company:gsn

GSN CEO stepping down
▻http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-04-26-gsn-ceo-stepping-down

David Goldhill leaving company later this year, but not before finding new leadership for the company’s TV and games businesses

#Jobs

XBLA creator to platform holders: “Don’t be afraid to curate”
▻http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-02-21-xbla-creator-to-platform-holders-dont-be-afraid-to-curate

Greg Canessa, SVP at GSN Games, would love to see more curation from platforms and smarter strategies from devs

#Publishing

Gareth Thomas on gay athletes, Mickey Rourke and coming out | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gareth-thomas-gay-athletes-mickey-rourke-and-coming-out051112

Gareth Thomas on gay athletes, Mickey Rourke and coming out
Welsh rugby star chats to GSN about making his acting debut as the Genie in Aladdin and why he doesn’t care if Mickey Rourke looks nothing like him
05 November 2012 | By Matthew Jenkin
Welsh rugby star chats to GSN about making his acting debut as the Genie in Aladdin and why he doesn’t care if Mickey Rourke looks nothing like him

When hunky Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas came out at the height of his sports career, he became one of the very few openly gay active professional athletes in the world.

Since his retirement from his sport last fall, Thomas was voted the most influential gay person in the UK, receiving Stonewall’s hero of the year award in 2010, and proved his credentials as a positive role model during his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house earlier this year.

His inspirational story is now being made into a feature film with Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke as star.

But before then, he is making wishes come true starring as the genie in a pantomime production of Aladdin.

The out and proud star will be polishing his lamp and flexing his acting skills, among other things, especially for the traditional British festive show at the Stiwt Theatre in Wrexham.

Gay Star News chatted to Thomas about his latest career move as a panto hero.

Are you excited about your acting debut in panto?

When they first rang me about the part my first reaction was ‘no chance’ because I’ve never done it before and never thought I would get to do it. But when I spoke to my family and they told me how much they liked panto and how much fun it is at Christmas.

When you’ve finished doing something all you’ve ever wanted to do, it’s good to try and step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. That’s how you find out what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s all about having fun and making people laugh. So why not give this opportunity a crack and who knows what it may bring in the future?

How are your acting skills?

Panto is less about acting and more about not taking yourself too seriously. People come in with a smile on their face and expect to leave with a bigger smile on their face. You can’t dress up in silly costumes and tell gags if you take yourself seriously. I want people to laugh along with me.

Since you retired from professional rugby, you appeared in Celebrity Big Brother. For many the reality show has been career suicide. Has it helped or hindered you?

I don’t care about what other people think of me. I do what is exciting to me. I’ve learnt in my life that you can’t please everybody and the only people that matter to me are those that are close to me, my family and friends. If they don’t mind what they do, if they think it’s good for and fun, then it’s their opinion which matters to me.

Celebrity Big Brother was a fantastic experience for me. I learnt a lot about myself and I made some really good friends. Now I’m doing panto. Some people may say, ‘Why are you doing panto?’ You know what, it’s because I want to and I want to have a laugh. When I go in my box at the end of my life, maybe panto could have been the worst thing I did in my life but it may have been the best thing. There’s only one way to find out and that’s by doing it.

I’ve done everything I wanted to do in rugby, so I can’t just sit on my arse in my nice little house and watch life go by. I want to carry on living my life. I’m 38 and loving everything I do. I’m challenging myself and doing things I never ever thought I would do. People think if you’ve done this, you should automatically do that. But I say balls to that. If it puts a smile on my face, I do it regardless.

One positive thing which came out of you starring on Big Brother was that you gave many young people a positive gay role model...

On TV sometimes gay people are portrayed as a stereotype. A big thing about me going into the Big Brother house was showing people who I was and how I am. There’s nothing wrong with being a stereotype either but a lot of people only see that. So they never get to see any other type of human being.

It was a good thing for me and it was an education to a lot of people who realized that there are not only different types of straight people but there are also different types of gay people.

A lot of gay athletes wait until retirement before they come out publicly. Why did you decide to do it while you were still playing the game?

Children are usually sent the message that it’s ok to come out in sports but not until you have retired. But I wanted to show that you don’t have to stay hidden when you’re playing sports. I hid for a long time because I chose sport before I chose my life. But I matured to a point where I decided that I wanted to do both. I didn’t know if the sport would allow me too but I am blessed that it did.

