Cross-dresser blocks traffic in downtown Kingston

A male cross-dresser from one of Kingston's inner-city communities brought traffic to a standstill yesterday along Wellington Street in downtown Kingston as he tried to catch a taxi to attend a friend's funeral.

Dressed in a red and black dress with black heels, make-up and a lace wig, the cross-dresser, who goes by the name Little, was the centre of attention as a large crowd cheered and jeered him. Several taxi drivers slowed at his feet as they sought passengers, but they sped off upon realising that Little was a man. This angered him and he hurled expletives and insults at the crowd.

"Unno move from yah suh wid unno excitement because is unno a make di taxi man dem nah pick mi up cuz unno a make dem know say mi a man," the annoyed cross-dresser said.

He threatened to take off his shoes and use it to hit onlookers.

Little, at one point, splashed a bottled water on a woman who was recording him with her cell phone and threatened to expose a number of women in the crowd whom he claimed are living double lives.

"Mi say watch when mi go da funeral and come back. Nuff a unno woman, both young and old, a sleep with b***y man. Mi say just watch mi and some a unno when mi come offa di road back," he said as she spat in the direction of another woman.

But despite Little's rants, the crowd, made up of mostly women and children, did not scatter. After a few minutes, some women helped him to get a taxi. As a female cab operator slowed down, one of the women opened the back passenger door and demanded that the two persons scoot over while another pleaded with the driver to transport Little to his destination.

"Bwoy everyone did know him nuh straight but a first him come out in di community. Him come right out inna him skirt suit and mi nah lie, as him come back mi a beg him the wig whe him have on," a woman said excitedly.

Contacted for comment, Glenroy Murray, acting executive director for J-FLAG, human rights and social justice organisation which advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said that there has been a welcome shift in the attitudes of Jamaicans towards gay people.

"I think the society has changed, and the increase in visibility of LGBT people has had a positive impact on Jamaicans in general. Research shows that the more you know LGBT people is the less likely you are to indulge in discriminatory conduct. There is also this Caribbean thing that if you grow up with someone and know that the person is like 'Patricia' son, and you would have gone to primary school together, then he will be accepted," Murray said.

The J-FLAG spokesman, however, said that acceptance does not mean that there will not be instances of violence against members of the gay community.

"The gay persons who live in the inner-city communities will still face issues because there are some rules which they will have to follow. They are not allowed to bring anyone else in the community so this means that they cannot have friends over or even their partners. Should this happen, a violent incident may occur," Murray said.