A British minister raised the issue of decriminalisation of homosexual acts at a recent meeting with the Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Gareth Thomas, minister of state at the Department for International Development, told PinkNews.co.uk that tackling state and cultural homophobia is vital to the fight against HIV in the Caribbean.
He said he was concerned that “things are not getting better on either front, and more change is necessary.”

A survey published in Jamaica in June found Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s anti-gay statements have boosted his popularity.

In a poll commissioned by the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, 45 per cent of people said they are more likely to vote for incumbent Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his Jamaica Labour Party after he told the BBC that he would never allow gays in his Cabinet.

The dancehall music scene on the island is notorious for its homophobia, with many artists taking pleasure in calling for gays and lesbians to be murdered.

That widespread hatred is evident in the wider culture, with reports of gay men and lesbians being attacked by gangs and murdered.

Article 76 of Jamaica’s Offences Against the Person Act states: “Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery, committed either with mankind or with any animal, shall be liable to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for a term not exceeding ten years.”

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