It’s not just me that was the positive role model though, it was also the sport and the team that I was with and played against. That’s what makes me proud to say that I was a sportsman who was able to be myself. I wanted to show that you don’t have to hide because sport is sport, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. As long as you are good at it, people will respect you for that.

There was a lot of criticism during the Olympics that there weren’t enough out gay athletes. Do you think sport in general is still homophobic?

I don’t think it’s homophobic inside sport. But I think the terraces and sometimes the crowd give an intimidating atmosphere. I wouldn’t want to play rugby if I thought I would have to go to a grounds where I would get abused from the crowd because I can’t focus on the game.

I’ve never come across any homophobia in changing rooms or elsewhere within the game. There only place I have experienced it is on the terraces or in the crowds. But within the game it’s all about what you contribute to the team as a professional athlete not what you do behind closed doors.

How important is it to have more out gay athletes?

I do think it’s important but I think it’s more important that they’re positive role models. For me, the reason my story is positive is not the fact that I’m gay but because of my story and what I do after. It’s my acceptance of people, going into the Big Brother house and starring in panto. Who really cares if the person is gay?

If I read that Justin Fashanu came out as gay and killed himself for his football, what message does that send? If I read that Gareth Thomas came out as gay, he carried on playing and his life was great, people accepted him and he can walk on the street with no bother, holding his head high for the next 15 years. That to me is what it’s all about. People have changed their lives and come out because my story was positive.

Your story is going to be told on the big screen in an upcoming Hollywood biopic. How do you feel about Mickey Rourke being chosen to play you?

I don’t give a shit what I look like. I look in the mirror and I don’t care. I’ve trained hard in my life and worked hard to be good at my career. People say Mickey doesn’t look like me but that’s because I don’t care what I look like. I care more about how people portray the way I am, the way I treat people and the way I talk to people. Who I am inside and what I’ve been through is what’s important.

To me, there’s not a fucking actor in this world that can touch Mickey Rourke for playing emotional roles. I’ve spent time with him and he knows me inside out. I’ve told him things that nobody has ever been told. Maybe when they watch the movie at first they will say, ’Fuck, he looks nothing like Gareth’, but then after, because my story is not about what I look like, it’s about what I’ve been through, I think people won’t even see it, they will see an emotional rollercoaster ride.

I want them to see where I’ve come from and where I’ve come to, as well as all the shit that’s happened in between. That’s emotions, not taking my top off and standing in front of the mirror. I’m a guy who has been an emotional wreck and at the same time has been the happiest man alive. To try and get that across takes one hell of an actor.

Gay Star News « MasterAdrian’s Weblog
►http://masteradrian.com/2012/10/26/gay-star-news

Gay Star News
October 26, 2012
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14 celebrity coming out stories which shocked the world | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/14-celebrity-coming-out-stories-which-shocked-world111012

14 celebrity coming out stories which shocked the world
Gay Star News takes a look at 14 men and women who have inspired thousands to be honest about their sexuality
11 October 2012 | By Joe Morgan
When Frank Ocean came out, it inspired thousands of others to do the same. We celebrate him and others for Coming Out Day.

There is real power when a celebrity is honest about their sexuality or gender identity, as it lets thousands of young gay people know they are not alone.

So to celebrate Coming Out Day (11 October), GSN has gathered together the stories of 14 celebrities who shocked the world when they were revealed who they really are.
Ellen DeGeneres

When Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997 on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and later on her sitcom, she didn’t work for three whole years.

But soon after that, she was given a daytime talk show in 2003. With The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she has become one of the most loved personalities on our screens today.

Check out a video of the comic talking with her Oscar-nominated actress and co-star of her coming out episode Laura Dern here:

Ricky Martin

Before Ricky Martin came out in 2010, he spent 11 years of his life besieged by gay rumors.

The Puerto Rican singer was linked with TV host Rebecca de Alba as well as his ‘Nobody Wants To Be Lonely’ duet partner Christina Aguilera.

In a 2000 interview with British tabloid The Mirror, he said: ‘I don’t think I should have to tell anyone if I am gay or not, or who I’ve slept with or not.’

But in 2010, he finally admitted who he is. In a post on his official website, he said: ‘I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.’
Jessie J

British bisexual Jessie J became open about her sexuality when she broke the USA.

