trip to Jamaica

[Guest guest]

NO MEMBER OF THE GAY/QUEER COMMUNITY OF ANY STRIPE SHOULD SUBSIDIZE THE

ECONOMY OF JAMAICA. It is one of the most dangerous places in the

world for gay men, especially, to go, although all of the West Indies

are more or less risky at this time; but the Jamaican scene is under

surveillance by the Human Rights Watch. Here in NYC, the several gay

papers report frequently on life-threatening anti-gay events happening

in Jamaica as part of normal life there, and many of their leading

artists are unrepentant about inciting violence against 'battymen.'

I have not been there myself, but I would feel safer in, say, Sanaa in Yemen, than Kingston--Hugo.

[Guest guest]

I agree with Hugo....there are many other Caribbean islands that are less homophobic.On the other paw, there are some VERY intrepid gay and lesbian groups in Jamaica who deserve our support. See, e.g., http://www.jflag.org/ They note on their About Us page:Where we areAlthough we provide services and network island-wide, our office is located in Kingston, Jamaica's Capital and largest city.Due to the potential for violent retribution, we cannot publish the exact location. We do receive mail at Box 1152, Kingston 8.Of course, the biggest screaming homophobes are usually just "wannabes." Abstract below. M. ** HE; LW Jr; Lohr BA. Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? J Abnorm Psychol 1996 Aug;105(3):440©445.   Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602©3013, USA. The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. , 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.

[Guest guest]

I agree with Hugo....there are many other Caribbean islands that are less homophobic.On the other paw, there are some VERY intrepid gay and lesbian groups in Jamaica who deserve our support. See, e.g., http://www.jflag.org/ They note on their About Us page:Where we areAlthough we provide services and network island-wide, our office is located in Kingston, Jamaica's Capital and largest city.Due to the potential for violent retribution, we cannot publish the exact location. We do receive mail at Box 1152, Kingston 8.Of course, the biggest screaming homophobes are usually just "wannabes." Abstract below. M. ** HE; LW Jr; Lohr BA. Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? J Abnorm Psychol 1996 Aug;105(3):440©445.   Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602©3013, USA. The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. , 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.