Forward: Defend Gay Rights! (1982)
This historical document reminds of a rare perspective advocated among the Jamaican and Caribbean Left in the early 1980s
Forward was the publication of the Revolutionary Marxist League from Jamaica. Besides calling for workers and small farmers to break their chains and rule, it particularly distinguished itself in this era of Caribbean politics, by what were cutting edge outlooks on women, gender, and LGBTQIA+. The language of the freedom movement has changed over the decades. Few use the word “homosexual” in political circles today, and “gay” has joined an umbrella of LGBTQIA+ coalitions and queer liberation politics.
No freedom movement has ever had one singular philosophy or strategy. Nevertheless, just as racists attack the perceived “Black agenda” even if there is not one voice of Black people, LGBTQIA+ find a unity in their diversity, despite conflicting tendencies within, where attacked as one.
RML’s call for “a workers’ state,” a contradiction in terms, especially as the RML understood that both private and nationalized property could be oppressive, later was the subject of rethinking. However, their perspective is sustainable where they see social property, organized and led by the workers themselves, breaking down the burdens of patriarchy and homophobia. The RML seemed to be moving in the direction of a new synthesis of Marxism and anarchism. Libertarian socialism certainly was consistent with their perspective on Gay Liberation.
Forward, this specific article was written by Jon Thomas, offers a perspective that argues LGBTQIA+ rights can only be advanced as part of a broad anti-fascist front. It was understood that in Jamaica or the Caribbean, where people of color are the overwhelming majority, reactionary and Religious Right views are present and must be confronted.
At the same time, it is argued the search for “rights” will not be completed without a socialist revolution. In such a process of bringing the new society closer, children will be taught, without advocating for any one sexual or gender expression, that LGBTQIA+ are “normal forms of sexual expression and social living.”
The struggle continues, especially in the realm of education of children. Right-wing campaigns try to restrict or roll back the presentation of valid information about sex and gender to youth. There are debates and critical thinking (some principled, some hiding prejudices, some overtly fascist) around what teaches tolerance as distinct from advocacy. The bottom line is a plural society has to share the process of socialization with LGBTQIA+ people. This means that a significant section of our youth will grow up to have these orientations and preferences; tolerance is not enough for LGBTQIA+ to discover their identity and autonomy. While it may appear that the numbers of LGBTQIA+ youth are multiplying, in truth, the youth are growing empowered to live their lives and express themselves on their own authority.
Many heterosexuals and parents still have to come to terms with the fact that an aspiring open society presents choices where we all have something to teach each other about our own self-government. A repressive society artificially invents deviants, the unholy, the mentally ill. Until such repression is defeated, while many LGBTQIA+ people are still fighting to be accepted, and some wish for a place at the table of the existing hierarchies, we should all aspire to be ‘queer’ from the perspective of official authorities and recognize LGBTQIA+ peoples’ contributions to Caribbean and world civilization.
The editors have added a few sub-headers, corrected a couple of typos, and spelled out acronyms in the original.
Since late last year, there has been a burst of debate in Jamaica on the question of gays in the society. On the one hand, it is good that this subject, which has long been forbidden, has finally come out into the open.
In the first place, this development has enabled some amount of education of the society about gays and being gay to take place. Jennifer French, one of the more liberal [Jamaica] Gleaner columnists, has played a useful role in this process. The opening up of the discussion has also allowed the local gay organization, the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) more exposure than it previously enjoyed.
Anti-Gay Backlash
On the other hand, however, the gay debate has triggered the beginnings of a very dangerous right-wing, anti-gay backlash in the country. There have been calls for gays to be stoned and even murdered. Also calls for new laws against gays. In almost every case, suitable scriptural quotations have been trotted out to back up these reactionary outcries.
The Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has also joined the anti-gay chorus. On January 27, its Civic and Cultural Affairs Committee proposed steps for “stamping out homosexuality in the society.”
