CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 113

But she stated there is an additional fear. When
males pass as females, whether as effeminate
gay men, cross-dressers, or transgender women,
heterosexual men fear being fooled into believing
they are ‘real women’. In this case, they are not
able to express their heterosexuality.
“So we’re not afraid of other people being
homosexual, we’re afraid that we may be
homosexual,” she said.
But Carpenter explained that, despite this
cultural context, those who are LGBTQ should
be allowed certain rights and services. She
found that the biggest issue related to these
individuals is what she calls “sexual citizenship”.
“I don’t see how you can exclude a person’s
sexuality from issues of access as a citizen. If
I am transgender and I come to the clinic for

any kind of treatment and I have a job and I’m
paying my taxes, I don’t see how you can tell
me that I must get less services than somebody
else,” she said.
On a similar note, Wanliss felt the Jamaican
Government needed to take action to ensure
LGBTQ people are protected and given equal
rights.
“The only difference between Jamaica and UK
when it comes to being transgender, gay or
lesbian, is that in England there [are] laws
that protect people from being discriminated
against; and there are consequences for those
actions. In Jamaica, there is none. If there
was a law passed in Jamaica that stated that
these people — gay, lesbian and transgender
people — they do have some status, they’re
just like us, they’re just average people who

109

Graphic by Mellissa Woods