Homophobic Violence Strikes Again in Jamaica

Sunshine Cathedral
A Metropolitan Community Church
Affiliated with The Center for Progressive Christianity

1 February, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

According to a statement from JFLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays) and confirmed by a report in the Jamaica Star online, there has been another homophobic attack in Jamaica. On 31 January, 2008 The Jamaica Star reported that intruders broke into a private home and attacked three men who were in the house.
The men who suffered the attack were accused of being “homosexual.” At least two of the men were brutally beaten and “chopped” with machetes, while the third is missing and possibly dead. The survivors apparently require extensive medical attention.

The leadership of Sunshine Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church unequivocally condemns this recent attack and we hope other people and organizations will speak out against unprovoked violence whenever it occurs.

To the survivors of this vicious and unwarranted attack, we at the Sunshine Cathedral offer our sincere wishes for a full and speedy recovery. We continue to pray for our sisters and brothers in Jamaica and we dare to imagine a day when goodwill, peace, and civility will triumph over human prejudices, hatreds, and suspicions.

We call upon all religious people who use religion to justify and promote their homophobic prejudices to see that the rhetoric of hate and condemnation contributes to acts of dehumanizing violence. We further ask all religious people to remember and share the spiritual values of love, mercy, justice, goodwill, kindness, and generosity. We ask all religious people to lift up and live by the Golden Rule, which is to do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Finally, we call upon the Jamaican authorities to investigate this heinous attack and to do everything possible to protect all Jamaican citizens from future acts of senseless violence.

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Contact: Reverend Robert Griffin, Director of Adult Spiritual Education & Christian Social Action, Robert@Sunshinecathedral.org or Reverend Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor, Durrell@Sunshinecathedral.org
954.462.2004

Sunshine Cathedral
Fort Lauderdale, the Caribbean, and the World Wide Web
www.sunshinecathedral.org