Why we should boycott Jamaica

So I'm strolling and scrolling through various newsy bits about sex, and stumbled upon a bit of PR puffery for Hedonism II in Jamaica. Jump back.

You've probably heard of Hedo. It's the post-modern twisted sister of Club Med. At Hedo, wild, sexually uninhibited free-for-alls are made possible by your tourist dollars. It sounds like a perfect destination for the sexually adventurous traveler: gorgeous beaches, beautiful settings, an endless buffet of gourmet food, and all the sex and roleplay you can wheedle out of the other swingy/kinky folks who go.

Ah, yes: nothing like an upscale off-shore orgy to help forget the workaday world back home. Check out this droolingly appreciative bit of pimping for the charms of Hedo II from AOL's travel info channel:

The Racier Side of Jamaica

Sex, drugs and dreadlock Reggae... Yeah mon. Full-fledged free pouring bars, never-ending culinary and bodily snacks, and the swinging lifestyle... no problem mon. As you'll soon find out, Hedo II is the ultimate getaway for individuals and couples seeking an experience with non-stop action and thrills.

Just one little thing they are leaving out from their description of this sexual paradise. In the real Jamaica, gay people are the target of a full-on agenda of hate, violence, and discrimination.

If you were to leave the safety of Hedo and wander into a town or city where natives live, you'd discover something repulsive and nearly unimaginable in this day and age. Gay men are being openly persecuted and no one seems to give a shit. They are harrassed, assaulted, beaten, and publicly reviled. Meanwhile, in the one place you might expect some mercy to flow, the so-called "Christian" churches, ministers are lashing out against -- nope, not the psychopaths beating up the gays. They're preaching anti-gay invective so hateful, it makes Fred Phelps sound like Mr. Rogers.

A couple of weeks ago, the international group, Human Rights Watch, issued a scathing report on just how violent it's gotten. See: Widespread Homophobic Violence Shows Failure of Police Protection

The New York Times has supported these findings. See: Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays

In Miami, FL, a coalition of religious leaders recently formed to protest Jamaican policy after a church member was victimized: Religious leaders in Miami beg Jamaica to halt attacks on gays

Meanwhile, the Advocate reports that gay Jamaicans are fleeing for Canada in fear for their lives. See: Jamaican Gays fleeing to Canada

So tell me, my fellow sexually enlightened friends: why the fuck should we spend a penny on propping up Jamaica's tourist economy? They are marginalizing, demonizing, victimizing, and in some cases, murdering gay men. It's a fucking gay apartheid, mon.

Personally, I would not want to suck dick in a country where someone else gets the shit kicked out of them for doing the same. Personally, I can't celebrate "hedonism" in a country whose sexual politics are draconian. Personally, I do not want to support a culture of sexual tyranny. Personally, I'd like to see Jamaica's tourist economy get the ass-fucking it so richly deserves.

Boycott Jamaica. Don't support their social war on gays. Enjoy your hedonism at home or find another club in another country where love is more than a four-letter word in a travel brochure.