In a radio interview last year, she said: ‘I’ve never denied it. Whoopie doo guys, yes, I’ve dated girls and I’ve dated boys – get over it.’

Despite that, The Sun ‘outed’ her as a lesbian in April 2012. However, she called it a ‘boring, untrue story’.
Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono, the only child of Sonny and Cher, is one of the most high-profile transgender advocates in the USA.

Outed by the tabloid press in 1995 as a lesbian, Bono spent years writing about gay rights.

Between 2008-2010, he began his transition and saw his celebrity rise and rise which culminated in appearing as a contestant on one of the highest rated American TV shows Dancing On The Stars.

Check out Bono discussing his transition here:

Sally Ride

As the first American woman to fly in space, little was known about Sally Ride’s sexuality and personal life for years.

But it was only when she died of pancreatic cancer, in July this year, her obituary revealed she had been in a 27 year relationship with a woman.

On the day of her death, President Barack Obama described her as a ‘national hero and a powerful role model.’
Orlando Cruz

The first openly gay man to come out and continue competing in professional boxing, Orlando Cruz has made sport history.

In October 2012, the Puerto Rican made an announcement he wanted to be true to himself.

He said: ‘I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career.

‘I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.’
Cynthia Nixon

When you try to think of the one television show most straight women would most identify with, it would likely be Sex and the City.

The comic drama set in New York featured four heterosexual women finding love in the big city, and it starred Cynthia Nixon as tough businesswoman Miranda.

While Miranda met marital difficulties with partner Steve, Cynthia Nixon had found true love with a woman. Nixon and her partner activist Christine Marinoni married in May 2012.
Gareth Thomas

Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas isn’t exactly the stereotype of a gay guy, considering he is a star of one of the most macho, tough sports in the world.

But when he came out in 2010, he was the first openly gay athlete on any major sports team in the world.

Thomas says: ‘If sportspeople come out and share such a powerful story, and such a positive message, it changes the world. If someone is openly gay in sport, and being able to continue that sport, it is such a positive message for the world.’
Chely Wright

You may not have heard of Chely Wright, but she is one of the USA’s biggest country stars.

For an industry that is renowned to be Republican, and by default, homophobic, Wright has been able to forge out a successful career.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, she said when the TV host came out it inspired her but also terrified her.

‘I was watching it with my sister and my father who did not know I was gay.The minute you came out, my father reached for the remote control and flipped the TV off and said it was disgusting.

‘It sent me into a spiral. I made that promise again to never tell anyone in my family, or the record-buying public, that I was gay.’

But as years past, and they grew further apart, she had no choice to tell her father.

He got up on stage the next night at one of Wright’s gigs and said: ‘I’m so glad you guys came out to see my daughter, I’m really proud of her. Now kid, get back to singing.’

Check out the interview here:

Matt Bomer

Matt Bomer has played a male stripper, a detective, and is now being lined up to play female fantasy Christian in the film adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey.

And he is gay. After he came out in February 2012, he said: ‘I never really endeavored to hide anything.

‘But there were times I chose not to relegate my history to the back page of a magazine, which to me is sort of akin to putting your biography on a bathroom wall.’
Lady Gaga

One of the most successful pop stars today, openly bisexual Lady Gaga is one of the most famous gay rights advocates.

While she is openly Christian, she has risked backlash by slamming the Pope for his anti-gay views.

She said: ‘What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter. It doesn’t matter to the world. It matters to the people who like the Pope and follow the Pope.’

Check out Gaga performing John Lennon’s Imagine at a Human Rights benefit here:

Jim Parsons

When The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons came out, it wasn’t by announcing it on the cover of a magazine.

He came out publicly in a New York Times profile interview when he was starring in Broadway in the play Harvey.

The article simply said: ‘Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship.’
KD Lang

Canadian born KD Lang is one of the most successful artists of all time.

Winning multiple Grammy awards, Lang came out in an interview with The Advocate in 1992.

In an interview with Canadian LGBT news website Xtra!, she said: ‘To celebrate your own uniqueness is the biggest celebration of confidence.

‘It’s a testimony to your parents and to yourself to live your life as who you are.’

‘Coming out as a lesbian was important,’ she said. ‘When you’re holding in things or not being honest, all these things affect your voice. My voice is definitely designated to who I am as a person.’
Frank Ocean

Ever since R&B star Fran Ocean came out, he has seen his career skyrocket to success.

