Jamaica Bans School Books That Mention Gays Favorably

(Kingston) Jamaica's Ministry of Education has ordered a ban on any book that mentions homosexuality in a favorable light.

The directive followed a decision to remove a book on home economics that has a four sentence mention of families headed by same-sex partners.

"It is unfortunate that four sentences on page four in the text under the sub-heading family forms, were used to label the total text as a gay book; we are very angry about that because that was not the intention," author Rita Dyer told the Caribbean Media Corporation.

"It says there is much discussion about what constitutes a family, there seems to be a broadening of a traditional definition of a family structure and when two men or women live together in a relationship as lesbians or gay they may be considered as a family; they may adopt children or have them through artificial means," Dyer said.

Education Minister Andrew Holness has issued a warning to all schools instructing them to submit to the government any book they were uncertain about. Holness said that schools would be held accountable for breaches of regulations governing the use of textbooks.

Jamaica has what has been described as the worst record of any country in the New World in its treatment of gays and lesbians.

Gay sex is illegal in Jamaica, punishable by ten years in jail, with the possibility of hard labor.

More than 30 gay men are believed to have been murdered since 1997 Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) says. In most of the cases the killers have never been brought to trial.

Arrests, however have been made in several cases which received international attention.

In 2004 Brian Williamson, Jamaica's leading LGBT civil rights advocate was brutally murdered. He had been stabbed at least 70 times in the neck. A 25 year old man is currently serving a life sentence for the murder.

In December 2005 Lenford "Steve" Harvey who ran Jamaica AIDS Support for Life was killed..

Harvey was shot to death on the eve of World AIDS Day. (story) His organization provided support to gay men and sex workers. Four men were arrested almost a year later.

Last year the bodies of two women believed to have been in a lesbian relationship were found dumped in a septic pit behind a home they shared. The killers of Candice Williams and Phoebe Myrie have not been caught.

Students at University of the West Indies in Kingston rioted last year as police attempted to protect a gay student and escort him from the campus. The incident began when the student was chased across the campus by another student who claimed the gay man had attempted to proposition him in a washroom.

Also last year a young man plunged to his death off a pier in Kingston after reportedly being chased through the streets by a mob yelling homophobic epithets.

In February of this year three men in "tight jeans" and wearing what some witnesses described as makeup were cornered by a mob of 2000 in a drugstore. There were yells of "kill them" along with gay slurs and demands the three be sent out "to face justice". Police had to fire teargas into the crowd to rescue the three.

Reggae, or Jamaican dancehall music, is blamed for fueling homophobia. Reggae star BujuBanton's hit song Boom Boom Bye Bye which threatens gay men with a "gunshot in ah head".

Singapore Law Maintaining Anti-Gay Provision Passes

(Singapore) Singapore's Parliament on Tuesday passed a sweeping revision of its penal law, eliminating sodomy as a crime for heterosexual couples but leaving in place provisions that could send gays to jail.

It was the first revision of the city state's penal code in 22-years and LGBT activists mounted an intensive campaign to have sodomy laws, dating back to British rule, repealed.

During debate on the bill Monday a member of Parliament introduced a petition signed by 2,341 people calling for repeal of the law. (story)

The names were gathered online in just three days Siew Kum Hong told Parliament.

"In times past and in other countries, public morality has been used to justify slavery, discrimination against racial and religious minorities and discrimination against women," Siew said.

"Let us not perpetuate or repeat the mistakes of others in the past."

Under the law anyone engaging in same-sex sodomy could face two years in prison, although police say no one has been charged in recent times.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for retention of the law saying that if it were abolished it could "send the wrong signal" and encourage LGBT activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage and parenting.

Lee told Parliament just prior to the vote that gays "are free to lead their lives and pursue their social activities."

Lee's position puts him at odds with his own father. In April, Lee Kuan Yew, the former prime minister and the man regarded as the father of modern Singapore, called for the decriminalization of gay sex laws. (story)

But other amendments to the penal code would tend to dispel the younger Lee's assertion that gays are able to "lead their own lives."

Among the changes is a broadening of laws against "unlawful assembly." The provision also has raised concerns among gay activists.

In August Singapore banned gay events held in public parks. The move came as gays were attempting to celebrate LGBT pride. (story)

Police lifted a permit to hold a picnic and fun run at a park saying politics were not welcome in green spaces.

Censors refused to allow an LGBT book reading event that was to have been part of the pride celebration. A human rights forum was blocked. And a photography exhibit of of gays and lesbians was closed by police hours before it was to officially open.

The Media Development Authority balked at a book by author Ng Yi-Sheng about a young man's fictional sexual adventures with older men including military officers and government officials. (story)

The authority said that the book went beyond good taste and decency and disparaged public officers.

The human rights forum was to have featured Douglas Sanders, a professor emeritus in law at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

The forum, titled "Sexual Orientation in International Law: The Case of Asia," was deemed contrary to public interest.

The censorship board ordered the photo exhibition closed because it showed photos of gay men and women kissing. (story)

The board said that the show violated Singapore law because it promoted "a homosexual lifestyle".

©365Gay.com 2007

Zach Burns : Model

I was delighted to get an e-mail from one of Dylan Rosser's models we featured last month, Beauty guy. He wanted to let everyone know that he has a blog of his own, and was even nice enough to share eleven photos from recent photo shoots. Such a sweetheart, check out the rest after the jump!














From his bolg ...
"...
Q.How did i get into modelling?
I've always been interested in modelling but never knew the way into it. I came across Modellaunch.com back in 2003 and stuck some pictures up but never really made much of it. In the meantime i was/still am a keen sportsman participating in Athletics (60-400m). I used to train 5-6 days a week which left no time for anything else however decided in 2007 after a horrific season to put the breaks on and take another direction in life.

Back to modellaunch once again where i met/spoke to a guy called Joseph Bleu, he asked for a few pictures of myself which in return he commented on and gave some valuable feedback.
My friend & team mate Enrique Melin kindly asked his photographer Simon Barnes (Hotsnapz) if he'd do a favour and shoot me, this i had no idea about until later, cheers Riq. Got in contact with Simon and the date was set, the first of many shoots.

What Do I Get Out Of Modelling?
The social factor, i like meeting new people with similar interests, that either being modelling or photography. To me, modelling is not all about the cash, you gotta enjoy it to get somewhere. Being appreciated and complimented on your achievements also, always nice to have someone say something nice about you.

Main Ambition?
To get a big campaign like D&G because they cool as.

Q. Other Goals?
Magazines like GQ, Men's Health & Fitness.
Clothing brands, aftershaves, underwear!!

Q. Other Interests?
Photography is another interest i've always had, tried to study it at college, college scrapped the course (i didn't stay long after). I try my hand at photography every now and then, experimenting with different light sources, angles etc to see what effect i get, always fun. Will probably branch into photography more seriously in the future when i start getting old.

Q. Career Plans?
Like every interest i have i always give 100% effort (if the sun is out) however everything needs a back up plan whereas mine is Personal Training. Ideally i want my own P.T firm but can't tell the business plan :D

Q. Is the person reading this bored?
Probably...:D

.."