KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Human rights groups and other groups have taken Prime Minister Andrew Holness to task over his comment that gender is limited to male and female, with some praising his remarks and others claiming that Kingston is adopting the global attitude towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
The human rights groups Equality for All Foundation, Jamaica, and TransWave Jamaica said they were disappointed in Holness over his remark in Parliament on Thursday that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman”.
Prime Minister Holness told legislators that the country’s core national values on gender will not change, saying, “When it comes to our values, there are things that define us as Jamaicans that we are not going to change on those.
“A man is a man and a woman is a woman. We are not going to change on that,” Holness said.
But the executive director of Equality for All Foundation, Glenroy Murray, said in a statement Friday that such statements risk reinforcing stigma and exclusion.
“When national leadership reduces identity to a rigid binary, it not only dismisses the lived realities of many Jamaicans but also risks deepening the marginalisation of communities who already face significant barriers.
“Instead of using LGBTQ+ issues as a smokescreen to justify your foreign policy positions, address the very real needs of the queer Jamaican citizens whose issues have been given scant regard,” Murray added.
The interim executive director of TransWave Jamaica, Lamar Grant, said leadership must affirm the humanity of all people, not reinforce stigma, discrimination, or exclusion.
“Words from leadership matter, and they must not come at the expense of our lives. Such statements are not made in a vacuum, but contribute to a climate of stigma, discrimination, and violence against transgender and gender non-conforming Jamaicans.
“At a time when citizens are seeking transparency and solutions on critical economic issues, the use of divisive narratives only undermines public trust and responsible leadership,” Grant added.
The organisations reiterated their call for leadership that prioritises inclusion and respect for human rights for all its citizens, including LGBTQ+ Jamaicans.
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