Jamaican juggernaut: the new cochair of Jamaica's only gay rights group says he isn't deterred by his country's abusive police and angry mobs.

Last June, Brian Williamson, a founding member of Jamaica's only gay rights organization, was found brutally murdered at his home in Kingston. Many gays in that country, where violent attacks and torture by police are common, said the crime was motivated by antigay prejudice. So it may come as no surprise that the new cochair of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays, founded in 1998, declined to reveal his last name.

Gareth, a 27-year-old student at the University of the West Indies, is known as a strong-willed individual who has fought for gay equality in Jamaica for many years. He sat down with The Advocate on January 31 while on a monthlong speaking tour through the United States with JFLAG's other cochair, Karlene. The tour was sponsored by Amnesty International to raise awareness about Jamaican gays and to ask for help.

What are the conditions for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Jamaica?

Persons on a daily basis are being physically and verbally abused. Persons are killed because of their sexuality. It's a very hostile environment, one in which as a gay person you have to live in constant fear. It's like you're on a battlefield. It's a nightmare. It's really heartrending to see the scores of young gay men and lesbians who have no hope.

What has life been like for you personally?

I have been physically abused by the police. And when I went to make a report at the police station in the neighborhood, I was laughed at and turned away. When I went to the police complaints bureau, I got the same treatment. There was nowhere I could go to seek redress.

You've been a member of JFLAG for seven years. What has that been like?

I've been traumatized by the cases I've come across while on the front lines of assisting the gay community. Last year--this one lingers in my head every day--I saw two police officers physically abusing a young man who was alleged to be gay. There was a crowd of about 60 people chanting "Battyman fi dead" [an antigay reggae lyric] and "Beat him, officer." The police were using their batons, beating him. The crowd started throwing stones and using sticks to beat the guy, and the police officers just walked away. I was about 40 feet away from the situation and I couldn't do anything because the same thing would have happened to me. I later read in the paper that he was killed by the mob.

How can yon openly lobby your government for rights and still stay safe?

It's extremely tricky. To be gay in Jamaica is a risk, so I think the whole thing is just, "Hey, I'm going to take a chance." You just have to accept the end result. You're not sure what the reward is going to be.

What reward are you hoping for?

To create a Jamaica where there can be a celebration of differences. All that we ask for is that we be allowed to be who we are. We don't ask people to agree with homosexuality but to agree on the premise that we need to be treated as human beings. As gays and lesbians we want to reclaim what the wider society has taken away from us: the freedom to be who we are. I want the international community and Caribbean people who are living in other countries to support our cause--to be there for us, to look out for us while we do this work.