Comment on Jamaica woman brings attention to rapes targeting lesbians

Jamaica woman brings attention to rapes targeting lesbians

Activists say some LGBT people have even been the victims of brutal sexual assaults intended to force them into becoming heterosexual or punish them for not fitting societal norms. [...] the stigma against Jamaican homosexual women and the underreported crime of targeted sexual assault of lesbians is receiving growing attention. There's no clear definition of what constitutes a hate crime and police do not specifically record threats or sexual attacks targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Human Rights Watch last year reported it knew of 10 cases of sexual assault in Jamaica targeting eight lesbians, one transgender woman and one gay man, including cases of rape at knife or gunpoint. Police Superintendent Enid Ross-Stewart, head of the island's sex crimes unit, said investigators have never received a report of someone targeted because of their homosexuality and she believes that "all the people who are raped come forth." Sometimes, female victims of sexual violence wait to leave Jamaica before revealing their experiences. Although there are growing pockets of LGBT tolerance in Jamaica, anti-gay attitudes continue to be fueled by some church leaders and dancehall reggae performers who disparage homosexuality.

 

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