Jamaica has the reputation of being one of the most violently anti-gay countries on earth.
Male homosexual acts are criminalized – and can be punished with up to 10 years of hard time in prison. While this law is not actively enforced, it is widely seen as a bulwark against immorality.
Ida's Story
Published December 23, 2009
The Glass Closet: Sex, Stigma and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, a reporting project by Micah Fink and Gabrielle Weiss, has been produced in partnership with WNET's Worldfocus program and correspondant Lisa Biagiotti. On September 23, Worldfocus began airing the second in a series of five short video documentaries exploring HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean: Ida's Story. The video is re-broadcast on December 23.
Ida Northover is known fondly in her community as "Miss Gene." She is a volunteer community leader battling stigma and discrimination in one of the poorest inner city communities on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica.
Jamaica's national AIDS program is targeting community leaders like Miss Gene to educate people about HIV and change the stigma surrounding the disease. Miss Gene's leadership has proven to be a successful model for encouraging tolerance and support for people living with HIV.
CREDITS:
Produced and Directed by Micah Fink
Correspondent: Lisa Biagiotti
Director of Photography: Gabrielle Weiss
Editor: Gabrielle Weiss
Produced in association with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Worldfocus
With support from the M-A-C AIDS Fund
After being shot by anti-gay gunmen, a young lesbian from Jamaica was granted asylum in the Netherlands.
Simone, a refugee fleeing homophobia in her native Jamaica, attempts to heal from the wounds inflicted by violent oppression.
Gateways
Grantee
Gabrielle's film making career in documentary has brought her to many places including Thailand, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and throughout the United States. She has worked...
Grantee
Micah Fink, the founder of Common Good Productions, is an award-winning producer, director and writer specializing in international affairs, public health, and environmental issues. He is also on the...
