This Christmas, while we celebrate or talk about the baby in a manger, or the pregnant mother and father who take refuge in a stable, or the father who gets dreams or flashbacks regarding the threat of violence, may we remember the homeless LGBT citizens of Jamaica with their attendant concerns.
When will we as a society accept responsibility for the stigma and discrimination which has condemned those of a lower socio-economic status to dehumanising states of being? When someone who has not had the benefit of a stable family life, a stable educational experience, and a positively nurtured value system and conscience, finds him or her self in the midst of poverty, hunger, homelessness, and a struggling crowd; it should not come as startling news when that person, among others, resorts to sex work, pickpocketing, bag grabbing, cell phone theft, and car breaking etc.
But who cares? In the mix of their reality and the crimes that they commit, they also encounter being attacked and being murdered. Some of the attacked and murdered, are not themselves into stealing. However, they are assigned guilt by association.
Then there are the trans women, who are among the most vulnerable across the world. They are often scorned, despised, rejected, condemned, and murdered simply on the basis of their gender minority status. But who will cry out for them? Any politician? Any Parliament? Any pastor? Any church? Trans men also experience stigma and discrimination. The bullying is real. However, the sheer minority status is sufficient for these fellow citizens to be ignored and for their existence to be denied.
Grade 9 seems to feature significantly, as a drop out stage from high school for many LGBTQ+ youths. Their stories of suffering and shame are often known by teachers who remain politically correct and leave the matter alone. However, the Christmas stories of love and sharing will continue to be broadcast far and wide. We will wait again for next years’ celebration of our heroes, while failing to be heroes for our children.
It is easy to affirm gender and sexual diversity in words. It is lovely to quote our national motto, “Out of Many, One People”. How and when will we put all this in practice? This Christmas, guess with whom Jesus would sit with if he came visiting?
- An elite group of church council members?
- A credentialed group of parliamentarians?
- An unkempt group of LGBTQ+ youth sitting under some bridge or gully and lacking basic amenities?
Peace and love to all.
Father Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest, public theologian and advocate for human rights.