Firstly, they have signaled an intention to harass and/or close down gay clubs. A resolution sponsored by both the [People’s National Party] PNP and [Jamaica Labour Party] JLP and passed by the Committee calls on the police and health authorities to investigate the operation of gay clubs. The aim of this measure was made explicit by one PNP Councillor who stated that the City’s Engineer Department should instruct its inspectors to prosecute the operators of gay clubs as they are operating without licenses.
“Stamp Out This Nastiness:” Fanaticism Encourages Stoning
The Committee also called on the Jamaican Council of Churches to publicly condemn homosexuality. By far the most serious feature of the KSAC Committee’s proceedings, however, was the encouragement by a PNP Councilor to her fellow Councilors to “start our own campaign to stamp out this nastiness.” The Councilor is taking it upon herself to publicly launch a crusade against gay people in Jamaica.
The result of her anti-gay fanaticism will most likely be more incidents such as that which took place only the day before the KSAC Committee meeting at [Excelsior Community College] EXCED. On that occasion, two gay men and a lesbian from the GFM who went to the college campus to participate in a discussion on gays were stoned by students.
A Right-Wing Trend
The present attacks on gays form part of a general right-wing trend in the country that has gained strength with the JLP coming to power, This trend s strongly anti-communist and anti-union. Examples of this are the reactionaries’ hypocritical outcry over the crackdown in Poland and their growing attacks on the unions and calls for these workers’ organizations to be shackled. The right-wing trend is also anti-woman, as shown by the Jamaica Council of Churches present hue and cry against even the most limited legalization of abortion.
On the whole, the right-wing current involves an attempt to reaffirm traditional capitalist values and institutions like the family. In this connection, phrases like “decency,” “discipline,” and “morality,” are frequently tossed around. Hence, also the recent attacks on common-law relationships (unmarried couples living together in long-standing relationships); a church mothers’ unions’ call for a cleanup of DJ lyrics and pornography and a return to three piece suits; the insistence on more formality in certain eating places; and the call to play up classical music as against reggae music.
Everybody’s talking about “the good old days” — Let’s talk about them.
What all this is about is a return to the “good old days” when everyone knew “their place.” That is, when women stayed home and looked after husband and children, children were seen and not heard, and the existence of gay people was not even acknowledged.
Today a particularly vicious campaigns beginning against gay people. Tomorrow it is going to be the turn of leftists, communists, Rastas, and workers as a whole. So for example, Gleaner scandal-monger Listening Post, recently quoted with approval a supposedly humorous reference to Jamaica as a society of queers, reds, and dreads. The fact is, however, that there really is no joke here at all.
Hitler didn’t only kill 6 million Jews. He also butchered thousands and thousands of gays, communists, gypsies, handicapped people and others who were “deviant” (or different) from his racist ideal.
Working people should therefore not join hands with the right against gay people. For, in a very real sense, we’re all in this thing together.
Our Position Restated
In closing, let us restate our position on gay liberation as expressed one year ago in Forward:
“As communist revolutionaries, we of the Revolutionary Marxist League, along with our comrades the Revolutionary Socialist League in the U.S., uncompromisingly support the struggle for gay liberation. We reject all anti-gay prejudice which view gay people as sick or mad, and gay sex as unhealthy. At the same time we don’t promote homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality. Nor are we concerned about whether people have sex standing up, sitting down, backways or frontways, orally, anally, or in any other way. For us how people have sexual intercourse and with whom is their private business so long as no oppression is involved.
We defend the right of people to be openly gay, straight or bisexual. We also defend the right of people to decide who they live with, without being compelled by the economic needs or social pressures of capitalism. However, we recognize that gay liberation will only come through socialist revolution, because only in a socialist society will people and their needs come first. There will then be no need for the family or the oppression of women and children as a means of controlling people. For a workers’ state will make housework and child rearing into social activity. Public laundries, nurseries, daycare center, restaurants and health clinics will be built on an extended scale. All formerly specially oppressed groups including gays, women, and children will be specially protected. People will be taught from early that homosexuality is a normal form of sexual expression and social living.”
[Jon Thomas. “Defend Gay Rights!” Forward. February 27-March 26 1982. 4.]
