Eliot Glenn, a freelance writer and cultural commentator, had the chance to interview human rights advocate Maurice Tomlin on Jamaica's current homophobic protests. The country is one of the most homophobic nations in the world and questions were being asked to understand the politics of the protests and the chances of future LGBT rights. As part of her campaign, Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller planned on passing a law to decriminalize same-sex intimacy; however, it was marked by a series of unfortunate events. High profile crimes such as stabbings of a gay man and a 17 year old gender variant occurred. The reason for these crimes and protests, according to Tomlin, is the church's strong influence in the country which stands firmly against homosexuality. He explains that during his visits to other countries which also uphold anti-sodomy laws, such as Trinidad and Tobago and Belize, the levels of hatred toward LGBTs were significantly lower. The reason for that is the lack of, or even the fact of religion being so diverse that none has such authority over the land and laws. When asked about the future hope to easy tension between Jamaica's population and LGBTs, Tomlin mentioned a research done the son of the most homophobic Jamaican that came to his mind, who ironically was a pro-gay activist. His proposal was that the hostility toward LGBTs will only decrease once the population gets to actually know them. However, how would such a habitat in which LGBT people would feel safe enough be created for them to come out and socialize normally with the population when there is so much hostility and persecution toward them? To conclude Tomlin, when asked about how foreign aid could be helpful, suggested that people should educate themselves with Jamaica's current situation and suggest new approaches for how such laws could be overcome.
In this article, composed of a short explanation of the situation followed by numerous questions, Eliot Glenn is brief and straight forward. Getting answers from a person who knows exactly what is happening within Jamaica is his main device to make his point. By asking the correct questions, he can get out the details needed to show his audience what the conditions for LGBTs in the country is and everything else related. Eliot refers to researches to present actual statistics and also adds what several organizations had said or done about the events. Though he is brief, he does ask for several details such as what specific churches were involved. Lastly, he is unbiased, his only apparent goal is to present information to his audience.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/10/no_to_homo_agenda_how_evangelicals_spread_anti_gay_hate_to_jamaica/
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