CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 15

T

wenty-seven-year-old Earl Lee can.
Today, Lee is a resident of the United
States of America, but his story began
in a much different place.

He lived in Jamaica for most of his life, but was
forced to leave as an adult because he feared that
misconceptions about his sexuality could lead to
his harm.
“I knew if I stayed in Jamaica, it wouldn’t have been a
great growth process… Seeing all these documentaries
and hearing stories of [perceived] homosexual
individuals in Jamaica who have been killed… I
didn’t want to become part of the statistics…”

On his first day at an all-boys traditional high school
in downtown Kingston, Lee was confronted by an
older student while having lunch. He was sitting
alone in a crowded lunch area, as he was not yet
able to make friends.
“Sissy, give me your money!” the physically larger
third year student shouted at Lee.
He refused and the student hit him in the face. The
soft-spoken Lee sought the assistance of his older
relatives; but instead of intervening, they insisted
he learns to defend himself.
“I was bawling my eyes out, and they told me I have
to ‘man up’ and defend myself; they wouldn’t be
able to defend me all the time,” Lee recalled, with
a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Lee felt he had no other option but to report the
violent incident to his form teacher, who he said
assisted him willingly. However, that incident was
not his last brush with the ire of his peers as the
days ahead were no easier.

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