, the organisation Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO) has emerged with the hopes of educating policymakers and pushing for policy reform. CAISO is of the view that the goal of Vision 2020 is obsolete if the Government continues to turn a blind eye to issues of gender identity and sexual orientation. CAISO which was formed a month ago, is one of the many incarnations of organisations representing members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community in the country... - Anti-gay stigma in Trinidad and Tobago (2009).- Trinidad & Tobago’s Jennifer Banks is the New Gay Caribbean USA Queen (2010).

Gay Life in T&T: Many same-gender loving persons have attempted to follow the expectations of their families by trying to suppress their feelings, marrying, having children and generally appearing to be “straight”. This has led to many living double lives, more often than not, great unhappiness, and even suicide especially in the vulnerable teen age years. There are however, several examples of same-sex partnerships, both among male and female homosexuals in Trinidad and Tobago which include balanced parenting and stable and happy families.  Many outwardly open lesbians or gays, or those perceived to be lesbian or gay, have been taunted at school and in social settings. Expressions like ”bullerman”, “faggot”, “zammy”, “dyke”, “…. you rubbin’ donuts?” and of course the Jamaican “battiman”, are common. In the early days it was “Mako” and “Mako Mare”...

Victim of ‘public ridicule’ speaks out: ‘Give gays equal rights’ (2007, Alternate Link):  At 29 YEARS, Kennty Mitchell seems to have everything going for him. He is a striving entrepreneur, a community activist and is involved in a nine-year “common-law” relationship. Yet, he is put down by society and verbally and physically abused by many, including the police. Why? He is homosexual. Mitchell, however, is determined to keep his head up and refuses to be forced into living his life in secrecy and shame...  - A Proud Day (2007): The Archdeacon of Tobago doesn't want Elton John to perform at the Plymouth* Jazz festival. Because he's not a jazz singer? No, because he's gay. And because Trinidad and Tobago is not so great at keeping its laws up to date and has altogether too many religions, there are still laws on the books against sodomy: passed as recently as 1986, the law provides for up to 10 years in prison for homosexual acts between consenting adults (but if you are a minor, and you commit the act, it's only five years... how lenient!).

Elton John faces 'gay church ban' (2007): First it was the liberal Bishop of Chelmsford, John Gladwin. Now Sir Elton John is the latest to be hit by trouble over plans to visit the Caribbean island of Tobago. - Elton 'too gay' for Tobago (2007). - Deacon: Ban Elton John, He'll Make You Gay! (2007) - Gay man taunted by cops gets $28,400 (2007): A 29-year-old self-confessed homosexual has been awarded $28,400 as compensation for being kept naked at a police station for over three hours while police officers ridiculed him about the size of his penis. - 'To-bahg-o' gets blows on VH1: Comedians mock island over Elton John (2007). - Churches fail to ban Elton John from Tobago (2007).

School play deals with family issues (2006):  Diego Martin Government Secondary will be presenting a controversial play entitled Conflicted at the Little Carib Theatre, Woodbrook, from April 21- 23. The play deals with several issues, including adultery, abortion and homosexuality, the latter being the major issue. “But we are not dwelling on the abortion issue because others have done it. The big issue is homosexuality because many plays have not dealt with that,” said script writer Voughn Standford. - Gay life in Trinidad and Tobago is hard (2005).

Privacy rights for sexual orientation calmly take a small step forward in T&T (2011). - Trinidad and Tobago LGBT Community Call for Decriminalization of Homosexuality (2011). -  Gays in TT get legal protection (2004, Alternate Link). - Gays in Trinidad, Tobago granted some legal rights N/A (2004). - Islamic scholar in Trinidad wants antigay "Muslim villages" (2004). - Plan to establish Muslim only villages in Trinidad and Tobago causes outrage (2004). -  Islamic scholar in Trinidad wants antigay "Muslim villages" (2004). - Priest Causes Stir With Safe Sex Remarks (2002). - Trinidad transsexual praised for suing state (2001): In conservative Caribbean, transsexuals fight for rights.

Accused Killer Freed in Trinidad by Homophobic Judges (2002).  - Mahabir-Wyatt defends homosexual 'family' (1998, Must scroll to locate article): "" I don't know why people, immediately, jump on the homosexual relationships." - UNC fatwa (1998, Must scroll to locate article): "The Bill could also spell the end of Brigadier Alfonso's ban on gays in the defence force, and make him think twice before calling them, as he once did, cowards and weaklings..."

In conservative Caribbean, transsexuals fight for rights (2001): "De Souza, who had a sex change operation when she was 19, was recently awarded $5,000 by a High Court judge in an out-of-court settlement to pay for charges of unlawful arrest and police harassment. She is the first transsexual in Trinidad to sue the state for a violation of constitutional rights. Such suits are rare throughout the Caribbean where sexual minorities often stay silent about mistreatment for fear of reprisals..." - Lower the limbo bar: Celebrating diversity takes more than bending over backwards: "As a taste test, Horyzon, a soca band from Trinidad, will perform at Caribbean Pride. Its participation reminds St Clair of the political issues he's addressing. "It's the first time they've been convinced to play in the gay community. They look at it as breaking down a barrier. There's a lot of homophobia in Trinidad, a lot of gay-bashing. It's time to tear down this wall between the gay community and the straight community. We could learn a lot from each other." - Global Circuits: Transnational Sexualities and Trinidad (2001).

