Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding says the country is getting a bad rap for allegedly being homophobic.
In an interview which was aired this week by the New York-based Big Think, Mr. Golding explained that buggery remains illegal in Jamaica, because of the island's fervent Christianity and respect for family.
The Prime Minister insisted that Jamaicans are tolerant provided that homosexual lifestyle does not invade their space.
“The basic unit of a society is the family. There is a passionate concern in Jamaica to protect the integrity of the family and it is felt that encouragement or recognition of the appropriateness of the homosexual lifestyle is going to undermine the effectiveness of that family unit and on that basis undermine the basic fabric of society, but I think much of what has been carried in the international media in terms of homophobia in Jamaica is grossly exaggerated,” Mr. Golding said.
Big Think is an online knowledge forum which features interviews, multi-media presentations and roundtable discussions with major intellectuals from a wide range of fields.
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