In July, the Odd Future member published what was meant to be the notes for his album Channel Orange.

He describes meeting a man when he was 19 years old and falling in love, for real, for the first time.

Ocean says when he looked back on his previous girlfriends and the love songs he used to play for them, the lyrics were ‘written in a language’ he did not yet speak.

When it was released, Channel Orange reached the top of the US Billboard R&B Chart. It just shows that honesty really is the best policy.

Gay Nigerian risks death by being deported | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-nigerian-risks-death-being-deported021012

Gay Nigerian risks death by being deported
UK authorities are insisting on deporting a gay Nigerian asylum seeker, despite him facing a possible death sentence and a campaign to let him stay in Bradford
02 October 2012 | By Dan Littauer
Picture of Ayelokun at Bradford pride, now at risk being deported to Nigeria which in some cases punishes homosexuality by death by stoning

UK authorities are insisting on deporting a gay Nigerian asylum seeker, despite him facing a possible death sentence and a campaign to let him stay in Bradford.

Olalekan M Ayelokun fled from Nigeria eight years ago to escape persecution because of his sexuality.

UPDATE: 6.30pm GMT, 2 October GSN has just been informed that UK authorities plans to deport Ayelokun on Charter flight PVT090, flying from Heathrew tonight at 11.27pm GMT.

A judge at Bradford’s Immigration Court stated he was not convinced Ayelokun was a gay and ordered his deportation tonight (2 October).

Ayelokun was detained last Tuesday after a routine appointment at the UK Border Agency’s Waterside Court offices in Leeds.

Jason Feather, a friend of Ayelokun told Gay Star News: ‘He was arrested with only the clothes he was wearing, since then he did not have a change of clothes.

’Yesterday he was moved to Collingbrook detention center in London, which is near the airport so he can be deported to Nigeria in only four days.’

Ayelokun told Gay Star News and Feather that the Home Office have brought the deportation forward to tonight, Ayelokun is to be put on a charter flight at 11.27pm GMT to Nigeria.

Feather and other friends of Ayelokun have set up a Facebook group, an online petition and a sample letter to MPs, to try and stop him from being forced onto a plane.

His solicitor, Mark Taylor, appealing to the High Court in a bid to get the judge’s decision reversed.

However, a UK Border Agency (UKBA) spokesman told the daily Telegraph and Argus that Ayelokun had lived in the UK illegally, having overstayed a visit visa that expired in 2003.

The spokesman said: ‘He did not claim asylum until 2011, after he was arrested by UK Border Agency officers for using false documents to gain employment.

‘At no point has he been able to provide sufficient evidence of his sexuality and our decision not to grant him asylum has been upheld by an independent immigration judge.’

Taylor, Ayelokun’s solicitor, branded the judge’s decision in as ‘extraordinary’, claiming three former sexual partners and other friends from the gay scene gave evidence on oath that his client was gay.

He said: ‘This young man is undoubtedly gay. The reality is he will die if he goes back to Nigeria. Homosexuality is an offence there and there is Sharia law in some places, so the reality is that he will die.’

Jason Feather told GSN: ‘My friend Ola Ayelokun may face death if he is deported to Nigera.

‘It is also contradiction of David Cameron’s pledge in 2010 who said that: “those Africans seeking asylum on the basis of sexual orientation and at real risk of persecution in their home countries should be allowed to stay in the UK".

’We are hoping the Prime Minister will step in and keep his word.’

Homosexuality is illegal in the federal system of Nigeria and is punished in different states in varying degrees of severity.

Southern states punishes same-sex acts with up to 14 years imprisonment.

While northern states punish same-sex acts with a minimum of 14 years imprisonment as well as a fine, and in twelve of the northern states punishments include flogging and death by stoning.

Omar Kuddus, chair of the British charity organization GayAsylumUK slammed the UK authorities telling GSN: ‘To what length does a person have to go to prove he is gay?

‘The UKBA needs to understand that to be gay in Nigeria is a death sentence and as such how can they justify sending him back to his possible death?

‘The UKBA must realize that they are playing with lives and as such must show compassion and understanding.’

Kuddus and Feather urge readers ’to call the the UKBA (+44 (0)870 606 7766) to demand this deportation is terminated.