HIV and AIDS: The Global Inter-Connection: We are our own worst enemies: "During the early part of the last decade, when the world was just beginning to wake up to the threat of HIV, we in Trinidad were in the later stages of the oil boom years. As one politician proudly announced, money was not a problem for our nation, and neither was anything else, it seemed. When the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed here in 1983, all were among gay men, and everyone, including other gays, assumed that this was just an obscure disease that would not affect them... As long as a person does not flaunt their sexual orientation, society will usually ignore what they do not consider the norm, but the pressure to convert or conform, though often subtle, is unremitting. In Trinidad, even in the best of times, homosexuality is looked upon as an abomination. Anyone considered to be so inclined is condemned as a sinner of the highest order. Gay persons, when confronted, are often asked whether or not they believe in God. The hope is that the answer will be no, because that would supply sufficient reason for their homosexuality... Our society is so homophobic that openness and honesty about one's sexuality can lead to victimization on the job or being expelled from the home, in a society where most unmarried young people live with their parents. In some instances gays have even had their lives threatened by their own parents. People are so insecure about their sexual orientation that they will go to absurd lengths to prove that they are not what others think they are, regardless of whether it is true or not. They are constantly hiding behind a mask, trying to fit into a society that abhors homosexuality. They lie to themselves and believe that by working doubly hard, by overcompensating, they will be loved and respected just like any other members of our society. To avoid being ridiculed, some try whenever possible to associate with heterosexuals..." - Update on the transition from homosexual to heterosexual AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago (1989). - Transmission of HTLV-I and HIV among homosexual men in Trinidad (1987). - Update on the epidemiology of AIDS in Trinidad (1990).

Trinidad and Tobago: HIV/AIDS Situation: Documents to 2009. - Transfiguring Trinidad and Tobago: Queer cultural production, erotic subjectivity and the praxis of black queer anthropology  (2010).

Country Profile: Trinidad and Tobago (2008): “Multiple sexual partners” is cited as the most frequent risk factor for HIV infection. Young women are particularly affected by the epidemic, as female HIV positive cases from 15–29 years of age made up 65% of the total cases for the same age group. According to government reports, there are high HIV prevalence rates recorded from among the high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, injecting drug users and sexually transmitted infection clinic attendees... Current HIV services and programmes are not sensitive towards the most vulnerable populations. There are currently an insufficient number of programmes that target Trinidad and Tobago’s most vulnerable populations (men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, drug users and sexually transmitted infection clinic attendees). - United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in Trinidad & Tobago (UNAIDS) (Word Download): “The Joint United Nations Response to HIV/AIDS”: While the epidemic was initially identified as a disease of homosexual men, HIV/AIDS in the country quickly became rooted in the heterosexual population... As a result or as a combined factor, some segments of the population are even more vulnerable to the infection. Condemning same sex partnering and denying bi-sexuality drive underground men who have sex with men. ‘Formal’, ‘informal’ or transactional sex work is not appropriately addressed because of the taboos that surround this activity. 

The Real Trinidad (1997): I told him I couldn’t remember the last time I had an open discussion about homosexuality, the real reasons as to why so many men feel emasculated enough to bash their wives’ heads in, the self censorship we practice everyday because we are a small society and someone may use something against us, the fact that we are a “matriarchal” society because so many fathers don’t give a damn, and about my belief that marriage is one of the most unnatural institutions even though I practice it... Here then is the real Trinidad. And it took an outsider and an accidental fall of a curtain rod to show it to me."

Trinidad and Tobago's Equal Opportunity Act (1999). - Le Equal Opportunities Act de Trinidad et Tobago (1999). - Song of Trinidad: "This relationship with lies applies to many men growing up gay in Trinidad and Tobago. I've little doubt that living the double life that most must do is what placed me at risk of HIV. My sexual outlets were found in the most unlikely of places, theatre circles, dodgy street vendors, transvestite prostitutes, cruising parks and public toilets. There is no infrastructure set up in my home country to promote discussion among gays, support youths who are coming out, support people with HIV or guide those infected to the limited services. The stigma constitutes unbelievable pressure, a double stigma combining that of being gay with that of Aids." - Coming out in Trinidad & Tobago (1998). - Global Circuits: Transnational Sexualities and Trinidad (2001). 

Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee, Trinidad and Tobago: 15/01/2001: "33. Thus, while the Equal Opportunity Act, 2000 represents a very bold and pioneering move in the region, it was not possible at this time to include discrimination in every shape and form. The State must tread carefully in what is as yet an undeveloped area of law in the Caribbean. Sexual Orientation: 34. The Act does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person's sexual preference or orientation. Again, the Government was guided by the Report of the Joint Select Committee. The Committee, despite its diverse membership and its consultation with experts and interest groups in the area, declared that it was unable to arrive at a definitive position on this issue. The Working Paper also recommended that as a starting point such a ground for discrimination should not be included. The Government has decided that in light of the groundbreaking nature of the Act, a conservative approach should be adopted. In any event, in as much as homosexuality and lesbianism have not been decriminalized in Trinidad and Tobago, it is not recommended that the legislation be extended to include discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation at this time...."

