SHARE Magazine January 2018 | Page 16

Intimate Convictions Conference Report W Background We are living in undeniably interesting times and the island of Jamaica has not escaped the claws of changing ideologies. Jamaica was dubbed the most homophobic place on earth by Time Magazine in 2006 and has been notoriously known for its radicalist rejection of the homosexual lifestyle for years. There has however been a steady shift in perspective and response to homosexuality in Jamaica. Though I’m only 23, I have witnessed for myself the evolution of this stance from aggression to apathy. However, the 16 | SHARE | MAGAZINE January - March 2018 Church has remained a voice standing against this lifestyle and we saw this resolve demonstrated in an International attention-grabbing rally in 2014. Over 25,000 Jamaicans opposed the repealing of the buggery act. The buggery act essentially prohibits anal sex and is therefore the only law that stands against homosexuality in Jamaica. However, there have been recent developments that have displayed the marked progression that the LGBTI community has made in this island. Jamaica saw its first gay