The majority of Jamaicans would kick out their gay children
The majority of respondents to a survey have revealed they would not allow their children to remain in the family home if they came out as LGBT.
Yesterday, PinkNews reported that the number of people in Jamaica who “hate or reject” homosexual relationships has risen over 20% since 2011. Now, further information from the survey has revealed that parents would not accept their LGBT children.
The 2015 Awareness, Attitude and Perception Survey asked employers, politicians and members of the public a number of questions in regards to same-sex relationships between June and July last year.
When asked if they would let their LGBT children live in the house if they came out, 47% of the general public said that they would not.
A further 17% said they were indifferent and the remaining respondents (around a third) said they would let their children stay.
Employers and politicians however differed, with 57% and 52% saying their children could say respectively.
Despite this, a large number who said they could stay, believed that they should not be able to mix with their siblings.
Commissioned for JFLAG, the Jamaican Forum of Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays, the report also showed that since 2012, the number of people who said they “hate or reject” homosexual relationships had increased 15 points, from 46% to 61%.
This followed a six percent rise from 2011 to 2012.
When the figures were broken down, 61% of the general public agreed with this view, as well as 30% of politicians and 14% of employers. Religious and moral concerns were the top reasons for why people disliked homosexual relationships.
Disturbingly, the majority of respondents also believed that someone who identifies as gay or lesbian can be “converted to hetrosexuality”.
Politicians and the public held this view most strongly, with most stating that homosexuals “can just change”.
Most said that the Bible was crucial to conversion and that being gay was due to social factors and therefore could be corrected.
The survey questioned 1003 people, which included 33 politicians and 28 employers. It covered all parishes in Jamaica and was reported in the local newspaper, the Gleaner.