The Worlds of Lawrence Scott (1999): " Trinidadian Lawrence Scott's journey of self-discovery has taken him back and forth across the Atlantic and inspired him to write searching novels of love and belonging, including his prize-winning Aelred's Sin with its story of gay love... Aelred's Sin, which had appeared several weeks earlier in London, is a powerful and at times unsettling look at homosexual love as experienced by a Benedictine novice, Aelred, whose passion for an older monk in an English monastery encompasses religious, as well as physical, rapture. A complex story of the "dangerous chastity" lived by religious orders, the novel explores one young man's multifaceted encounter with love, sacred and profane. At times it is explicit in its sexual scenes, but that isn't the whole story. It is also lyrical, moving and life-affirming. The novel has, to say the least, potential for controversy. And in Trinidad, where any mention of gay love is liable to cause a stir, controversy seemed inevitable..."- Aelred's Sin: A novel of compassion (Must scroll to locate article): "IT takes a brave -some would say, courageous- Trinidadian to write a novel whose central theme is homosexuality or 'homoeroticism' as the jacket blurb on Aelred's Sin describes it." (Related Information). - Lunchtime Seminar: Aelred's Sin. - Aelred's Sin: Amazon. - Aelred's Sin: Moving from present to past, from cruelty to sympathy, Aelred’s Sin is a powerful novel of erotic love, spiritual awakening and, above all reconciliation..

Homophobia and gay youth suicide: two interrelated destructive forces in our society. An open letter to the people of Trinidad and Tobago (2001). - The Plight of A Trinidadian Homosexual (2003). - Mavis John in concert... Long overdue (1998): ""They would make remarks about being a lesbian and give interpretations about why my marriage broke up. "I remember one member of my family asking me why I don't leave Trinidad. But after a while you realise you have to go through these experiences because they make you much stronger." John is now revelling in the joy of being a grandmother. She spends a lot of her time cuddling andpampering her three- month-old granddaughter, Rachel."

Gay Scene (1999): "Well..what's to say...with a population of 1.3 million it's obvious that there are quite a few gay people around. Unfortunately, successive T & T governments ...refusing to accept Queen Victoria's death have left homosexuality as a criminal offense on the law books. That being said there have not been any charges laid ( that I am aware of) for gay acts in decades..." 

Trinidad & Tobago Gay Scene (2005, Must Scroll): "Well..what's to say...with a population of 1.3 million it's obvious that there are quite a few gay people around. Unfortunately, successive T & T governments ...refusing to accept Queen Victoria's death have left homosexuality as a criminal offense on the law books. That being said there have not been any charges laid ( that I am aware of) for gay acts in decades. Naturally, the nasty legal business and the prevailing macho attitude mean that a lot of gay people never actually come out. I gather that many seem to find it normal to be married and have "something on the side". This may account for Trinidad's high ranking in the # of AIDS cases per capita. That being said, though, many Gay people are remarkably open ( more so than any other regional country) and there are at least three Gay bars/nightclubs in the Capital...not to mention a number of very bi places. None of the above applies to Carnival time in T & T when basically anything goes and sexual hangups get thrown out the window after much alcohol intake..."

The Contemporary Context of Carib “Revival” in Trinidad and Tobago (By Maximilian C. Forte, Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology 1(1): 18-33, 2000: "Creolization, Developmentalism and the State (PDF Download): "The gender correlates of Creole nationalism have also been eroded if not debunked. Creole nationalism’s inherent masculinism has been undermined by both the ascendance of women in the economy and professions and who refuse to be relegated to the role of “mothers of the nation,” valued only for making sons, in addition to the simultaneous economic displacement of many men from maledominated sectors affected by current retrenchment (i.e., port workers). Added to this is the increasing awareness, and furious controversy, of patterns of widespread bisexuality and homosexuality, with the recent publication of national estimates that up to 45% of adult male Trinidadians have had some homosexual experience. Moreover, the presentation in the media of gay issues and concerns is also a recent and highly debated development. The view that, “nationalism typically has sprung from masculinized memory, masculinized humiliation and masculinized hope,” is further developed by Cynthia Enloe (1989: 44, 54). A detailed treatment of the manner in which the ideology of male dominance, seen here as key to Creole nationalism, has been “subverted by the reality of male marginality” and “increasing female self-reliance,” appears in Olive Senior (1991: 181) See also Mohammed (1991: 35)..."

Living OUT Large: Warrem M (2002): "Warren believes he was very fortunate. He knew he was gay since he was sixteen years old. He came out at a time in Trinidad that he described as Coming-out Time. This period during the late 1970s to early 1980s was a time when it was easy to accept ones same sex orientation. It was everywhere he states, Things were in the papers, almost every job-site (food & beverage related) had a least one person who you suspected or knew was gay. The popular phrase If you like it do it was seen on tee shirts, sported by young healthy men at numerous private parties and certain public bars. It was possible to ignore the stigma towards same sex preference and same sex orientation as this silent movement confronted any personal fears replacing them with a ferocious character with a full understanding of self-pride and personal acceptance. It was a wonderful time to be young and gay. Warren said. Yet his life's journey was not always filled with the bliss that he experienced at that time... Warrens first sexual encounter was at ten.... When asked, Warren says that this experience did not affect his choice of same sex orientation. I dont think that this had any significance as to why I am gay. Even as a boy there were the signs. I sometimes think that perhaps Nache saw this and it prompted his interest to sexually assault me. He added I officially came-out when I was sixteen and moved to Trinidad where I discovered a whole gay world. He described this time in his life as wonderful and free. There were many parties and many good times shared with his gay friends. In this period I tried to be safe and use condoms, but feelings of trust overweighed any feelings of safety. After using condoms with the same person three or four times one felt that it was safe to not use them - Warren sincerely said. Fourteen years would pass before he would confront his greatest challenge..."

