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Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 1 CITIZENSHIP ASSIGNMENT 2026-2027 Electronic Scrapbook Unit 3: Democratic Principles Objectives 3 and 4 Marginalized Group: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) Community in Jamaica Student Name: Adrian Roache Assignment: Assignment #2 – Individual Task (40%) Deadline: Friday, 16 October 2026 (End of Week 6) Total Marks: /40 = 40% This electronic scrapbook highlights the marginalization faced by the LGBT community in Jamaica, examining human rights violations, media coverage, visual evidence, and educational resources, in accordance with the requirements of Tasks 1–5.
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 2 TASK 1: Investigative Newspaper Article (10 marks) Write an investigative article to be published in a daily or weekly newspaper highlighting the concerns of the marginalized group in terms of detailing how the selected group has been suffering from human rights violations. Make 3 recommendations on what strategies could be implemented to improve the inclusion of this minority group by the State or Non-State actors. (Suggested word length is 750 words) Still Criminal, Still Vulnerable: The Ongoing Human Rights Crisis Facing Jamaica’s LGBT Community By Adrian Roache | Investigative Feature In 2026, Jamaica remains one of only five countries in the Americas that continues to criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults. Sections 76, 77 and 79 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1864 — colonial-era provisions that criminalise “buggery” and “gross indecency” between men — carry penalties of up to ten years’ imprisonment with hard labour. Although prosecutions for private consensual acts are rare, the mere existence of these laws continues to legitimise stigma, discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Jamaicans. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has repeatedly flagged Jamaica’s failure to repeal these laws. In its 2025 annual report, the IACHR noted that Jamaica is among the last five states in the region maintaining such criminalisation. A landmark 2020 decision by the same body in the case of Gareth Henry and Simone Edwards found that Jamaica’s laws violate the rights to privacy, equality, humane treatment and judicial protection under the American Convention on Human Rights. Jamaica has not implemented the recommended reforms. In October 2023 the Supreme Court of Jamaica dismissed a constitutional challenge brought by activist Maurice Tomlinson. The Court ruled that the “savings law clause” in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms shields the colonial provisions from judicial review, leaving any change solely in the hands of Parliament. To date, no legislative reform has been initiated. The human cost is severe. A 2023 national survey conducted by USAID and UNDP found that 83 per cent of LGBT respondents had experienced violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; 73 per cent lived in fear of assault, threats or harassment; and 54 per cent knew someone from the community who had been killed in the previous twelve months for the same reason. Homelessness is widespread. In December 2025 the Equality for All Foundation (formerly J-FLAG) reported that its safe-house facility for LGBT persons was full and had a long waiting list, a situation worsened by the displacement caused by Hurricane Melissa. Violence takes many forms: mob attacks, “corrective rape” of lesbian women, family rejection, forced eviction, and inadequate police response. Dating apps have become particularly dangerous, with reports of individuals being lured into meetings and then assaulted, robbed or blackmailed. Transgender persons face especially high risks, with no legal gender recognition available and intense social hostility. Discrimination in employment, housing, education and healthcare remains common, and there are no comprehensive anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation or gender identity.
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 3 These conditions drive many LGBT Jamaicans to seek asylum abroad. Organisations such as Rainbow Railroad have recorded hundreds of requests for assistance from Jamaica in recent years. The climate of fear also undermines public-health efforts: criminalisation and stigma continue to hinder effective HIV prevention and care among men who have sex with men and transgender people. Three Recommendations 1. Immediate legislative reform – Parliament should repeal Sections 76, 77 and 79 of the Offences Against the Person Act and introduce comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that explicitly protects sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. This would align Jamaica with its international human-rights obligations and remove the legal foundation that currently sanctions hostility. 2. Independent protection and support mechanisms – The State, working with non-state actors such as the Equality for All Foundation and the Larry Chang Foundation, should expand safe-housing, emergency shelters and specialised victim-support services for LGBT persons. Police training on diversity and non-discrimination, already partially begun, must be strengthened and monitored by an independent body to ensure prompt and unbiased investigation of hate crimes. 3. Public education and partnership with civil society and faith communities – The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations and progressive faith leaders, should implement age-appropriate human-rights and diversity education in schools. Parallel national campaigns can challenge stereotypes while affirming that protection from violence and discrimination is a universal right, not a special privilege. Until these steps are taken, Jamaica’s LGBT citizens will continue to live under a legal and social regime that denies them the equal protection and dignity guaranteed by the Constitution and by international law. The choice now rests with Parliament and with Jamaican society as a whole. (Word count: approximately 780)
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 4 TASK 2: Two Newspaper Articles + Summary (6 marks) Provide two newspaper articles that highlight the struggle of the minority group. Also summarize the main perspectives of the two articles in 100 words. Article 1 Source: Jamaica Star Title: “Gay ‘safe house’ full and overflowing” Date: 11 December 2025 Author: Erica Virtue (Senior STAR Writer) Summary of content: The article reports that a privately-run housing facility for homeless members of the LGBT community in Jamaica is at full capacity (20–25 persons) with a long waiting list. Glenroy Murray, Executive Director of the Equality for All Foundation, stated that homelessness is the number-one issue the community seeks help for, a situation worsened by the displacement caused by Hurricane Melissa. A second safe house is planned by the Car-Trans Support Group. Article 2 Source: Jamaica Observer / Caribbean National Weekly (IACHR coverage) Title: “IACHR raises concern over Jamaica’s continued criminalisation of same-sex relationships” Date: 24–27 April 2026 Summary of content: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ 2025 annual report identifies Jamaica as one of only five states in the Americas that still criminalises consensual same-sex relationships between adults. The Commission notes the continued existence of the colonial-era laws and Jamaica’s failure to implement the 2020 recommendations to repeal them. 100-Word Summary of Main Perspectives Both articles highlight the persistent vulnerability of Jamaica’s LGBT community. The Star piece focuses on the practical crisis of homelessness and the insufficient capacity of existing support services, showing that many LGBT persons are forced into unsafe living conditions after family rejection or community violence. The IACHR reporting emphasises the legal dimension: the colonial criminal laws remain in force, legitimising stigma and placing Jamaica among a shrinking minority of states that still punish same-sex intimacy. Together the articles illustrate a dual reality — legal criminalisation that fuels social hostility, and the resulting everyday struggles of homelessness, fear and lack of state protection.
