Gully Queens of Jamaica: Gays living in filthy STORM DRAIN
The Gully Queens of Jamaica: How a gay community in one of the most homophobic places on Earth has literally been forced underground into a filthy STORM DRAIN
New VICE News documentary reveals life led by gay and transgender youth in central Kingston
Many have been forced out from shacks, and even by their own families
Constant threat of homophobic attack while they live in drain ('gully')
Around 80% of Jamaica's population harbours anti-gay sentiment
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For most people, the threat of bottles, bones, and stones gushing into their beds as they sleep is not exactly high.
But for one community in Jamaica, it is something they have to deal with every night - along with the risk of being assaulted, raped or even murdered... just for being gay.
Such is the life of one group of homeless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youths who live in a storm drain (or 'gully') in the country's capital, Kingston - as revealed in a short documentary made by VICE News.
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Unwilling to hide their sexuality, the sense of community and relative safety the gully provides acts as a welcome sanctuary.
For that reason, a hint of optimism pervades the lives of the Gully Queens, who go by such colourful names as Pebbles, Batman, Rihanna and Beyonce.
They try to live as dignified a life as possible, given their filthy cockroach/mosquito-infested surroundings: clothes are laid out to dry on the side of the drain; they shower with clean water that gushes from a hydrant; and sleep on makeshift mattresses crafted from pallets and carpets.
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International advocacy groups often portray Jamaica as the most hostile country in the Western Hemisphere for gays and transgendered people.
Between 2009 and 2012, a total of 231 reports were made to J-FLAG (Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays).
Most incidents were related to assaults, physical attacks, and displacement from homes and communities.
Other incidents included extortion and threats as well as sexual violence, particularly against lesbians and bisexual women.
Homophobic attacks sometimes occur in broad daylight, with the footage then shared across social media.
Homeless gay and transgender youngsters have made a home for themselves in a mosquito-infested storm drain (or 'gully') in Kingston, Jamaica
The Gully Queens, as they call themselves, have sought refuge in the drains after being forced out from shacks, derelict buildings, and sometimes by their own families
Unwilling to hide their sexuality, the sense of community and relative safety the gully provides acts as a welcome sanctuary
Khloe, one of the Gully Queens, whose transgendered friend Dwayne Jones was murdered in 2013
A 'buggery' law still exists in Jamaica, harking back to colonial times, whereby anyone caught having anal sex faces 10 years of hard labour in jail - although homosexuality itself is not illegal
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DEAD AT 16: KHLOE'S FRIEND
Gully Queen, Khloe
One of the Gully Queens is Khloe, whose friend Dwayne Jones - a transgender teen - was murdered in July 2013.
Dwayne was relentlessly teased in high school for being effeminate until he dropped out.
His father not only kicked him out of the house at the age of 14 but also helped jeering neighbours push the youngster from the rough Jamaican slum where he grew up.
By the age of 16, the teenager was dead - beaten, stabbed, shot and run over by a car when he showed up at a street party dressed as a woman.
His mistake: confiding to a friend that he was attending a 'straight' party as a girl for the first time in his life.
'When I saw Dwayne's body, I started shaking and crying,' Khloe told Associated Press.
She was one of three transgendered friends who shared a derelict house with the teenager in the hills above the north coast city of Montego Bay.
Like most transgenders and gays in Jamaica, Khloe wouldn't give a full name out of fear.
'It was horrible. It was so, so painful to see him like that.'
ugh this is devastating. I hope a certain group of people on this site reads all of this and realizes how dumb they sounded a few weeks ago saying this kind of hate, oppression and discrimination is not as bad as other forms of hate, oppression and discrimination.
But yeah, this is really sad. This world is such a horrible place but I probably said this in hundred threads before. People should care about the real problems instead of bringing down 'minorities' (idk why but I hate this word so much).
It is horrible. My mother wants me to go down there to see family and I'm like hell no. If I have to hide who I am to meet family members for the first time, then it is a waste of time because they clearly don't want to know me.
this is why I don't want to go there ever again. I was forced to come last year to meet some family members and I had to act as straight as possible around everyone
You can watch the full documentary here (about 25 minutes long):