MSM Caribbean Horizon - Gay Life in T&T (2009, A Bried History): Trinidad and Tobago has historically always had an active gay community – active in the sense that it has always been there. Its early colonial history is not known, but it can be assumed that it followed the British Victorian pattern – a “gentleman’s vice” that was enjoyed but not spoken of. Of course, lesbianism was considered a curiosity, eccentricity or for male voyeuristic enjoyment. One of the earliest references in Trinidad’s history was the British Governor Sir Ralph Woodford who reputedly surrounded himself with “pretty young men”. Of course, there have always been rumours about the dallying of our colonial administrators, not to mention their wives, up until Independence... Attempts to decriminalize homosexuality by amending the Sexual Offences Act have failed consistently, and in 1999 the draft of the Equal Opportunity Act was challenged for its unconstitutionality by specifically excluding sexual orientation. It is still unclear whether the homosexual does have a constitutional right to equal opportunity as this has never been specifically challenged in court... Many same-gender loving persons have attempted to follow the expectations of their families by trying to suppress their feelings, marrying, having children and generally appearing to be “straight”. This has led to many living double lives, more often than not, great unhappiness, and even suicide especially in the vulnerable teen age years. There are however, several examples of same-sex partnerships, both among male and female homosexuals in Trinidad and Tobago which include balanced parenting and stable and happy families. Many outwardly open lesbians or gays, or those perceived to be lesbian or gay, have been taunted at school and in social settings. Expressions like ”bullerman”, “faggot”, “zammy”, “dyke”, “…. you rubbin’ donuts?” and of course the Jamaican “battiman”, are common. In the early days it was “Mako” and “Mako Mare”...

Puar, Jasbir K (2009). Chutney to Queer and Back: Trinidad 1995-1998. CRGS: Caribbean Review of Genser Studies, 3. PDF Download.  By this point I had had regular contact with folks in the “gay and lesbian community” as it was then hailed, and had amassed carefully sought knowledge of events, organizations, hangouts, and people over the past year—information that now could be instantly googled or binged. I decided to trace and document the emergence of a gay and lesbian movement in Trinidad, one linked to international, regional, diasporic, and sub-national formations and agendas. The only publication to result from this work, “Global Circuits” (2001) was informed by numerous field research trips spanning from December 1995 to October 1998, during which period I interviewed more than three dozen gay and lesbian activists, HIV/AIDS educators, epidemiologists, feminist organizers, and gay and lesbian business owners, performers, and artists. I met current and prior members of the Gay Enhancement Association of Trinidad and Tobago (GEATT), the Alliance for Prevention Trinidad and Tobago (APTT), the Caribbean Feminist Regional Association (CAFRA), the Caribbean Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals, and Gays (C-FLAG), CAREC, and LAMBDA. I also cavorted and spoke with dozens more folks who hung out at the Pelican, Sidewalks, Peter Minshall's mas, Godfrey Sealy's house, and other more subterranean haunts, places that are now well-known and easily locatable as gay venues via the Internet, but at the time were only traceable through connections and word-ofmouth. Throughout the duration of my research, I constantly navigated polar opposite reactions to my project: those who considered homophobia to be rampantly active and debilitating in Trinidad and those who had never given their gay, lesbian, or bisexual desires a second thought and challenged the relevance of my project. Some insisted that the work could become an important document in the gay and lesbian struggles of the region; others worried about the backlash of visibility that discourses on homosexuality and the visibility of this work might engender, by now a familiar conundrum amongst LGBTQ organizers in the global south (see Joseph Massad 2007; Tara Atluri’s discussion of Massad, this volume); still others steadfastly claimed being gay was "no big deal" and regarded my interest as the product of Euro-American queer theory that attempted to correct its racial and geographical biases by discovering queer theories’ Others. I thus became wary about the framing, circulation, and publication of my work, realizing that I was indeed participating in positing Trinidad as a specific actor in the spectrum of global gay identities, mapping Trinidad’s “coming out,” if you will, of a modernist sort that I would otherwise theoretically argue against. Yet this “coming out” formed the very epistemological ground that I stood on and produced toward and against...

Puar, Jasbir K (2005).Global Circuits: Transnational Sexualities and Trinidad. PDF Download.These developments suggested to me several overlapping and diverging circuits of globalization that illuminated certain conundrums intrinsic to the relationships between globalization and sexuality. What were the connections between local “indigenous” and globalized sexual identities? Were they distinct and separable, and, if so, how? Questions about nomenclature and the categorization of sexual identities were crucial, as local terms such as buller—a reclaimed derogatory term for men, its nearest equivalent being “faggot”—and the phrase “she goes with a woman” were circulating in tandem with the terms gay, drag, and more recently, lesbian and transsexual. The circuits also highlighted that, at varied moments in different locations and circuits, different sexual namings were relevant and tenable, especially in terms of ethnic divisions between Africans and Indians in Trinidad.

From Gay Trinidad - Voices (1999): - Gay In A Straight World - "...It's being taught to hate yourself knowing that you cannot change, knowing you can never share that wonderful feeling of being in love with your family and most of your friends... I am 17 and I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT to LIVE MY "SO-CALLED LIFE" LIKE THIS. One day I WILL try to change this, I PROMISE." - My Lowest Point - "...Sometimes I have to ask myself how can life be so happy at one point in time and then plummet to the deepest depths of despair....  I needed to be able to distance myself from reality. I did to a point. I had that happy place in my mind that I would retreat to whenever everything was bad. However everytime I retreated into it, it grew smaller until there was nothing left... Its horrible being gay and your parents not knowing and not accepting. I hurt inside everytime my father makes a derogatory comment. And he does it alot." 

