Structural Interventions to Address Homophobia in the Jamaican Context

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Structural Interventions to Address Homophobia in
the Jamaican Context

• Robert Carr Ian McKnight

XVII IAC Mexico City August 5, 2008
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Homophobia in Jamaica
Breakthrough, 2007
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Communication for Social Change

• .the strategic use of advocacy, communication
  and social mobilisation to systematically
  facilitate and accelerate change in the
  underlying drivers of HIV risk, vulnerability and
  impact.

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Social Change Communication

• Macro (National? Regional? Global?)
• Meso (group/institutional)
• Micro (individual who? to do what?)
• Simultaneously?

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Social Change Communication

• Interpersonal communication
• Institutional communication
• Mass media and other traditional IEC
• Embedded in dynamic processes
• Incorporating all these interlinking possibilities

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Communication for Social Change

• to act as a catalyst for reflection and action at
  the individual, community and policy levels, and
• to provide a platform for coordinated action by a
  necessary and sufficient coalition of
  stakeholders to achieve a common goal.

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Taking the National Temperature

• Dear Editor,
• Wednesday, May 23, 2007
• I refer to the article, "Inside a gay church" by
  Ingrid Brown on May 6.
• In worshipping homosexuality, one is not
  "worshipping God" as Wilson claims. There is
  nothing Christian about the evil of
  homosexuality. The Bible clearly and
  unequivocally condemns homosexual acts (Genesis
  127-28 Genesis 224 Matthew 19 4-6 Romans
  124-27 1 Corinthians 610 1 Timothy 110,
  etc.).
• Homosexual acts are contrary to natural law. They
  close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do
  not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual
  complementarity. Under no circumstances can they
  be approved.

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A Focus on Social Exclusion

• The Problem MSM
• Violence and discrimination
• Homophobic violence celebrated in popular music
• Police refusal to protect complicity or direct
  involvement in violence
• Politicians, church leaders endorse social
  exclusion

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A Focus on Social Exclusion

• Some work on addressing SD for PLHIV
• Silence on SW and MSM
• Est SW 11
• Est MSM 33

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A Strategy

• Multi-pronged campaign focussing on rights for
  all Jamaicans and on inclusion of MSM, PLHIV and
  SW as of the people, and so deserving of equal
  rights.

• Media Launch
• Website
• Radio and TV PSAs
• Key spokespersons (community, sector leaders)
• Research

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MSM2004

• Stop Murder Music
• Outrage! and J-FLAG
• European Allies
• North America
• Hated to Death (2004)
• Human Rights Watch and JAS
• Local HR Coalition

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MSM2004

• Report launched with every local human rights
  organisation endorsing it unprecedented
• Media coverage framed the issue as white
  outsiders attacking the Jamaican nation

'DISGRACEFUL'- New report says Gov't, police
condone abuse of gays, HIV persons
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Reaction 2004/2005

• SMM Campaign had heightened Jamaican cultural
  nationalism
• In this context, the report fuelled denials if
  violence against MSM took place the middle class
  would have known
• Report methodology flawed, data skewed
• Hunt for internal traitors with a gay agenda

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Public Campaign

• Continuous 2004 - 2008
• Media work
• Radio (a lot strategically vital to localise
  issues)
• TV (much less)
• Print (a column other access highly restricted)
• Work with key allies for support
• Intervention at HR public meeting
• Public statement against violence in newspaper
• Being quiet

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Behind the Scenes Strategies

• Continuous 2006 - 2008
• Church
• National HIV Programme
• Police
• Media
• Local Human Rights Allies
• International Alliances

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Breakthrough Jamaica
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Breakthrough Jamaica
Look what they have done with their songs Geof
BrownThursday, April 05, 2007
Common Sense John MaxwellSunday, February 25,
2007
The wrath of a bishopWednesday, February 28,
2007
Gay rights and wrongsSunday March 25, 2007 Ian
Boyne
ACCUSED 'HOMO' BOYS ATTACKED By Arthur Green,
STAR Writer St. Thomas
Editorial The state and the rule of law Tuesday
February 20, 2007
Large number of gay cops get high marks for
performanceBy T K Whyte Sunday, March 18, 2007
Exploding homosexual myths Ian Boyne February
18, 2007
Religion and gay rightsSunday March 18, 2007
Ian Boyne
Absurd that biggest issue is gaysThursday, March
01, 2007Dear Editor,
AND MORE
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Breakthrough Jamaica
'Leave 'gays' alone!' - Church, human rights
groups, politicians call for end to beatings
A joint forum of church, human rights lobbyists
and politicians from both sides of the political
divide, made a desperate plea yesterday for
Jamaicans to end violence against homosexuals.
Tuesday April 17, 2007
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Governance and Citizenship

• Raises fundamental questions for us of
  citizenship, power and the social pact in
  Caribbean nationalism
• The people
• Nation ? State relationships
• Parliamentary Democracy Western Liberalism
• Definitions of Development (social change/
  transformation)
• Tolerance Individual Rights vs Nationalism
  Religion

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Breakthrough 2008 Tackling Governance
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Tackling Governance

• Substantially improved relationships with the
  police
• Substantially improved relationships with local
  human rights organisations
• Somewhat improved relationships with religious
  leaders
• Substantially improved willingness to take a
  stand on the part of some sector leaders

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Lessons Learned

• Structural vulnerability is multi-layered and
  embedded
• Need to
• Identify key institutions and be aware of their
  internal and external politics
• Understand how to create enabling internal and
  external environments for change

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Lessons Learned

• Social Change Communication campaigns can benefit
  from utilising
• Strategic, surprising coalitions including voices
  of those affected (open and behind the scenes)
• Spokespersons from all classes and sectors (open
  and behind the scenes)
• Entry points in key institutions and groups
• Framing, priming, agenda setting as central part
  of mass media strategy
• Linked strategies need focal points

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Lessons Learned

• Challenging structural drivers requires strong
  alliances
• Need work to sustain and manage
• Nationalism/patriotism often constructs human
  rights/gender transformation as culturally alien
  to our ways and our people
• MUST include local voices of authority localising
  progressive values
• Likely to be an unfolding process

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Lessons Learned

• Structural change is a long haul process
• Years, not months
• Open ended, learning process
• Centrality of indigenous social movements
• consensus on core principles
• understanding of role government will/will not
  play

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Lessons Learned

• Cost in human resources is great
• Someone or ones have to be able to
  withstand/survive the political and economic
  pressure
• Funding for structural work is too hard to find,
  uneven and intermittent

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Taking to scale

• Supporting new Caribbean social movements
• Community action
• Regional and national alliances
• Collective learning
• Open ended process (learning and action)
• Linking moreso than simply replicating

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• Thank You!