Glass Closet: Sex, Stigma and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica

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.

Jamaica's anti-buggery law, which refers to homosexuality as an abominable crime, is a legacy of the island's British colonial past.

It is also deeply ingrained into the social fabric of modern Jamaican society.

The Abominable Crime Trailer from Common Good Productions on Vimeo.

Violent anti-gay song lyrics are standard fare in Jamaica's popular dance hall music and pastors and church leaders denounce homosexuality across the country.

These anti-gay sentiments are widely echoed across Jamaican society. A recent public opinion poll reported that most Jamaicans (85%) believe homosexuality should be illegal and many view it as morally wrong (82%). This study, the first of its kind ever conducted in Jamaica, concluded that strong negative perceptions and attitudes towards homosexuality cut across all social classes, gender and social groups.

This convergence of legal, religious and moral sentiment makes life profoundly difficult for the men and women who make up Jamaica's native-born gay community. The anti-sodomy law, according to activists, makes gay people un-indicted criminals in the eyes of the police and the local population, and legitimizes spontaneous acts of anti-gay violence.

In real terms, this means that Jamaica's gay community lives under the constant threat of harassment and violence, with victims holding little hope of seeking protection or redress from the police.

Glass Closet is an exploration of the long-term impact of this violence and the threat of violence on the lives of Jamaica's gay community.

The first installment of Glass Closet, produced in collaboration with the PBS series World Focus, explored the connection between homophobia, stigma, and HIV, and showed how these social factors have led to a devastating increase in the AIDS rate in Jamaica's gay community.

Glass Closet was made possible thanks to support from the MAC AIDS Fund.

Editor's note: This description was updated on March 28, 2012, to reflect the ongoing reporting in progress.