Sex and the Diaspora

"Boycott Jamaica" Struggles to Compel

By Renee B.

Early last month, gay activists in the U.S. city of San Francisco launched Boycott Jamaica, a call for the Boycott of Jamaican products and travel in efforts to put an end to the ongoing homophobia in the Caribbean country. Gay advocate Supervisor Bevan Dufty urges gay bars to pull Red Stripe beer and Myers rum from their shelves, as well to generally boycott Jamaican tourism and exports. Initiated by Michael Petrelis, another San Francisco gay advocate, the boycott follows a February U.S. State Department report that detailed high levels of physical violence, discrimination, and arbitrary detention against gays in Jamaica. The movement's official website lists 2 goals for the controversial boycott: "1. Publicly commit to end bashing on the island and improve the human rights situation...2. A statement from the Prime Minister unequivocally condemning violence against GLBT people and expressing regret for past violence." (www.boycottjamaica.org). Boycott Jamaica kicked off to wide press coverage and carries the dagger of an unmistakable burden on Jamaica's already fledgling economy. Still, the effort hasn't quite developed into a full scale attack, having gained few sponsors. A host of social, political, and economic hurdles in both the United States and Jamaica may cause Boycott Jamaica to fizzle out as quickly as it began.

As of 2008, the U.S. accounted for 37.2% of Jamaica's exports (www.cia.gov). This is to say nothing of the $2 billion earned from tourism the same year. The American Dollar, without a doubt, has a palpable and critical presence in the Jamaican economy, which makes the idea of a boycott unnerving, especially in a time of recession. However, Jamaican travel and products have not yet suffered any substantial losses, much to the dismay of Boycott Jamaica. In fact, tourism in Jamaica has already shown an increase in the first quarter of 2009 and is expected to continue. Jamaican Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett reported in March of 2009:

"We are now on track to having the best winter tourist season in the history of Jamaica, in terms of stop over arrivals" (www.jis.gov).

The growth is accredited to falling fuel prices, aggressive advertising, and a stimulus package granted to the Tourism Ministry (www.jis.gov). During the 2009 tax season, many Americans discovered that they were entitled to a tax rebate from the U.S. government. This, combined with falling fuel prices, makes traveling to Jamaica even more appealing, economically speaking. With the recent strides in Jamaica's tourism industry and the noticeably slow progress of the boycott, even the non-economist can assume that Jamaica's economy will at the very worst break even, other factors excluded.

Most troubling about Boycott Jamaica is perhaps the disconnect between its members and the gay community in Jamaica. Boycott Jamaica publicly names Red Stripe Beer as one the products to be boycotted, even staging a "Rum Dump" in which bar owners were encouraged to pour the popular Jamaican beer and Myers Rum into the streets. Red Stripe, however, made news in 2008 when it withdrew its sponsorship from Reggae Sumfest due to violent, homophobic music (dubbed "Murder Music" by gay activists) that would be part of the annual Reggae festival. Reggae Sumfest features some of the biggest names in Caribbean music, and for such an effort on Red Stripe's part to not only be ignored, but punished by Boycott Jamaica, severely compromises their hopes of building any type of relationship with the people it seeks to help. In fact, the people that Boycott Jamaica seeks to help don't appear to welcome this so-called "help" at all. Participants of Boycott Jamaica in effect have created an oxymoron of a situation, inviting even more violence towards gays by drawing negative attention to the country and threatening its economy. Gareth Henry, co-chair of The Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, Allsexuals, and Gays (JFLAG) recently gave a public statement in opposition to the boycott:

"While I appreciate the support in the cause for justice and tolerance towards everyone here despite their sexual orientation, groups planning or who have planned these events must be mindful of the repercussions such actions may have on an already marginalized grouping as we are here" (www.boxturtlebulletin.com).

Logically, a boycott for gay rights without the support of gays cannot be expected to succeed. And it begs the question of who this movement is really intended to help.

Jamaican Prime Minister had this to say in response to Boycott Jamaica's demands:
“We are not going to yield to the pressure, whether that pressure comes from individual organizations, individuals, whether that pressure comes from foreign governments or groups of countries, to liberalize the laws as it relates to buggery” (www.boycottjamaica.com).

This firm statement not only further downplays Boycott Jamaica's lukewarm actions, but delivers a strong message to the global community about Jamaica's power and steadfastness. Regardless of one's decision to support or tolerate the gay community (or not), Jamaica is first a nation of hard-working people who deserve to reap the benefits of their labor; it has never been simple as a place for violence towards gays. Attempting to economically cripple an entire country for the beliefs of some is no less than an elaborate bullying scheme. The organizers of this boycott skipped several steps in connecting with Jamaica's gay community and researching the culture in such a way that would produce ideas for effective results for their cause. Is Boycott Jamaica really about the gays in Jamaica? Or is it publicity for certain gay Americans with feelings of self-entitlement over Jamaica's culture? Whatever may be the root of this movement, it will be fruitless indeed with no sense of diplomacy and mixed feelings of support from Jamaican and American gays. If Jamaica's economy actually bore a threat from this boycott, it would have much bigger problems than homophobia.

(Renee B. is a is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine and writes about social issues and sexuality, from her perspective. For comments, please feel free to contact her at renee@islandvibesmag.com.)