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<span style="font-weight: bold">Frustration, Death, Homosexuality in Jamaica, More Trouble : Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 41
By illegal alien </span>
My father called to tell us that one of our cousins died. He had been sick for a while but no one would say what he was sick with. Sue told me she thought he had AIDS. He was a womanizer. AIDS in Jamaica is still a “hush hush” topic. AIDS was still seen as a homosexual disease.
We had another cousin everyone knew was gay. No one wanted to acknowledge it. He was 38 not married and always seemed to be posing with a pretty woman on his arm. He was not effeminate. He always dressed very nicely. He was fun to be around. He could light up a room. He had a nice house that was always clean. Not a speck of dust.
He had a nice job at one of the big companies in Jamaica. He won awards every year.
There were rumors about him entering Miss Gay Mobay and that he was “funny”. No one in the family wanted to talk about it. The topic was off limits. Everyone would ask him the same questions at family events.
“That’s a nice girl you are with. Are you going to marry her?”
He would always respond, “I am playing the field”
Now that my other cousin died my sister said that he may also have been gay and the woman he had around him was a “front”.
I did not believe that. I would talk about things he did with women that I don’t think a gay person would. He always had “girlie” magazines. I saw him around women and he was not awkward with them. I remember seeing him “feel up” one of the girlfriends he brought to a family gathering.
My Jamaican high school, Campion College, was slightly more tolerant than most others. This was mainly because there were many Americans and the children of diplomats there. There were quite a few effeminate boys at school that hung out. Everyone said they were gay. Most of the students I knew believe it was wrong to be gay but the feeling was leave them alone. There were a few hardcore “homophobia” students who would tease these boys and call them the “batty boy” crew. This was mainly done behind their backs. I remember how the whispers about the “crew” stopped when Culture Club and Boy George had their hit songs playing on every station in Jamaica.
I remember there were stories of a teacher at school who was gay and his boyfriend being a prominent business man whose son attended my high school. This prominent businessman was also frequently featured in the daily newspaper, the Gleaner. This prominent business man would pick him up sometimes very late at school. He would park across the street near St. Peter and Paul prep school and the teacher would walk over to his car. If we knew this was going on I think many of this teacher’s, and prominent business man’s friends also knew what was going on. They were both married. There were rumors of a private club near Mona where gay men “hung out” a couple times during the week. Married men having a night where they play dominoes, cards and/or drink with their friends is not unusual in Jamaica. My father and his friends did this at our house.
My feelings on gay people had changed since I came to America. It was culture shocked to see people being openly gay in public. When I worked at the supermarket there was a gay guy from the US Virgin Islands. The thought of someone from the Caribbean being openly gay was the first shock. The way he carried himself was the second shock. He wore his pants tight like a lady and he had 2 earnings in his ear. He had his hair straightened like a lady and was very effeminate. He would tell everyone who would listen about his boyfriend and what they did. It was like he was trying to convince everyone that having a boyfriend as a man was the same thing as having a girlfriend as a man. He was flamboyant but he was also very funny. He had the weirdest expressions but he always seemed to make everyone laugh. At first I was very reserved in the way I interacted with him and tried not to laugh at his jokes. However, there is no way to bottle humor in. He was a comedian.
All the talk about him being gay, or not, did not overshadow the fact that I would not be able to attend the funeral. I think by now all my family knew that I was an illegal alien. That was another point of frustration for me.
..
By illegal alien </span>
My father called to tell us that one of our cousins died. He had been sick for a while but no one would say what he was sick with. Sue told me she thought he had AIDS. He was a womanizer. AIDS in Jamaica is still a “hush hush” topic. AIDS was still seen as a homosexual disease.
We had another cousin everyone knew was gay. No one wanted to acknowledge it. He was 38 not married and always seemed to be posing with a pretty woman on his arm. He was not effeminate. He always dressed very nicely. He was fun to be around. He could light up a room. He had a nice house that was always clean. Not a speck of dust.
He had a nice job at one of the big companies in Jamaica. He won awards every year.
There were rumors about him entering Miss Gay Mobay and that he was “funny”. No one in the family wanted to talk about it. The topic was off limits. Everyone would ask him the same questions at family events.
“That’s a nice girl you are with. Are you going to marry her?”
He would always respond, “I am playing the field”
Now that my other cousin died my sister said that he may also have been gay and the woman he had around him was a “front”.
I did not believe that. I would talk about things he did with women that I don’t think a gay person would. He always had “girlie” magazines. I saw him around women and he was not awkward with them. I remember seeing him “feel up” one of the girlfriends he brought to a family gathering.
My Jamaican high school, Campion College, was slightly more tolerant than most others. This was mainly because there were many Americans and the children of diplomats there. There were quite a few effeminate boys at school that hung out. Everyone said they were gay. Most of the students I knew believe it was wrong to be gay but the feeling was leave them alone. There were a few hardcore “homophobia” students who would tease these boys and call them the “batty boy” crew. This was mainly done behind their backs. I remember how the whispers about the “crew” stopped when Culture Club and Boy George had their hit songs playing on every station in Jamaica.
I remember there were stories of a teacher at school who was gay and his boyfriend being a prominent business man whose son attended my high school. This prominent businessman was also frequently featured in the daily newspaper, the Gleaner. This prominent business man would pick him up sometimes very late at school. He would park across the street near St. Peter and Paul prep school and the teacher would walk over to his car. If we knew this was going on I think many of this teacher’s, and prominent business man’s friends also knew what was going on. They were both married. There were rumors of a private club near Mona where gay men “hung out” a couple times during the week. Married men having a night where they play dominoes, cards and/or drink with their friends is not unusual in Jamaica. My father and his friends did this at our house.
My feelings on gay people had changed since I came to America. It was culture shocked to see people being openly gay in public. When I worked at the supermarket there was a gay guy from the US Virgin Islands. The thought of someone from the Caribbean being openly gay was the first shock. The way he carried himself was the second shock. He wore his pants tight like a lady and he had 2 earnings in his ear. He had his hair straightened like a lady and was very effeminate. He would tell everyone who would listen about his boyfriend and what they did. It was like he was trying to convince everyone that having a boyfriend as a man was the same thing as having a girlfriend as a man. He was flamboyant but he was also very funny. He had the weirdest expressions but he always seemed to make everyone laugh. At first I was very reserved in the way I interacted with him and tried not to laugh at his jokes. However, there is no way to bottle humor in. He was a comedian.
All the talk about him being gay, or not, did not overshadow the fact that I would not be able to attend the funeral. I think by now all my family knew that I was an illegal alien. That was another point of frustration for me.
..
<span style="font-style: italic">*gone go PM myself a warning*</span> 
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