Resource Links: - The Gully: Gay Cuba Articles Listing. - Search GayToday.com Archives. - Artists Against AIDS. - Artists Against AIDS N/A. (Archive Link) - "MSM: No Political Agenda" is an NGO based in Trinidad & Tobago: MSMNPA WebSite. - Grey Gay Guide. - Gay Trinidad N/A (Archive Links). - The Gay Enhancement Advocates of Trinidad & Tobago N/A. (Archive Link) - asylumlaw.org: Sexual Minorities & HIV Status: Trinidad and Tobago Individual Documents since 2000.

Trinidad & Tobago's FreePride Foundation Project. - Gay Community of Trinidad & Tobago.

Global Gayz: Caribbean: Trinidad & Tobago. Trinidad & Tobago News Reports from 2004 to the Present. - ILGA: Trinidad & Tobago. - LGBT rights in Trinidad and Tobago. - Sodomy Laws: Trinidad & Tobago. - The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Trinidad & Tobago Not Included.

FRee Forum Online (Numerous Articles): No. 1 choice in the fight against AIDS, for men who have sex with men (MSM) and Gay communities in the Caribbean (To 2009). - FRee Forum Issues: #1: Pride 2002. - # 2: World AIDS Day, 2002. - #3: Carnival 2003. - #4: Pride 2003. - #5: World AIDS Day 2003. # 6: Carnival 2004.  - #7: Prde 2004.  #8: World AIDS Day 2004. - # 9: Pride 2005. - # 10: Pride 2005: Advocacy & Human Rights in the Caribbean. - # 11: World AIDS Day 2005: Keeping the Promise. - # 12: What's Your Position: Caribbean Men & HIV. - # 13: Pride 2006. - # 14: World AIDS Day 2006. - # 15: Health & Social issues for the Men who have Sex with Men Communities in the Caribbean. - # 16: Pride 2007. - # 17: World AIDS Day 2007. - # 18: Carnival 2008. - # 19: Pride 2008 - United by Pride = Bound by Equity.  - # 20: Treatment and Care 2008. - # 21: Prevention 2009: Steps Toward Personal Change.  - # 22: Human Rights & Advocacy: Chances to Change, 2009.

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Caribbean: - Trinidad & Tobago. 

Gay-rights movement struggles in Puerto Rico: Increasing activism is opposed by religious conservatives (2002). -  Puerto Rico Asked to Enforce Antigay Law (2002). - Puerto Rico's Sodomy Law Just "Tip of the Iceberg" And Reverend Margarita Sánchez de León vows to smash it (2003). - Gays Take To The Streets To Defend Diversity (2003). - Metrosexual Machismo All The Rage (2003). 

Court Overturns Puerto Rico Gay Rights Law (2003, Alternate link): "The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has overturned gay and lesbian provisions in domestic violence laws. - Latin Gays (1997): Violence against gays and lesbians is not unique to Puerto Rico - Gay Marriage Ban Proposed in Puerto Rico N/A. - Latino gays and lesbians N/A: "When I was growing up there was no insult that could start a fight faster than being called a pato. That is Puerto Rican slang for homosexual." - Puerto Rican activists urge letters of support in their fight against criminalization of same-sex consensual relationships (1997). - Gay-rights movement struggles in Puerto Rico (2002). - Puerto Rico: Defienden campaña de turismo gay (Translation). 

Gay Community Flexes Muscle in Puerto Rico N/A. - Vieques and Queers:  Common Ground (2000): "Puerto Rican queers embody, in the flesh, the illegal status of their homeland in the world—like the people of Vieques". - Quenepon, San Juan: a gay friendly ezine.(To 2003) - 2000 Census information on Gay and Lesbian Couples, Puerto Rico (2002). - Gay-Rights Movement Growing In Puerto Rico (2002). - Nothing in the Caribbean compares to Puerto Rico (2000). - LLEGÓ Celebrates Puerto Rico Pride (2003). - LLEGÓ Applauds Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action and Puerto Rican Senate Vote on Sodomy (2003). - Puerto Rico Episcopalians opt for reconciliation on controversial issues (2003). - Gay-rights movement struggles in Puerto Rico (2002): Increasing activism is opposed by religious conservatives.

Strengthening the Spirit: Rafael Otero-Rivera leads the fight against HIV in Puerto Rico (2000): "In the 20 years since he has come out, Rafael says he has witnessed many positive changes for Puerto Rico's gay community. "When I first came out, there were very few gay places that existed. Most people in Puerto Rico were very 'macho.' That has softened over the years with America's influence, though we continue to be somewhat 'macho.' In years past, there were no streets where we could walk and hold a partner's hand, but now there are some areas where you can, and it doesn't matter to other people. Before, when they called us names on  the street, we had to hide. Now we respond. We've realized that we have a space and a right to be who we are."

The community we don't dare to mention: An exploratory study regarding social vulnerability, high risk sex conduct, and HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico's transgender community (2000). - Social support networks in HIV+ homosexual men in Puerto Rico (2004). - Domestic Violence Among Same Sex Partners in Puerto Rico: Implications for HIV Intervention (1999, PDF Download). - Domestic Violence in Puerto Rican Gay Male Couples (2004, PDF Download). - Evaluation of an HIV/AIDS prevention intervention targeting latino gay men and men who have sex with men in Puerto Rico (2002). - Masculinity Construction: Risk for health and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, in a sample of men who have sex with men in Puerto Rico (2004). - Domestic violence and sexual coercion: HIV risk among Puerto Rican gay males (2002). 

Sexual identity formation and AIDS prevention: an exploratory study of non-gay-identified Puerto Rican MSM from working class neighborhoods (2006). - Description of a domestic violence measure for Puerto Rican gay males (2005). - Puerto Rican drug users experiences of physical and sexual abuse: comparisons based on sexual identities (2003, Full Text).

