Toronto – Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, Egale Canada and Pride Toronto will launch the International Human Rights Campaign "Call for Love" on February 14.
The "Call for Love" campaign will bring together faith communities, human rights organizations, activists, and concerned citizens to raise the visibility of the plight of gay
lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-identified Jamaicans. Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes CM (MCC Toronto), Helen Kennedy, Executive Director (Egale Canada), Fatima Amarshi, Executive Director (Pride Toronto) will join with Gareth Henry a leading gay activist from Jamaica to launch this campaign.
The campaign will include events and press conferences from Pretoria to London, New York, Miami, Philadelphia and Toronto. "On a day devoted to love, we're making a stand against hatred," said Rev. Nancy Wilson, moderator of the MCC denomination, which has churches in 28 countries. "For too many years LGBT people in Jamaica have faced a horrific campaign of harassment, intimidation, violence, ostracism, hate crimes and even death."
On January 29th, a club-carrying, machete-wielding mob forced their way into the private home of three gay men in Greenvale, Manchester, Jamaica and brutally attacked them. Two of the men were seriously wounded, one had his ear cut off. A third is still missing and presumed dead. Police were called at the time of the incident but did not arrive for over 90 minutes.
"Gay people in Jamaica have suffered a long history of religiously-inspired and socially sanctioned violence," said Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, "and it must end now! It's time for the government of Jamaica to act to protect the lives and safety of its LGBT citizens, and it's time to end the use of religion as a justification for hatred and violence."
"Prominent Jamaican gay activist Gareth Henry is Pride Toronto's International Grand Marshal this year," said Fatima Amarshi, Executive Director, Pride Toronto, "we will be focusing on Jamaica during Pride Week 2008 festivities to highlight human rights violations against LGBT peoples in that country."
"Canada has committed $600 million over the next ten years to Caribbean regional programs and according to CIDA, (Canadian International Development Agency) Jamaica is expected to be the centre of several new programs," said Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of Egale Canada. "None of these funds are for LGBT human rights initiatives and that must change."
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For more information:
Helen Kennedy, Egale Canada, 416 270-1999
Egale Canada ©2007