And I would normally hear about Pride and not participate because of fear. But now, I am participating in whatever way I can and just having fun. It’s not just about highlighting your queerness or the gayness in you. It’s about just having fun as a community. Learning from each other, building bridges, building new friendships, support, all of that.
So for me, that was what Pride was: a way of connecting with a community of people who don’t often get the time to do that.
And let me just say: it was fun. You need to come to one of our Pride events—it’s amazing.
Brittany: I would love to. Something you said that really resonated with me: we often don’t hear about the centering of celebration in these communities. Those often aren’t the stories that are being told, they’re not the stories that we highlight when we focus on challenges and issues. Do you have other examples or stories of celebration?
Sean: As you rightfully say, people do not highlight the positives that happen. Gay people and queer people in Jamaica—they are nation builders. They contribute to the development of the country every single day.
And let me tell you, when it comes to parties and festivities, queer people run the thing. A lot of events in Jamaica, like soccer events, are supported primarily by persons from the community. Events like a carnival are seen as an expression of who you are. You are not judged at carnival or soccer events. So people from the community or queer people tend to just have fun without people being upset.
And there are allies: people who may not identify with the community, but they understand that these people are people nonetheless, and they put their support 100% behind whatever activities are happening.
Some corporations in Jamaica will support Pride. They will provide funding for parties, or just little gatherings.
Also important: some of the universities here have spaces that they use to accommodate persons from the community. So one of the things that we have is a club for queer people that meets every other Thursday. Funnily enough, it’s held in a health center, so they would meet, they would have fun, they would talk about their experiences for the year, what they want to do as queer people to make their university experience a little bit better. And queer people also participate in sporting activities, so we will have netball, football clubs, and other competitions.
Because of the work that JFLAG and others are doing—and have been doing—spaces are now a little bit more understanding. They’re a little bit more inclusive. Queer people exist, and they’re not going anywhere, so: accept, embrace, and move on.
Brittany: What excites you about the future of the AYSRH field and working with this community specifically?
Sean: I’m looking forward to being in a space where, regardless of your identifiers, you can access the services that you need. That’s my main thing … I’m looking forward to a Jamaica, a Caribbean, a wider world, where persons who identify as LGBTQ can just walk into a place and get the support that they need. And not only getting support and information but getting the best support and information possible. That’s what I’m looking forward to—and it’s not just looking, we’re also working seriously towards it.
And we’re starting here in Jamaica. I want Jamaica to be a beacon so that, if you identify as LGBTQ, we really don’t care. If you need support or services, you can walk into any place and be treated. You will be given the best help possible, full stop.
Brittany: Was there anything else that you wanted to add before we go?
Sean: I just want to say that people should look out for our helpline. We have been doing some promotions, and we are currently looking for sponsors and donors to kind of help us get it out there and not just limited to Jamaica. For those who may not be able to access certain resources, the helpline is there. And while JFLAG’s helpline is the only one in the Caribbean, we would love to see if there could be other partnering countries or agencies that would sort of help us spread this because the LGBTQ community is a vast community. It’s huge, and we are unable to provide support on our own, so we’d really love some assistance.
At the end of the day, we’re here to provide support to persons who identify as LGBT, as queer youth, and see how best we can have them included in nation-building, in having their voices be heard, as it relates to the development of the country. At the end of the day, you are a stakeholder in your country’s development, and you should have a part to play and a voice.
Youth are our way forward, so just accept us. And we’re here to stay.