Suicide, adolescents and Puerto Rico (2000): Risk factors that correlate highly with the Puerto Rican experience include homosexuality, due to the hostility that the person may experience, depression, gender, prevalence of psychiatric disorders, lack of social integration and social skills, military experience, cultural and religious factors, alcoholism, substance abuse and unemployment/poverty. The literature reviewed indicates that the Puerto Rican adolescent male is in a high risk group for suicide and that the risk increases with age, sexual preference, dysfunction in the family and substance abuse. - Strengths and vulnerabilities of a sample of gay and bisexual male adolescents in Puerto Rico (2006, Alternate Link): Participants were 61 highly educated GB youths living in Puerto Rico. Levels of depression, perceived social support, alcohol and drug use, and sexual behavior were assessed. Results show that 45% of participants reported high levels of depression. However participants reported low levels of alcohol and drug consumption, no unprotected sexual behavior, and high satisfaction with social support...

Fankhanel, Edward H (2008). Paraphilias Among Gay Men in Puerto Rico. PhD. Dissertation, Faculty of The American Academy of Clinical Sexologists, Orlando, Florida. PDF Download. Download Page. In summary, DSM-IV-TR specific paraphilias are not reported by the majority of the gay men who participated of the study, being voyeurism the most reported (50.0%), followed by exhibitionism (39.0%), and pedophilia the least reported (4.40%).

Pride in Puerto Rico: In 1991 Puerto Ricans held the first-ever Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transexual Pride march. Eight years later, director Jorge Oliver documented the 1999 Pride March, now an annual event on the island. Together with footage from the festivities are interviews with prominent Puerto Rican activists - including the first openly gay Puerto Rican candidate for the House of Representatives - working for social change. As much a document of the struggle against discrimination and ignorance, Pride in Puerto Rico is a story of community and dignity. - Puerto Rico Travel: Puerto Rico has the most developed infrastructure for gay and lesbian tourism in the entire Caribbean.

Comité Para Los Asuntos de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales y Transgénero (LGBT), Asociación de Psicología de Puerto Rico (2008). Estándares para el Trabajo e Intervención en Comunidades Lesbianas, Gay, Bisexuales y Transgéneros (LGBT). PDF Download. Translation.   Las siguientes organizaciones endosan y apoyan el contenido de esta publicación: Asociación de Psicología de Puerto Rico, Colegio de Trabajadores Sociales de Puerto Rico, Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, Centro Latinoamericano de Promoción de la Salud Sexual, Asociación Puertorriqueña de Educación, Consejería y Terapia Sexual, American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, The American Board of Sexology, The American Academy of Clinical Sexologists.

Toro-Alfonso J (2008). Ciudadanía condicionada: Percepción de la comunidad gay sobre la tolerancia en Puerto Rico. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 19: 42-69. PDF Download. PDF Download. English Abstract. Abstract: This work is part of a major research on social exclusion of gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders at governmental agencies in Puerto Rico. It included interviews with agency personnel and a survey to the LGBT community. This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey with 929 members of the LGBT community in Puerto Rico where we explore their perception on the levels of exclusion and intolerance in several agencies. Participants identified themselves as 52% males, 46% females, and 2% transsexuals, with high levels of education as; 35% reported having a bachelor is degree, 14% a master’s, and 4% doctorates. A 64% of the participants reported being verbally insulted sometime in their life in relation to their sexual orientation, 43% reported at least one experience of rejection and exclusion at governmental agencies, and 32% reported feeling afraid for their life and that this was related to their sexual orientation. The Police Department is the government agency most reported as intolerant to LGBT members. Implications for LGBT communities in Puerto Rico and their rights and the perception of a conditioned citizenship is discussed.

Toro-Alfonso J, Varas-Díaz, Nelson (2004). Los otros: prejuicio y distancia social hacia hombres gay y lesbianas en una muestra de estudiantes de nivel universitario. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 4(3): 537-551. PDF Download. Translation. Abstract: Gays and lesbians represent a section of our society which is rejected and confronts moral, religious, and in many cases legal sanctions. The objective of this exploratory study was to identify the levels of prejudice and social distance of a group of university students in Puerto Rico. The sample consisted of 548 students of both sex. Through a self-administered questionnaire we found that the sample composed of young university students, predominantly heterosexual, reported moderate levels of prejudice toward gay and lesbians. Male participants manifested high levels of prejudice and social distance in comparison to female participants. The participants that reported personally knowing someone gay or lesbian, reported lower levels of prejudice. Similarly, participants that reported active participation in religious activities manifested higher levels of prejudice. The results of this study confirm the evidence of significant levels of prejudice and social distance toward gay and lesbian among university students. This study also corroborates the findings of similar studies in other parts of the world. We present the implications for interventions of these findings for social tolerance and acceptance of diversity and describe possible intervention in the area of public policy.

Toro-Alfonso J, Nieves-Rosa L, Zuluaga LG (2007).  Por la Vía de la Exclusión: Homofobia y Ciudadanía en Puerto Rico: Proyecto Homofobia: Resumen Ejecutivo. PDF Download. Translation.

