CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 23

As he continued to navigate the rigours of
fourth form, he found himself more alienated
than before. He became a virtual target for his
schoolmates.
“They burned the top of my desk. They used to
throw things at me in class. They didn’t want
to sit next to me because gay is contagious;
they would catch it if I sat next to them. And if
I looked at anyone, they would say I want [to
pursue] them.”
Although he seemed to be up against the world,
Lee said he placed second in his form class and
second in the entire form for that academic
year. He explained to CARIMAC Times that his
motivation moved from trying to make friends
to being academically strong.
Success or not, the other students were not

deterred from their agenda to apply ‘vigilante
justice’ against the deviant, enemy even, in
their midst.
“It was about fifth or sixth form when I was
walking and someone threw a chair, an iron
chair [frame] from the fourth form block … If
I did not make that one step [forward], I would
have splattered in the middle of the school,” Lee
recounted as he seemed to mimic the enthusiasm
of those who wanted to see his end.
Cartoons targeting children commonly have
scenes of heavy objects falling on top of an
individual who is being hunted in a bid to
eliminate him or her.
Dr. Anthea Henderson, lecturer and researcher
at the Caribbean Institute of Media and
Communication (CARIMAC) at UWI, Mona,

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The Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication
at the University of the West Indies, Mona
Photo by Tori Haber