Behavioural change specialist Audrey Crosdale insists that parents need to be very vigilant when it comes to activities in which their children are involved.
Having worked with the LGBTQ community for over 15 years, she is well aware that those who practise the lifestyle are very intent on initiating students.
“These people don’t sleep; they don’t rest; they spend 24 hours planning because they are very, very determined to advance their agenda, and they will give it these kinds of names, and so you have to also carefully look at the names. The spirit of pride, what’s the connection? It is subtly hidden because you know that pride is an annual event held by the LGBT networks and organisations throughout the entire world,” she said.
“Don’t think it’s not deliberate sometimes, when they use these kinds of slogans, themes, and names,” she cautioned.
Crosdale noted that while those who are suspicious are often frowned upon or are called mad, the reality is that the LGBTQ community in Jamaica is very strategic and well-connected. Deception is often used to blind the unsuspecti
ng to the true agenda.
“One of the things they try to do is to start at early childhood and youth/adolescents and young professionals. Why? Because it is said that they are easier to bend. They are easier to convince and influence, and persuade than the older persons that are already bent in a particular direction and who are already au faitand knowledgeable about certain matters,” says Crosdale, who, in the past, had helped to craft some of these LGBTQ strategies targeted at youths.
The LGBTQ community has created several strategies to get the Jamaican public to knowingly and unknowingly celebrate and embrace pride, although the majority of the society does not embrace the lifestyle. The Freedom Come Rain reported last year that members of the public were outraged over a USAID-sponsored advertisement in the colours of the LGBTQ pride flag on a state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus.
The multicoloured design was placed on the bus for one year, based on the contract with the American funding agency, and was emblazoned with the message, “tek pride inna Jamaica.” The design, which was promoted from July 2022 to 2023, had a striking resemblance to a “tek pride inna Jamaica” mural that was unveiled by gay advocacy group Equality Jamaica in Downtown, Kingston in 2021.
Yanetha Brown-Sinclair, who spoke to the Freedom Come Rain newspaperon behalf of JUTC’s managing director, Paul Abrahams, confirmed that the advertisement was placed on one of the company’s buses. By the time Jamaicans realised and started protesting on social media, the one-year contract period had already ended.
While the JUTC said it was just one bus, Equality Jamaica revealed in its 2022 annual report that artist Deon Simone was commissioned to create artwork that was mounted on twelve JUTC buses in the corporate area.
“The artworks promoted Jamaican pride, diversity, and inclusion with slogans, “We are Jamaicans”, and “Tek pride inna Jamaica.” Viewership of the advertisement is expected to surpass 400,000. This symbolises an achievement for corporate partnership and increasing tolerance. Equality Jamaica, previously known as J-FLAG, stated.