’Contact the Home Secretary Theresa May, who has ultimate responsibility for asylum, on (+44 (0)20 7219 5206 or mayt@parliament.uk) to ask her to show compassion to Ayelokun.

’Email the new Minister of State for Immigration, Mark Harper (fod@gloucestershireconservatives.com or +44 (0)1452 371 630) to ask him to intervene.’

Europe may punish Ukraine for gay censorship law
European Union may put new visa rules on hold to punish Ukraine if it presses ahead with ‘homosexual propaganda’ law plan
03 October 2012 | By Tris Reid-Smith
Ukraine’s parliament has voted for a law banning homosexual ’propaganda’.
Photo by Jurij Skoblenko.

Foreign ministers could punish Ukraine for voting for a new law to ban ‘homosexual propaganda’ by not allowing it visa-free access to Europe.

GSN broke the news that the Ukrainian Parliament had pushed forward the bill, number 8711, with a landslide vote yesterday.

If it is passed, the new law would give up to five years jail to people importing, producing or spreading positive messages about lesbians, gays and bisexuals.

The laws authors even claim gays are a risk to Ukrainian national security.

They said: ‘The spread of homosexuality constitutes a threat to national security as it leads to an HIV AIDS epidemic and also destroys the institute of family and can trigger a demographic crisis.’

International bodies including Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have condemned the law.

But perhaps the most significant threat comes from Netherlands Foreign Affairs minister Uri Rosenthal.

Speaking in the Dutch parliament, he has already said that if the law passes the European Union (EU) should suspend plans to allow Ukrainians visa-free access to Europe.

His threat is significant because all European foreign ministers have to agree to visa changes. So just his one vote could push the visa liberalization off the agenda.

Ukraine’s relations with the European Union are already under strain after the EU shelved a landmark association agreement with Kyiv due to a seven-year prison sentence handed down to opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

The EU has rarely pushed LGBT rights so vigorously in the past but its diplomacy with Ukraine, which wants to join the EU, has the potential to be significant.

The European Parliament has already said the proposals breach free speech obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Meanwhile Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been quick to condemn yesterday’s anti-gay vote in the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.

Ulrike Lunacek MEP, co-president of the LGBT Intergroup in the European Parliament, said: ‘Ukraine has set itself on a collision course with the rest of Europe. This law is not only backward-looking; it is purely anti-democratic, informed by nothing else than prejudice, and fully disrespects Ukraine’s legal obligations.

‘I expected more from my Ukrainian colleagues, but in pre-election times, it is easy to score cheap points by witch-hunting the LGBT community. This is the 21st century, and diversity exists in all our societies.’

Sophie in ’t Veld MEP, vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup, added: ‘Rather than moving closer to Europe, Ukraine is taking a giant step away from Europe and its values. No country that restricts free speech and violates the rights of its LGBT citizens can expect to remain quietly in the family of European nations.

‘I am furious that Ukraine decides to blithely attack a vulnerable minority by denying them the right to free speech, and I expect the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers to be strict and impartial in condemning this move.’

The International Lesbian and Gay Association in Europe (ILGA-Europe) has said the law is so poorly defined it would be open to challenge.

Others have even suggested that Ukraine’s proposals would criminalize children who deliver newspapers if they contained positive articles about gay people.

‘If voted into law, it would lead to the further marginalization of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in the country and would limit the work of human rights defenders,” Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe said.

And the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has also condemned the proposed law.

‘Restrictions on rights may not be discriminatory, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is clearly prohibited under international law,’ said Alli Jernow, senior legal adviser at the ICJ.

ILGA-Europe has also called for European institutions to take action.

They say if the bill goes further the EU should halt negotiations with Ukraine. And they want the Council of Europe to unequivocally denounce it to the Ukrainian government.

The bill is now due to go before a second vote, which is scheduled for 16 October but may be delayed.

After that the Chair of the Parliament and President Viktor Yanukovich would need to sign the bill before it would become law.

However, the country goes to the polls on 28 October to elect the new Verkhovna Rada parliament and with 78% of Ukrainians viewing homosexuality negatively, according to a 2011 poll, some say the bill could play well domestically.

