“Live. You are beautiful! Live. Live. Live.”
The warmly eloquent artist/activist/poet Fabian Thomas embraced the graduates of J-FLAG’s LB (Lesbian/Bisexual) Public Policy Training Program with these words. There were hugs, there was humor and an undercurrent of slightly nervous anticipation that is often a hallmark of graduation ceremonies.
But this was something special. As keynote speaker Taitu Heron observed, this was a “key transformative moment.” Heron, currently with UN Women Jamaica as National Programme Coordinator, was herself actively involved in the program spearheaded by researcher and development specialist Joan Grant Cummings, who was Program Consultant. Research Assistant Stephanie Grant did sterling work on the training, also. The training program was funded by Stiftelsen Rights Now of Sweden.
You may recall my recent chat with Latoya Nugent, J-FLAG’s Education and Training Manager, recorded in an earlier blog post. At the time, she was looking forward to the evening when all twenty graduates would meet. Last week the room was filled with supporters and well-wishers, civil society and NGO representatives, J-FLAG staff and directors, affiliated organizations, and diplomatic representatives. Nugent herself stayed in the background; she is exceptionally modest. But to me, she was the real star of the show. “We are all convinced Latoya does not sleep!” exclaimed valedictorian Paige Andrew, a final year media student at the University of the West Indies Western Campus.
The vibrant Krystal Tomlinson was our “emcee” and there were a lot of greetings (including some from yours truly) but we kept them short and sweet. Dr. Ernest Massiah, Director of the Regional Support Team for the Caribbean at UNAIDS, told the graduates about the potential they have unlocked: “You have the key to your voice…to your power. If you have misplaced it, you can always go back. But don’t lock the door.”
“Ubuntu.” What is “Ubuntu”? Joan Grant Cummings described it as the opposite of Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am.” It is “You are a person through other people.” To her, the J-FLAG program was about “reclaiming rights.” She quoted American jurist and activist Ramsey Clark: “A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you.” Take note. Remind yourself.
Taitu Heron paid tribute to supportive men (such as Dr. Michael Abrahams, who gave us incisive commentary through poetry). Women and men must be equal partners, she stressed, because “we are all affected by the patriarchy.” And the men of J-FLAG – the “gatekeepers” – certainly deserve a round of applause. They are proof, as Heron pointed out, that “men and women can work together” for gender equality, which is after all a human rights issue.
So, celebrations and justified back-slapping aside, what were the “take-aways” from the training? The primary aim of the program was to increase the involvement of lesbians and bisexual women in public policy and human rights advocacy. In my last post, I detailed some of the activities the women initiated immediately following the training – including public events focusing on diversity in leadership, the Review of the Sexual Offences Act, and more.
The graduates also made a series of policy recommendations on four key topics that emerged: Improving Access to Justice for LGBT People; Sexual Harassment; Beach Control; and Improving Social Security for Women and Marginalized Populations. The recommendations included: human rights sensitization and diversity training for all categories of police and judicial personnel; creating a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Police Diversity Policy; urgently needed anti-sexual harassment legislation in gender-neutral language; gender sensitization and mainstreaming in all schools and public workplaces; a comprehensive audit and strengthening of environmental laws; reduction of interest rates on loans for women seeking to set up businesses; and the establishment of a women’s real estate policy enabling women to own and have access to land and property (only 2% of Jamaican women currently own real estate).
And so much more! The above list is just a sample of the issues (and solutions) discussed during the training. Although the celebrations were at times light-hearted and there was much laughter and enjoyment (and even some dancing at the end of the evening, which I sadly missed) – clearly a great deal of work had gone into the entire program.
Those who crafted and implemented the project worked very hard throughout; and so did the women. They took it seriously. Their successful completion of the training is not just a feather in their caps. It’s an addition to the suit of armor they might wear as they go into battle! As advocates, they must feel empowered and strengthened, as there will inevitably be challenges.
In my remarks, I used what is currently one of my favorite quotes, by the African American feminist, activist and poet Audré Lorde (who was of Caribbean ancestry, by the way):
When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
And as valedictorian Paige Andrew put it, “at the end of the program, we felt intellectually poised for advocacy.”
I like that. I believe each and every one of these women is poised for success. I congratulate them on their current success, and in advance, for what I know they can achieve.
Petchary's Blog 
I, like most people I know, have gay and lesbian friends. Some are better friends than non-gays. I hope programmes like this teach all how to be comfortable with people whose behaviour we are taught to hate. RASTA been there, so we know what it’s like to be scorned, rejected and brutalized. Happy to embrace my gay and lesbian friends ALL.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your comments, Barbara! Yes, Rastafarians have been persecuted and rejected in the past, I know. It takes many years to shake this off and be accepted. We are ALL Jamaican citizens, no matter how much one’s religion, gender etc might not be “approved of” by some of us. The underlying goal of the training was to enhance the participants’ self-esteem so that they feel confident enough to take their place as citizens who can make a contribution to society and advocate for causes they care about. 🙂
LikeLike