KINGSTON, Jamaica, Oct.07, CNS – The majority of Jamaicans believe the government should keep legislation banning men having sex with men, according to an opinion poll published here on Monday.
The poll, conducted on behalf of the Gleaner newspaper, found that 91 percent of Jamaicans believe lawmakers should make no attempt to repeal the controversial buggery law, which makes it a criminal offence for persons to engage in anal sex.
The Bill Johnson Poll was conducted during the period September 6-7 and 13-14 and included interviews with 1,208 residents. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
The poll found that only five percent of those questioned felt the law should be abolished and just four percent said they did not know.
The pollsters also found that 82 percent of Jamaicans did not believe homosexual men were not treated fairly by either the legal system or the police in Jamaica.
According to the polls, 10 percent said they were treated the same, while eight percent said they did not know.
However, 68 percent said they should not have the same rights as others, while 26 percent said they should, and six percent did not know.
At the same time, 79 percent said lesbians are not treated the same as others by the police and courts, 13 percent believe they are treated equally, and eight percent did not know.
But 65 percent believe they should not have the same rights as other people under the Jamaican legal system, 30 percent said they should, and five percent did not know.
In 2008, a Johnson poll found that 70 percent of Jamaicans believe homosexuals and lesbians should not be entitled to the same basic rights and privileges enjoyed by heterosexual Jamaicans.
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