Jamaican George Jackson
is battling for his life: against HIV but also against deportation back to
an island known as ‘the most homophobic place on earth’
Words Martin Flynn
Images John Clarkson
Being
gay in Jamaica is a dangerous business and George Jackson has the machete
scars to prove it. Being gay and HIV positive is a combination that massively
increases your risk of death or serious harm.
Violence and intimidation are rife on the island, particularly against the
underground homosexual and HIV positive communities. Every week stories emerge
of gay murders and stigma against people living with HIV.
Homophobic violence seems to be glorified in a place where a fake macho culture
permeates society. Even Jamaican musicians, such as Beenie Man, are involved
in the horror, exalting followers to ‘bash the batty boys’.
At the same time, the Caribbean is witnessing one of the fastest growing HIV
epidemics in the world, and currently has the second highest infection rate
outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
Back here in the UK, 35-year-old Jamaican George is fighting a battle against
deportation and expects a knock on the door any day from immigration officers.
“It means certain death if I am sent back,” he explains. “Either
I will be killed or I will die of Aids because there are no HIV drugs available
to me in Jamaica.”
Life in the market
George Jackson has the handsome good looks of many black south London guys.
He has the sports clothes, the bling, and the charming West Indies accent.
If you passed him on the street you could mistake him for a rap singer or
sportsman.“I’m from a small town called St Catherine’s,”
he explains: “But I lived on my own in Kingston from the age of 16.
“At 15 my family found out I was gay after an incident with my coach
at school. My mum beat me and threw me out. I had no where to turn. “Everyone
knew me in St Catherine’s so
I moved to the capital, Kingston, and slept in Coronation Market, a place
where everybody goes to trade.
“I tried to fit in with the people in the markets, with the cart boys.
I used to sleep every night among the provisions, with the loads and the luggages.
There were a lot of other young kids and homeless
people on the streets and I lived that way for nearly two years. “It
was rough, with many scary moments and sleepless nights. I was picking up
food left to rot and begging on the street. After a while I started pushing
my own cart to make a living.“I made friends with some of the prostitutes
there. One was very kind to me. I’d go to her house and have a shower
and rest. But I wouldn’t tell her my ‘problem’ because I
was too scared.
“One day my sexuality came out after she said I should go back to my
family. She told me she had friends who were gay and she’d talk to them
about me so they could assist me. From there I stayed with
a gay friend and started practising homosexuality again.”
Violence
in Montego Bay
But coming out was even more dangerous for George, he explains, rolling up
his sleeves to show deep scars on his arms.“These are due to the fact
that my boyfriend and I were going out to the clubs and the beaches. The first
thing they call you is ‘batty man’ and they start throwing stones
and bottles and then it moves onto knives and machetes. “One time I
was with some friends in Montego Bay. We were hugging and chatting but some
guys across the road noticed us and came over and said, ‘You boys are
batty boys’.
“Then an argument started. We tried to move away but they started hitting
us and beating us with sticks. One had a machete and slashed my arm. I nearly
bled to death and needed 82 stitches.
“At Montego Bay Hospital they knew I was gay, although it wasn’t
discussed. None of the doctors or nurses would come near me. They wouldn’t
give me blood; they said I had to pay for it. I was drifting in and out of
consciousness. “I told them I was robbed. I couldn’t tell them
I was gay. If you’re involved in a fight they won’t look after
you until you pay them money. If I told them I was gay it would have been
even worse.
“I suffered a lot for this. Everyday, going down the road, I had to
watch my back, looking around to see if anyone was going to attack me.”
Another shock, another rejection
A trip to the UK did not help George. “I didn’t know I was HIV
positive until
I came to London on a visit in 2002. I started having cramps in my belly,
felt sick and was having fevers. I thought it was an STI. My friend took me
to a doctor and they asked me to have an HIV test. I thought
I didn’t have anything to worry about.“When I returned to St Thomas’
Hospital 12 days later, they said the counsellor needed to speak to me. She
said: ‘I’m sorry to tell you you’re HIV positive’.
I was totally knocked out. It was like I was in a trance. “When I came
to the UK I was given six months to stay and since 2003 I have been struggling
with the immigration system. They told me this June that my application to
stay had been rejected.“I was in bed and breakfast and then in a shared
house in Lewisham. I’m not allowed to work and am living on just £38
a week.”
Fear of the knock
“I’ve been on combination therapy for two years. My CD4 count
is 222 now and my viral load is undetectable. It’s worrying every time
I get my test results because my CD4 count is not climbing much. I’m
so stressed and suffering from deep depression.” George hasn’t
been told he will be thrown out yet but fears it will happen soon.
“Normally when they reject your case they give you 28 days to leave.
I’m expecting the knock on the door any day now. “I don’t
think I can take this anymore. I don’t think people understand what
people like me are going through. I just have to survive by the grace of God.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to rebuild my health on £38
a week and all this stress.” If George is sent back to Jamaica he is
convinced he will face certain death.“Going home right now, there’s
no way I’ll survive. You can’t get HIV treatments; there are no
free drugs, you have to pay for everything. The government does not aid anyone
with HIV. I have no family to support me and the hospitals want cash upfront.
“The immigration people in the UK say the HIV drugs are available in
Jamaica but they don’t really care. They just say I should go.”
George is unsure if he has any further chance of appeal to stay in the UK.
“I don’t know. They know where I live and they’ll put me
in the detention centre. There’s nothing for me to do but just sit and
wait.
“If I go back home I’ll be beaten, battered and chopped. They
put a tyre around your neck and burn you to death. “For Jamaicans who
are gay and HIV positive it’s very bad. You have to hide all the time.
The only help is from Jamaican Aids Support (JAS) but their voice can’t
be heard through the whole country.
“I’ll never have the love of a family’s love, like I’ve
had from spending time with my aunt and cousins here in the UK. I wouldn’t
know my Jamaican family if I passed them on the street.”
A
community in denial
Love for George hasn’t just come from his UK relatives. He’s had
much support from HIV organisations.
“I’ve been supported by THT, Positive Place, UKC and Positive
East and I really do appreciate what they’ve all tried to do for me.
However, my legal aid funding has stopped and my appeal has finished.
“Because I’m not allowed to get a job I’ve been doing training
courses and volunteering. I’m studying to be a social worker and I’m
in my final year at Lambeth College.
“When I return to Kingston they’ll know a ‘batty man’
has been sent home from England. I’ll have nowhere to live and be back
on the streets again, being spat upon and beaten. I’m crying out for
mercy and rescue. All I want is to be free to live my life.” “The
Jamaican community in London are as bad as back home. You get the same insults
and discrimination. I just stay away from them. I’ve been attacked by
Jamaicans here in London. They say all gays have Aids. They’re in denial
about HIV.” Does George feel the future is optimistic? “No. If
I can fight against deportation I will. I’ll do everything in my power
to save my life and be myself. The UKC put me in touch with my MP Joan Ruddock
and she’s trying to see what can be sorted out. We’re also doing
a petition to the Home Office. I hope your readers can help.”
• To help George Jackson and others with HIV facing deportation, write
a letter to Charles Clarke, Home Secretary, Home Office, Peel Building, 2
Marsham St, London SW1P 4DF. Copy the letter to your local MP. Or sign our
online petition at www.ukcoalition.org
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