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 5 TASK 3: Three Relevant Photographs (3 marks) Provide three relevant photos that illustrate the struggle of this repressed social group. (You must highlight the source of the photos and the time and place it was taken.) Photograph 1 – Homeless LGBT youth living in a storm drain (“gully”) in Kingston Source: Channel 4 / Unreported World footage and stills (widely circulated in advocacy materials). Time & Place: Circa 2013–2014 documentation of the “Gully Queens,” New Kingston area, Kingston, Jamaica. Relevance: Visually illustrates extreme housing insecurity and the daily threat of violence faced by openly LGBT persons rejected by families and communities. Photograph 2 – Glenroy Murray, Executive Director of Equality for All Foundation Source: Jamaica Star, 11 December 2025 (photograph accompanying the safe-house article). Time & Place: December 2025, Kingston, Jamaica. Relevance: Documents the ongoing housing crisis and the work of local advocacy organisations trying to fill gaps left by the State. Photograph 3 – Public awareness / advocacy event organised by Equality for All Foundation Source: Equality for All Foundation (formerly J-FLAG) social media and campaign materials (publicly available advocacy imagery). Time & Place: Various dates 2023–2025, Kingston and other urban centres in Jamaica. Relevance: Shows community resistance and the demand for safety, dignity and legal reform despite hostility. Note: In the final electronic scrapbook submission, insert the actual images with the captions and full source credits above. Students should obtain and place high-resolution versions of these publicly available photographs.
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 6 TASK 4: Documentary / Video + Learning-Aid Explanation (8 marks) Embed into the scrapbook a documentary or video that is found on mass media or social media to showcase the challenges that this group faces. (You must highlight the source of the video, the time and URL associated with it.) Explain 3 reasons why the video is useful as a learning aid to stimulate citizen awareness about a discriminated social group. Selected Video Title: Jamaica’s Underground Gays (Unreported World Shorts) Source: Channel 4 (United Kingdom) Year / Time: 2014 (still widely referenced in educational and advocacy contexts) URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVJ5gS7EfRM Alternative / Supplementary recent discussion: Marlon James interview on The Daily Show discussing Jamaica’s LGBTQ community and the continued existence of colonial laws (October 2026) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAC1Src1H-8 Three Reasons Why the Video Is Useful as a Learning Aid 1. Personal testimony builds empathy Viewers hear directly from LGBT Jamaicans about the fear, violence and daily survival strategies they employ. Personal stories humanise the issue far more effectively than statistics alone and encourage citizens to see the human beings behind the headlines. 2. Visual evidence of structural problems The footage of people living in storm drains, the social hostility in public spaces, and the influence of music and religion make the consequences of criminalisation and stigma concrete and memorable. This visual impact helps learners grasp the lived reality of marginalisation. 3. Stimulates critical discussion of democratic principles The video prompts questions about equality before the law, the right to security of the person, and the State’s duty to protect all citizens — core democratic values. It can be used in classrooms and community settings to examine how colonial laws continue to shape contemporary human-rights outcomes and what citizens can do to demand reform.
Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Electronic Scrapbook Page 7 TASK 5: Bibliography – APA Format (3 marks) A Bibliography must be placed at the end of Tasks 1–4, that is in the APA format. Channel 4. (2014). Jamaica’s underground gays [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVJ5gS7EfRM Equality for All Foundation. (2025, December 11). Gay ‘safe house’ full and overflowing. Jamaica Star. https://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20251211/gay-%E2%80%98safe-house%E2%80%99-full-and-overflowing Human Dignity Trust. (2025). Country profile: Jamaica. https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/jamaica/ Human Rights Watch. (2014). Not safe at home: Violence and discrimination against LGBT people in Jamaica. https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/10/21/not-safe-home/violence-and-discrimination-against-lgbt-people-jamaica Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (2025). Annual report 2025 (section on LGBTI persons). Organization of American States. Outright International. (2026, March 12). Jamaica country overview. https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/americas/jamaica The Daily Show. (2026, October 10). “The Disappearers” author Marlon James discusses Jamaica’s LGBTQ community [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAC1Src1H-8 USAID & UNDP. (2023). National LGBT survey findings (as cited in Human Dignity Trust and related secondary reports). End of Electronic Scrapbook Student: Adrian Roache | Citizenship Assignment 2026-2027 | Unit 3: Democratic Principles