Glave takes on Golding's gay remarks

This week writers and performers from all over the Caribbean and the diaspora gathered in Jamaica for the annual Calabash International Literary Festival. Author Thomas Glave was on hand to talk about his groundbreaking new book, Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles. Glave also had some choice words for Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding's recent remarks on gays working in his government.

From Caribbean Free Radio:

And so, mindful of that generosity and kindness, my conscience will not permit me to begin reading from this book in particular before I say that as a gay man of Jamaican background I am appalled and outraged by the Prime Minister’s having said only three days ago on BBC-TV that homosexuals will not have any place in his Cabinet and, implicitly, by extension, in Jamaica. I guess this means that there will never be any room in Mr Golding’s Cabinet for me and for the many, many other men and women in Jamaica who are homosexual. And so I now feel moved to say directly to Mr Golding that it is exactly this kind of bigotry and narrow-mindedness that Jamaica does not need any more of, and that you, Mr Golding, should be ashamed of yourself for providing such an example of how not to lead Jamaica into the future. And so, Mr Golding, think about how much you are not helping Jamaica the next time you decide to stand up and say that only some Jamaicans – heterosexuals, in this case – have the right to live in their country as full citizens with full human rights, while others – homosexuals – do not. That is not democracy. That is not humane leadership. That is simply the stupidity and cruelty of bigotry.”