Homosexuality

I had troubled conversation about homosexuality with my students the other day. The debate was about whether you would knowingly vote in a homosexual prime minister. This is a veiled reference to P.J. Patterson, whose bachelor life and precision in dress have given floating rumours a breath of wind to circulate. Louis is a young man from Tivoli Gardens, Edward Seaga’s constituency. Because he is one of the boys who is making good, he has protégé-status with the aging strongman: unlimited access. His views on the subject were clear and vicious. This view was not just due to his political affiliation. It goes deep, all the way down to a culture of machismo. But this same machismo has a way of turning back on itself: there is this obsession with looks in the young men. Some of the most aggressive have curiously effeminate hairstyles, whereby the hair is platted and the plats burst forth in a thin crumpled halo over the crown of the head, just like a girl.