Non-violent discrimination is even more pervasive, with bullying and exclusion faced in education, healthcare and within local communities. In a 2013 survey of 71 LGBT people conducted by Human Rights Watch, more than half said they had been victims of homophobic violence. Yet that label has clung to Jamaica ever since, and with good reason. It was all a far cry from the country that Time magazine called “the most homophobic place on Earth” in 2006. A light rain eased the heat and the dancers went home to sleep. The park was strung with rainbow banners for the fourth annual Pride JA celebrations. A transgender woman strutted by in a flowing white dress adorned with a sash bearing the words: “Miss Supermodel Intl 2018”.
