A gay rights activist has withdrawn a legal challenge to Jamaica's anti-sodomy laws after growing fears of violent backlashes
A gay rights activist has withdrawn a legal challenge to Jamaica's anti-sodomy laws after growing fears of violent backlashes, reports WTOP.com.
Last year, Javed Jaghai initiated a constitutional challenge to an 1864 law that bans sex between men. He argued that the law fuels homophobia and violates a 2011 charter of human rights that guarantees a right to privacy.
As it stands, the law bans anal sex and sets a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and hard labor. Anything interpreted as "gross indecency" between men is punishable with two years in prison.
When Jaghai initiated the legal challenge in 2013, several church pastors led crowded revival meetings to oppose overturning the anti-sodomy law.
However, Jaghai has issued a statement saying he is no longer in a position to continue pursuing the case because of fears of a backlash against his family.
Janet Burak of New York-based advocacy group AIDS-Free World said the fear that pushed Jaghai to end his court challenge is "the same fear that keeps gay men in Jamaica underground, away from effective HIV testing, prevention treatment, care and support interventions.”
Although Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller spoke in favor of gay rights in 2012 and has vowed to put the anti-sodomy law to a "conscience vote," there has as yet been no movement in that area.
Watch Jaghai discuss human rights in Jamaica, AFTER THE JUMP…
