recreational lesbianism in jamaica
by graham brown-martin on jun 9, 2004, 22:17
ahead of janet jackson's 'nipplegate' disaster there was the career improving britney and madonna's 'kissgate' proving that if sex sells, lesbianism sells even more. the storylines of primetime television, the subtle girl on girl advertising in magazines and posters, the kiss and tell in the gossip pages. all bristling with hot unbridled sapphic desire. lesbianism gone mainstream. apparently.
coming from london where "recreational lesbianism" appears fashionable, i've found that the subject of ones gender bending desires is also a hot topic in jamaica.
immersed in such decadent western media, it's not surprising that the subject of lesbianism generates such polarity of opinion from the 'thou shalt not do anything..." brigade to the "nudge, nudge wink, wink" of the go-go fraternity.
it makes uneasy bed fellows within the 'oi, oi, batty boy' male bonding ritual favoured by dancehall pop culture and it's refusal of same sex unions. one could be pompous, of course, and suggest that perhaps they might aim their targets at, say, kiddy fiddlers or rapists. but you pay your money and you make your choice in a free market economy.
so i wondered do girl/girl unions come under the same derision as the macho, macho man ones in jamaica?
i discovered that it depends on who and when you ask.
but not many surprises however.
men, universally it would seem, are partial to a bit of girl on girl action even if they don't tell their girlfriends and a quite lot, in fact, do.
and whilst there are still a few fundamentalists cautioning us about our wicked ways it certainly appears that lesbianism's o.k., as long as we can watch. so, if i follow the argument correctly, being a lesbian is better than being a "chi chi man" in jamaica.
except when it nudge's the insecurity button for men knowing that there's a whole bunch of other playa's out there hitting on their girlfriend, that is. worse still, maybe the dual-income girl unit won't need a man while the sisters are doing it for themselves.
after a few rums with the 'men' stories are exchanged explaining the jamaican lesbian 'phenomenon". a recurring story being the go go dancers who, after being pawed by grubby men all night, just need some tender loving care from a woman's touch. you should know that my raconteur was much more animated in the telling of this tale.
talking amongst the women a cutting "cuz de men dem nah good!" was the reply, but only in jest. i hope. others had the concern that lesbian colleagues might try it on with them as if it was as impossible to say 'no thanks'. perhaps they felt they already had enough on their hands spurning the persistent advances of rampant hetro-sexuals.
but humour aside most of the jamaicans that i spoke with adopted a 'live and let live' philosophy on the whole gay/lesbian issue. although nearly always paraphrased with "as long as they don't try it on with me".
so it goes and then i met what appeared to be a wise old soul who may have had the better of a chalice who said
"maybe it's just like life, some are, some aren't, one love."
