Battyboy must die! Dancehall, class and religion in Jamaican homophobia

Abstract

Homophobia is ingrained in Jamaica, and homophobic violence is rampant. This study, developed from 30 interviews with gay Jamaicans, unravels the nation’s complex ideological issues surrounding political and social discrimination. Few empirical researchers have explored homophobia in Jamaica. This study is the first that includes interviews exclusively from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and asexual communities. These interviews, combined with an examination of media reporting and cultural phenomena, reveal the deep interconnections between three predictors of homophobic sentiment: dancehall music, gender and religiosity. Since dancehall culture so thoroughly implicates the other predictive factors, I use it as the primary object of analysis in this essay. Furthermore, since all three predictive factors – religiosity, dancehall music and even masculine identity – are cultural phenomena articulated through social conventions and texts, this essay examines them through a cultural studies lens.

Homophobia in higher education: Untold stories from Black gay men in Jamaican universities.

“…In the words of Allyn (2012), “every kind of evil is conflated with homosexuality by religious leaders … causing God’s wrath and natural disasters” (p. 11; see also James & Davis, 2014). This is further supported by other studies within the Jamaican context that have found religion to be one of the dominant predictors of antigay prejudices (Chunnu, 2020; West & Cowell, 2015). John and Michael’s perception of how gay men are viewed reflect these notions.…”

“…Participants not affiliated with the organization and its associates might have been excluded from participation. While our findings are consistent with other studies documenting homophobia across the wider Jamaican society (see Boxill et al, 2011; Chunnu, 2020; Cowell & Saunders, 2011; Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays, 2016; McFee & Galbraith, 2016), our findings are only representative of the individuals who participated and cannot be generalized.…”

“…Second, it operates through a dual process of visibility and attack, that is, when homosexuality becomes visible, individuals are subjected to attacks from the wider society. For these reasons, Jamaican gay men spend significant effort and time trying to conceal their sexual identities, due to what sources point to as the hostile treatment of members of the LGBTQ community in Jamaica, some of whom have been fired from their jobs, attacked, or even killed once their nonheterosexual identities are discovered (Chunnu, 2020; Cowell & Saunders, 2011; McFee & Galbraith, 2016; Smith, 2018; West & Cowell, 2015; White & Carr, 2005). Next, under heterosexism, homosexuality is associated with negative stereotypes and derogatory beliefs.…”

“…In Jamaica’s first nationally representative survey about homosexuality, Boxill et al (2011) found that the majority of Jamaicans, approximately 85%, have strong negative attitudes toward same-sex relationships, especially toward men who are primarily referred to as a battyman 1 . This is particularly evident in how gay men are treated in almost all sectors of society, such as health care, law enforcement, and education (see Chunnu, 2020; Smith, 2018; West & Cowell, 2015; White & Carr, 2005; White & Gerke, 2007). In fact, Jamaica is considered one of the most homophobic countries in the Caribbean (Bloom, 2019; Ferguson & Ferguson, 2022; Padgett, 2006), owing to several factors that contribute to the country’s antigay climate.…”