La Fountain-Stokes, Lawrence  (2008?). Translocas: Migración, homosexualidad y travestismo en el performance puertorriqueño reciente. E-Misferica, 8.1.  Full Text. Translation.  “Translocas” es una reflexión, desde una perspectiva queer de color, sobre el teatro y performance contemporáneo puertorriqueño translocal, específicamente sobre artistas y performeros gay que practican o han practicado el travestismo de hombre a mujer. Me enfoco en la obra de Freddie Mercado, Javier Cardona, Eduardo Alegría, Jorge Merced y Arthur Avilés como miembros de un grupo generacional cuyas vidas y producciones culturales están marcadas por la migración, el sexilio, el travestismo o drag y el performance. Propongo el término transloca como una intervención crítica vernácula útil para pensar la intersección de espacio, geografía y sexualidad en sus obras y experiencias de vida... En este ensayo integro tres preocupaciones distintas pero interrelacionadas: una visión de la cultura puertorriqueña constituida como un fenómeno translocal marcado por la migración (como fenómeno social) y la diáspora (como serie de comunidades entrelazadas); un análisis queer de color de la cultura puertorriqueña y nuyorican o diasporican, particularmente tal como se constituye en relación a clase, raza, género y sexualidad; y finalmente, el estudio de manifestaciones particulares del teatro y el performance puertorriqueño contemporáneo, específicamente de obras e individuos que participan del travestismo o drag de hombre a mujer. Discuto la obra de cinco artistas gay activos durante las décadas de 1990 y 2000 (Freddie Mercado, Javier Cardona, Eduardo Alegría, Jorge Merced y Arthur Avilés) como miembros de una generación cuyas vidas y producciones culturales están marcadas por migración, sexilio o exilio sexual y performance. Propongo el término transloca como una intervención crítica útil para pensar la intersección de espacio, geografía y sexualidad en sus obras y experiencias de vida...

Toro-Alfonso J (2009). La inversión del género como límite a la aceptación de empleados y empleadas de agencias de gobierno en Puerto Rico hacia la comunidad gay en Puerto Rico. Cuadernos de la Revista Cayey #3 / Serie Monográfica: 141-158. PDF Download. Translation. Excerpt: Las investigaciones sobre las homosexualidades en Puerto Rico: A partir del 1980, en Puerto Rico podemos identificarinvestigaciones relacionadas al tema de la homosexualidad y el lesbianismo, las cuales han continuado de forma consistente hasta el díade hoy, principalmente mediante investigaciones de tesis y disertaciones en las diferentes universidades del país. Desafortunadamente, la mayoría de estas investigaciones, aunque pertinentes y con una excelente aportación al tema, nunca se han publicado. Muchos de los trabajos de investigación que se han realizado en Puerto Rico se vinculan principalmente al tema de la epidemia del VIH, incluyendo el impacto y formas de prevención para poblaciones diversas y para la población homosexual masculina. Recientemente, observamos investigaciones académicas relacionadas al tema de la transgresión del género (Rodríguez- Madera & Toro-Alfonso, 2002), con la descripción de las conductas de riesgo para la infección del VIH y las situaciones de vulnerabilidad de una muestra de transgéneros en Puerto Rico. Además, Toro- Alfonso y Rodríguez Madera (2004) publicaron un trabajo sobre violencia doméstica en parejas del mismo sexo en el cual examinaron la prevalencia de agresión emocional, física y sexual en parejas de hombres homosexuales en Puerto Rico...

Bonomo, Hernán (2009). Transexualidad y transgénero en América Latina: condiciones de alto riesgo. PDF Download. Translation.  Abstract: Pocos problemas de discriminación, violencia y marginación son tan desconocidos para la mayoría de la gente como los padecidos por las personas transexuales y transgénero en casi todos los países de América Latina. Aún cuando sus organizaciones han conseguido recientemente importantes avances en legislación que reconoce los cambios de identidad, la caricaturización en la manera en que los medios de comunicación habitualmente reflejan a las personas y comunidades trans solamente contribuye a ocultar realidades de discriminación, violencia sistemática—y en varias ocasiones muerte—que miles de jóvenes padecen en la región debido a su identidad sexual y de género...

“Locas,” Respect, and Masculinity: Gender Conformity in Migrant Puerto Rican Gay Masculinities (2011): In this article, I explore how masculinity and gender nonconformity are viewed by 37 migrant Puerto Rican gay men who had been raised in Puerto Rico and migrated Stateside as adults. Most of these migrant men note the importance of masculinity in their development and interactions with others, particularly other men. They resist identification of themselves as effeminate and distance themselves from locas (effeminate gay men). They associate locas with overt homosexuality, disrespect, and marginality. I argue that migrant Puerto Rican gay masculinities are maintained within the precept of hegemonic masculinity through various social mechanisms, including a gendered construction of male homosexuality; the connection of social and interpersonal respect with masculinity; the socially allowable and pervasive ridicule and punishment of male femininity; and marginalization based on multiple social statuses. Through these interconnected social mechanisms, heteronormative perspectives on gender, gender binaries, and power are incorporated into homonormative migrant Puerto Rican gay masculinities. .

Tesis y disertaciones realizadas en Puerto Rico relacionadas al tema de la homosexualidad y el lesbianismo (Bibliography to 2007, Translation). - Asociación de Psicología de Puerto Rico
Comité sobre Minorías Sexuales - San Juan, Puerto Rico: Investigaciones relacionadas al tema de las homosexualidades (Bibliography to 2007, Translation).

The culture of gender and sexuality in the Caribbean - 2003 - edited by Linden Lewis (Amazon). See:  "The Infamous Crime against Nature": Constructions of Heterosexuality and Lesbian Subversins in Puerto Rico - by Elizabeth Crespo-Kebler. See: Queering Cuba: Male Homosexuality in the Short Fiction of Manuel Granados - by Conrad James. Book Review. Book Review.

