The newly elected Prime Minister of Jamaica has come out in favour of respecting the human rights of “gays”. Portia Simpson Miller spoke in a live TV debate and said that Jamaica should support equality for gay people. When pushed on the issue of whether she would have a gay in her cabinet she said the only criteria for a cabinet position were, ‘capacity’, ‘ability’ and ‘expertise’. Sexual orientation, she said, did not enter into it.
Her opponent Andrew Holness was more equivocal, drawing a false dichotomy between human rights internationally and civil rights in Jamaica, both of which he felt had to be respected. He has since been defeated at the polls, giving hope to LGB campaigners in Jamaica that change may be on the way in what is a very dangerous country for LGBT people.
The new PM hit the headlines in the UK by stating Jamaica would seek independence from the Queen and Empire by creating its own head of state.
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