In early April, a small group of Jamaicans held a silent protest as others welcomed President Barack Obama to the island, concerned at what they perceive as an advancing of immoral ideologies by the US president.
All the members wore black t-shirts, with varying messages. Some had the names of US citizens who were either fired from their jobs or otherwise reprimanded for statements made against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
‘Many Christians have faced the loss of their freedom of religion, freedom of speech and conscience’, said Daniel Thomas, founder of the Love March Movement. He said the Obama administration had appointed a US envoy for LGBT rights in February, a move they see as an attempt to advance LGBT rights across the world, including Jamaica.
‘We know it's important to stand for what we believe in and we want Mr President to respect our democratic right to sovereignty of Jamaica and the right of our people to make these decisions.’
Dr Wayne West, of the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, said the group ‘was mourning poor thinking in public policy’ noting that, in New York, HIV among men who have sex with men is as high as 64%.