Transexuales y transgéneros exigen igual protección (2010, YouTube): En este video unas mujeres transexuales de Puerto Rico exigen derecho de protección a la identidad de género. - Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico (2011, Translation): “Las transexuales también son mujeres víctimas de la violencia machista” expresó el MAMPR.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Puerto Rico: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

Gay Puerto Rico (To 2002): Gay Puerto Rico es un blog privado para la diseminación de información y opinión relacionada con la homosexualidad en si y en todo lo referente a su manifestación en Puerto Rico.

GLBT Caribbean Travel (2011): Even though some of the islands of the Caribbean have a reputation for homophobia (Jamaica is a prime example), for most of the islands, once there are no public displays of affection (PDA), most people look the other way and are generally comfortable and friendly with gay and lesbian travelers... Condado Beach in San Juan has a very lively gay scene, particularly just outside the Atlantic Beach Hotel, which has a "friendly" and buzzing beach bar and cafe. Just off the north-east coast of Puerto Rico, you will find the tiny and gay and lesbian friendly island of Vieques. The small beach in the village of Esperanza is a favorite hangout for guests staying at the many gay friendly inns to be found on the island.

Top 5 Gay and Lesbian Friendly Destinations in the Caribbean: Gay travelers in Puerto Rico will find the Caribbean's only real gay nightlife scene: San Juan highlights include the Atlantic Beach Bar (with a weekly drag show) and clubs like Eros. On both the mainland and the island of Vieques you can find gay-friendly resorts, and gay travelers in Puerto Rico have the benefit of protection by U.S. antidiscrimination laws.

Resource Links: - The Gully. - Search GayToday.com Archives. - Puerto Rico Gay Blog.

OrgulloBoricua.net: Portal de la comunidad gay en Puerto Rico (Translation). - Gay organizations in Puerto Rico (To 1996).  - Gay Puerto Rico Websites. - GLBTQ: Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Global Gayz: Caribbean: Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico News Reports from 2003 to the Present. - ILGA: Puerto Rico. - LGBT rights in Puerto Rico.- Sodomy Laws: Puerto Rico. - The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality:  Puerto Rico.

FRee Forum Online (Numerous Articles): No. 1 choice in the fight against AIDS, for men who have sex with men (MSM) and Gay communities in the Caribbean (To 2009). - FRee Forum Issues: #1: Pride 2002. - # 2: World AIDS Day, 2002. - #3: Carnival 2003. - #4: Pride 2003. - #5: World AIDS Day 2003. # 6: Carnival 2004.  - #7: Prde 2004.  #8: World AIDS Day 2004. - # 9: Pride 2005. - # 10: Pride 2005: Advocacy & Human Rights in the Caribbean. - # 11: World AIDS Day 2005: Keeping the Promise. - # 12: What's Your Position: Caribbean Men & HIV. - # 13: Pride 2006. - # 14: World AIDS Day 2006. - # 15: Health & Social issues for the Men who have Sex with Men Communities in the Caribbean. - # 16: Pride 2007. - # 17: World AIDS Day 2007. - # 18: Carnival 2008. - # 19: Pride 2008 - United by Pride = Bound by Equity.  - # 20: Treatment and Care 2008. - # 21: Prevention 2009: Steps Toward Personal Change.  - # 22: Human Rights & Advocacy: Chances to Change, 2009.

MSMGF News Articles & Documents Resources. By Region & Country:  - Caribbean: - Puerto Rico. 

HAITI (Wikipedia): - Will Faith-Based Agencies Help Haiti's Gay Community? (2010): Since the world community has descended on Haiti with relief aid in response to the January 12th earthquake, I am wondering how Haiti's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities are being helped. As one of Haiti's most marginal groups, the question arises in response to how some American LGBTQ New Orleans residents were treated during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in 2005. - Haiti earthquake crushes bisexual and gay support group (2010): Fourteen men participating in a support group meeting for HIV+ MSM (men who have sex with men) were killed when the earthquake hit Port Au Prince and the offices of SEROvie, an organization providing services to HIV+ LGBT people, collapsed. - Needs of LGBT Haitians Largely Ignored in Post-quake Recovery Efforts (2011, Alternate Link).

IGLHRC and partners meet to assess community needs in Haiti (2010): In the fall of 2009, I traveled to Haiti to get a better understanding of emerging LGBT communities, the impact of HIV on men who have sex with men (MSM), and how LGBT were responding to the HIV crisis. At the time, I met some talented, committed individuals, who were mainly working in the context of the HIV prevention, treatment and care sector, but were also steadily carving out a space for the promotion and protection of a broad set of human rights for LGBT people. It has only been three months since the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake of January 12, 2009, and I have returned to Haiti, along with Marcelo Ferreyra, IGLHRC’s Latin America and Caribbean coordinator, and researcher Samara Fox. This week we will be interviewing LGBT Haitians, relief workers, and human rights activists to learn more about how the earthquake and the recovery efforts are impacting LGBT lives. Our findings will help us understand the specific difficulties that LGBT people face in the wake of massive disasters and upheaval so we can make our partnerships as useful as possible when working with organizations such as SEROvie and its members in Haiti, and LGBT communities elsewhere in the wake of catastrophes.

LGBTA Haiti Solidarity fundraising campaign (2010): Maison Plein Coeur, Fréquence VIH and the Conseil québécois des gais et lesbiennes (CQGL), in collaboration with OXFAM-Québec invites you to the launch of our fundraising campaign for LGBTA Haiti Solidarity, to benefit SEROvie, the 18th of March 2010 as of 6pm at Sky Complex, 1474, Ste-Catherine Street West, 2nd Floor, Montreal... Th