By Brandon Cottrell 
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America 

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Dwayne Jones, age 16, was murdered on July 22, when he attended a street party dressed as a woman.

Prior to attending the party, Jones confided in a girl from his church that he would be attending dressed as a woman.  Upon his arrival, the girl’s friends asked Jones if he was a man or a woman; once the group determined that Jones was a man, they began verbally assaulting him.  Jones attempted to run from the group, but was unable to escape.  He was then beaten for several hours, stabbed, shot and run over by a car.  The group also beat two of Jones’ friends who attended the party with him.

Annie Paul, a blogger at the Jamaican University of the West Indies said that, “Judging by comments made on social media, most Jamaicans think Dwayne Jones brought his death on himself for wearing a dress . . . in a society that has made it abundantly clear that homosexuals are neither to be seen nor heard.”

Jamaica is often portrayed as one of the most hostile countries for gay and transgendered people.  Just last year alone, two homosexual men were murdered and thirty-six others were victims of mob violence.  Homosexuals are also often victim to arbitrary detention and harassment by police.  Due to such hostility, much of the gay community keeps their sexual orientation secret.  In addition, many of their parties and church services must be held in secret locations.

Some believe that much of the homophobia in Jamaica stems from centuries-old laws that ban sodomy.  Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, however, vowed during her election campaign that the anti-sodomy law would be evaluated and potentially repealed by Parliament.  Additionally, Simpson-Miller said she was open to appointing homosexuals to her cabinet, a stark contrast to former Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s stance.

Meanwhile, Senator Mark Golding condemned Jones’s murder and called on police to “spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice.”  Additionally, leading human rights groups in Jamaica have called on the government to condemn the killing and investigate the crime.  Prime Minister Simpson-Miller and many other prominent leaders, however, have been silent.

To date, the investigation of Jones’ murder has not revealed any suspects and no arrests have been made.

 

For further information, please see:

Jamaica Gleaner – Gov’t Shouldn’t Let Dwayne Jones’ Death Go In Vain – 13 Aug 2013

International Business Times – Jamaica: Transgender Teenager Dwayne Jones Murdered by Homophobic Mob – 12 Aug 2013

CBS News – Transgender teen stabbed, shot and run over by Jamaican mob – 11 Aug 2013

Human Rights Watch – Jamaica Cross-Dressing Teenager Murdered – 01 Aug 2013