Yes, it's true, most Jamaicans are raging homophobes!

Despite what rap artists Beenie Man and Buju Banton would like us to believe, solely in order to save their music careers in my opinion, a considerable number of their fellow countrymen/women are raging homophobes. I reproduce in its entirety this article from The Jamaica Star online:

PEOPLE's POLL: Should homosexuals be marked? PEOPLE's POLL The issue of homosexuality and what some say is the general homophobic attitude of Jamaicans, is a topic that never grows old. Several debates and discussions have been centred around this issue and the detractors are just as vocal as the proponents. We wanted to know how people felt about this issue, so we asked: Do you think homosexuals and lesbians should be marked in some way so that the general public will know who they are? Yes - 61% No - 36% Don't Know - 3% The majority of the respondents felt that homosexuals should be marked. Although this is not really a surprise, considering the general attitude of Jamaicans, we must wonder why exactly this 61 per cent wants to be able to identify the homosexuals and lesbians. Many will think this is just proof of the violent attitude some Jamaicans have towards gays and will believe that the 61% who said yes, want the homosexuals to be marked so they can abuse them. The poll was conducted on July 15 and 16 by Johnson Survey Research Limited Sample size: 1008 residents Age of sample: 18 and older Sampling error: +/- 3.1 %

I paticularly like the way part of the first paragraph is phrased: "... and what some say is the general homophobic attitude of Jamaicans". As if there was ever any doubt! The fact that a newspaper/media-outlet in a Commonwealth member nation sees fit to publish such an article, based on this odious research, appals me! Calming down a little (yes, please do - Ed) I suppose it is at least a sign that some sectors of Jamaican society are aware, and possibly care, about how their country is viewed elsewhere - enough, at least, not to have censored through shame the results of this opinion poll.

And no, boring as it may have become, I will not shut up about this.