Anti-gay hate forces closure of Jamaica gay homeless center | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/anti-gay-hate-forces-closure-jamaica-gay-homeless-center011012

Anti-gay hate forces closure of Jamaica gay homeless center
Jamaica’s only drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth was closed due to anti-gay sentiments by local authorities and media
01 October 2012 | By Dan Littauer
Many LGBT youth become homeless and live in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica whose only source of help, in the form of a drop in center, has now been shut

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG) – a charity organisation, was forced to close down the Caribbean island state’s only drop-in centre for homeless gays which it managed with the Jamaica Aids Support (JAS) organization.

The announcement was made by a J-FLAG representative at a recent meeting in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston.

Maurice Tomilson, Jamaican lawyer and leading LGBT rights advocate told GSN that homelessness of LGBT people is a major problem in Jamacia. A recent survey reported by GSN found high levels of homophobia in Jamaica; many young people are ejected by their families, communities and schools due to their sexuality.

The meeting on Thursday (27 September) was called by city officials who were said to ‘be concerned about the action of homosexuals behaving badly and selling sexual services on the streets of Kingston’.

It included representatives from J-FLAG and JAS and a group of approximately 20 homeless gay men, many of whom appeared to be in their teens and early 20s.

The gay men stated their greatest needs were for skills training, food, clothing and shelter.

One of the group was quoted by the Jamaican daily The Gleaner as saying: ‘the schooling is not going to be enough. We need meals and a drop-in centre. Some of them don’t have clothes. Where are they gonna sleep and get food?’

Dane Lewis, a J-FLAG representative, was quoted as saying: ‘We have tried to conduct a drop-in centre on a number of occasions, but we don’t have the skills set and resources to deal with it. What we have decided is that we have to stop it … because we don’t have the staff capacity to manage it.’

‘We are on our knees,’ said one of the street gays begging J-FLAG to reconsider.

City officials, however, had little sympathy for the homeless gay youth.

Kari Douglas, a city councillor urged the young men ‘to take responsibility for themselves’.

While Angela Brown-Burke, mayor of Kingston blamed the youth for bringing misery on themselves as they ‘were lacking a sense of responsibility.’

‘Be careful because we don’t want to think that there is a sense of obligation’ she said.

Julian Robinson, the member of parliament for the South East St Andrew constituency that includes Kingston and its environs agreed with the mayor and said that ‘raucous behaviour of the homosexuals, which includes fighting and flamboyance, in the neighbourhood had to be addressed.’

‘We have to tackle frontally the behavioural issue. Many people in Jamaica face similar challenges and don’t behave in the same disruptive manner.

‘It is a police problem, it is a residential problem and it is a business problem.’

Commander Christopher Murdock, head of the Kingston Police, also said the youth behaved ‘in a terrible manner

‘Each of these young men needs to take a hard look at themselves and see if they can behave in a civil manner’.

The local Jamaican media showed even less sympathy and reported the closure under a sensaltionalist title: ’Rowdy Gays Strike - J-FLAG Abandons Raucous Homosexuals Misbehaving In New Kingston’.

Tomilson told GSN: ‘J-FLAG and JAS have been struggling for years to develop an appropriate protocol to deal with the steady stream of homeless LGBT youth living on the streets of the nation’s capital. Many them come from very challenging areas and have poor conflict resolution skills.

‘JFLAG and JAS are simply not equipped to meet the complex social, emotional and physical needs of these individuals and have therefore sought assistance from the government.

‘Both groups also tried to launch a media campaign encouraging Jamaicans to love their LGBT family members and so stop evicting them. In this regard, a tolerance themed advertisement was developed, however, the television stations flatly refused to even accept payment to air the advertisement because they claimed it would encourage homosexuality.

‘Expecting these homeless youth to rehabilitate themselves is ridiculous, and I suspect JFLAG and JAS know that.

’The result is that these youth will now be harder to reach with essential HIV prevention, treatment, care and support interventions.

‘Since some of these homeless youth engage in sex work as a means of survival, this represents a public health crisis.

‘Jamaican homophobia contributed to the high number of homeless LGBT people.

‘Yet, like Pontius Pilate, the Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller and her government refuse to show leadership to end this scourge by expeditiously seeking a repeal of the archaic anti-sodomy law that sanctions violence, police extortions and other abuses against LGBT.

‘Simply put, while the Jamaican government dithers on the issue of human rights for LGBT, they are presiding over a public health tragedy. Truly, we sow to the wind and we reap the whirlwind.’

Watch the tolerance advertisement rejected by Jamaican media on the grounds they ’encourage homosexuality’: