“Rampant and normalised!” That’s how one guidance counsellor has described the acceptance of same-sex relationships in schools across Jamaica. Checks with other guidance counsellors and educators have confirmed this reality.
The guidance counsellor, who wished to remain anonymous due to the targeting of those who speak out, said these relationships are no longer hidden. In fact, they have become so widely accepted that the few students who dare to offer any opposition to the LGBTQ lifestyle are ridiculed.
“Grade 7’s have girlfriends in grade 11. You have six students at any given time in a bathroom performing oral sex on each other. [They have] open relationships,” said the guidance counsellor who is based at one of the traditional all-girls high schools in the corporate area.
“I’ve had discussions with parents who say, ‘If a girl likes a girl, a suh.’ I’ve had discussions with parents who say, ‘Well, it’s her choice’. I’ve sat in meetings and heard a first-former tell her mother, ‘I’m dating who and who and who,” the Freedom Come Rain newspaper was told.
“Some of them will kiss in front of certain teachers. Some of them, well, most of them will walk hand in hand,” the guidance counsellor said.
The situation is just as bad in co-ed high schools, where boys and girls receive academic guidance in the same space. One of the guidance counsellors in one of the most sought-after high schools in Kingston provided very graphic details of what is taking place.
“Oral sex, anal sex, anything goes.” As far as your mind can take you, they practice everything,” she said.
In some of the schools, the students record themselves and post the videos online. There are no qualms about sharing their sexual activities with fellow students. When the matter reaches the attention of school administrators, the guidance counsellors are placed in the uncomfortable position of watching the videos. According to one Christian guidance counsellor, he can no longer proclaim he has never watched pornography; he is forced to do so regularly in carrying out his job.
The guidance counsellor at the prominent co-ed school also confirmed that parents often endorse the activities of their children.
“They tell you that they are kids; let them explore. They say that they support any decision their children make; they are telling us this is the 21st century, and we must get with it. So, we hear various reasons like that,” she said.
The parents are not the only ones backing the students. According to the educator, advocates from known LGBTQ lobby groups generally attend disciplinary meetings on behalf of the students and threaten lawsuits. Some even bring along attorneys. Most administrators, not wanting any negative publicity for their schools, generally squash the matter.
“The students who are against it are the ones who are seemingly the odd ones now, it would seem. To an extent, what you find is that they will not openly say anything for fear of, you know, being ostracised or being bashed. I remember one case where they started to bully a girl in grade eight and her friends because, you know, she said, “This whole girl and girl thing is not right,” and she was classified as being homophobic and non-tolerant and a whole heap of something, and her own friends turned on her,” said the male guidance counsellor.
How they took our Children
Jamaica is a predominantly Christian country which promotes heterosexual relationships, but the widespread exposure to pornography and content from other countries, such as the USA, where homosexuality is accepted, has resulted in many local children becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ lifestyle.
Students are also being targeted by Jamaican-based gay lobby organisations, that promote their messages at central locations where students gather before and after school, like the Half-Way-Tree Transportation Centre. Many of these LGBTQ groups are heavily funded by international organisations that are determined to carry out their financiers’ desire to get Jamaica to throw out its buggery law. While the church and parents, in particular, have put up a fierce fight over the years, many have weakened their stance, and children, who are the next generation, are being heavily targeted.
It is the advancement of a threat consistently being made at Pride Events: “We are coming for your children.” During drag queen festivities in New York City in March 2023, the threat was verbalised again as scores of LGBTQ supporters marched through the streets, declaring that they were queer and not going anywhere. It was a confirmation to conservatives and lawmakers that homosexuals had every intention of actively grooming children to bolster their numbers.
In Jamaica, efforts to initiate children and youths have been widespread and intense. Heavily funded gay rights groups have gained access to children’s homes, schools, churches and even institutions for disabled children.
Even the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, along with other government entities, have been drafted to aid in the LGBTQI push amongst children.
While the local Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curriculum promotes heterosexual relationships as the norm, thanks to strong pushback over the years against promoting otherwise, government entities have found other ways to get schools to support the LGBTQ push.
One educator said the teachers are invited to training sessions where they are taught to be more tolerant and inclusive. Schools are also asked to identify gender ambassadors. Another educator said he gets calls from Ministry of Health officials trying to gauge the growth of the LGBTQ community in the school. Last year, the Ministry of Health was forced to suspend the National Family Planning Board’s (NFPB) Yute Chatz chatbot after intense advocacy from Christian lobby groups such as the Love March Movement (LMM). The LMM found that the government-endorsed messaging platform was being used to promote and normalise the LGBTQ lifestyle among youths.
“The Ministry of Health and Wellness has noted the concerns raised by members of the public in relation to the use of the Yute Expression’s Yute Chatz chat line and is assessing the concerns as they relate to the Health and Family Life Policy of the Government of Jamaica. In the interim, while the assessments are being conducted, the service will be suspended,” the ministry said in a news release.
There has been no further update on the matter. Meanwhile, the local gay rights lobby, the Equality for All Foundation, launched its queer agenda with recommendations for a more “inclusive Jamaica” in December, with the support of international partners. The organisation has implemented several initiatives over the years, targeted at youths.