title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: From 2005, Chagaev's fights were placed on cards televised by ZDF. Chagaev started 2005 with a fight against Sherman Williams on 26 March at Erdgas Arena. In the build-up, Chagaev's coach Michael Timm complimented his fighting abilities: "He is so tough and has an extremely hard punch. He also has a very attentive realization for the right moment to throw a knockout punch. [...] Ruslan is very disciplined and vicious in training. He often works out three hours twice a day. He is willing to take great risks inside the ring. Ruslan has absolutely no fear. He is looking for openings and lands his punches there." He also added: "The fight in Riesa will show how Ruslan can deal with a man like Sherman Williams. He must convince spectators and experts that he is world class material. From past experiences we know that the spectators in Riesa are real boxing experts. They watch every fight very closely." The fight was scheduled for eight rounds. Williams had a record of 25–9–2, 15 KOs coming into the bout, most notably beating Samson Po'uha (20–4–1, 18 KOs) and Al Cole and had only been stopped once in his professional boxing career. Chagaev won by unanimous decision, with scores 80–72, 79–73 and 78–74. Shortly after, because of the events that took place in his native Andijan, Chagaev took a break from boxing to return to Uzbekistan and look after his family.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev returned to the ring six months later on September 28, 2005, to face Jucimar Francisco Hipolito (10–3, 3 KOs) as part of the card dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling, with the main event of the night being the WBO world heavyweight title fight between Luan Krasniqi and Lamon Brewster. The fight card had seven boxers from the former Soviet Bloc scheduled to fight - Chagaev, Alexander Dimitrenko, Denis Boytsov, Taras Bidenko, Valeriy Chechenev, Bagrat Ohanyan and Alexei Mazikin, with the latter being forced to pull out due to injury. Despite coming in at 236 lbs, the heaviest in his professional career and nine pounds heavier than in his previous bout, Chagaev made a quick work of Hipolito, dropping him twice in the first round before Hipolito's corner threw in the towel. Three weeks later, Chagaev took on Mark Krence (21–4, 6 KOs), dropping him twice in fourth and once in fifth before the bout was stopped, with Chagaev being declared the winner by 5th-round KO. With a record of 18–0–1, 15 KOs, Chagaev was ranked No.8 by the WBO and No.14 by the WBA.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: At the beginning of 2006, Chagaev agreed for a rematch against Rob Calloway as a late-minute replacement for Alexander Dimitrenko who had to withdraw due to shoulder injury. The fight took place at Kulturhalle in Munich. Going into the bout, Calloway boosted his record to 55–6–1, 43 KOs. The first round was action-packed, with Chagaev fighting mostly in a counterpunching manner. Thirty seconds into the first round, as Calloway attempted to close distance, Chagaev hurt him with a left hook followed by a straight right hand, forcing Calloway to stumble across the ring. Chagaev hurt Calloway a few more times as the round progressed, throwing him out of position on several occasions. Chagaev continued dominating in the second round. With one minute left, Chagaev countered a jab with a left cross that stunned Calloway, then followed up with another left hand that sent Calloway to the floor. Calloway was able to get up but was unsteady on his feet, prompting the referee to stop the fight and declare Chagaev the winner by second-round knockout. As of January 2006, Chagaev was ranked No.7 contender by the WBO and No.14 by the WBA.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Two months after his rematch with Calloway, Chagaev stepped in to face undefeated Ukrainian prospect and former stablemate of his Vladimir Virchis for the WBO and WBA Inter-Continental titles. Coming into the bout, Virchis had a record of 20–0 with 17 KOs but was coming off of a controversial win over Michael Sprott (27–8, 15 KOs). He was ranked No.14 contender by the WBA and No.8 by the WBO, right behind Chagaev in each ranking. Both Chagaev and Virchis were regarded as heavy punchers and the bout was not expected to go the distance. Columnist Troy Ondrizek criticized the US media for not giving enough attention to the matchup: "In just five days a mega-fight between Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan and Vladimir Virchis of Ukraine; will square off in what quite possibly be the best heavyweight fight this year. I am almost insulted to see so little press in regard to this fight. [...] The winner will be set up quite nicely for a title shot in the near future, and definite fame everywhere but the English-speaking world. [...] I for one would rather see this explosive affair, than a possibly boring twelve round fat man dance between Hasim Rahman and James Toney." In the build-up to the fight, Chagaev's trainer Artur Grigorian said: "This bout has only one possible outcome in my eyes, and that's Chagaev winning. He is a better boxer; he has better technique. He is stronger physically. Of course, he should be wary of Vladimir's power but Ruslan is a warrior. In training, he works hard, like an ox. He always gives it all during training, whether his coach watches him or not. You give Ruslan a task and he will overfulfill it by 100%. [...] Chagaev has a big future in my eyes. In Uzbekistan he has already reached Muhammad Ali's level of popularity. From the moment he won the Amateur World Boxing Championships, he has eventually become recognized by everyone in this country". Several members of the Universum Box Promotion came out with the statement that the winner would be lined up for a world heavyweight title shot. The bout took place on the undercard of Felix Sturm vs. Maselino Masoe and was televised by ZDF.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: The bout went full twelve rounds, with Chagaev eventually winning a close decision. One judge had the bout 114–114 even, the second judge had Chagaev winning by one point (115–114), while the third one had Chagaev winning 116–112, giving him eight rounds. According to Compubox, Chagaev connected on 100 punches out of 412 (24.3% accuracy) while Virchis landed 104 out of 734 (14.2%). Chagaev outlanded Virchis in rounds 1, 4, 7, 8 and 11; Virchis landed more shots in rounds 2, 3, 5, 10 and 12; rounds 6 and 9 were even. Overall, there were 1,146 punches thrown. "Do I remember the fight? I remember that the crowd booed the decision. That's the biggest thank you for my performance. I'm confident I didn't lose that bout", Virchis said about the fight during the build-up to Chagaev's showdown with Wladimir Klitschko. After the win, Chagaev improved his position in both WBA and WBO rankings, going up to No.5 and No.6 respectively, and entered the WBC rankings at No.11 and IBF rankings at No.13. By April, Chagaev was ranked No.6 heavyweight in the world by "The Ring".


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Four months after defeating Virchis, Chagaev faced Michael Sprott (28–9, 15 KOs). Chagaev dominated the fight before ultimately stopping Sprott in the eighth round, defending his WBA Inter-Continental title and winning WBO's vacant Asia Pacific title. As of July 2006, Chagaev was ranked No.2 contender by the WBA, No.4 by the WBO and No.15 by the IBF. He was also ranked No.7 by the WBC by August.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Ranked No.2 by the WBA, Chagaev agreed to face former WBA champion and the organization's then-No.1 contender John Ruiz (41–6–1, 28 KOs) in a title eliminator. Originally the fight was supposed to take place on 28 October in Stuttgart, however the fight's date was postponed to 18 November and the location was changed to Dusseldorf after Ruiz and his team filed a complaint, pointing out that Universum Box-Promotion could not schedule a fight within 45 days from the day of winning the fight's auction. Known for defeating Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and unbeaten Kirk Johnson (32–0–1, 23 KOs), Ruiz was coming off of a razor-thin decision loss of his WBA world heavyweight title to Nikolai Valuev, in a fight Ruiz believed he had done enough to be declared the winner. Coming into the bout, Ruiz changed his head coach from Norman Stone to Manny Siaca Sr.: "I'm learning new things from Manny. I'm gradually moving into a new mode. [...] I feel really good knowing that when I step in the ring I am bringing a different set of skills and a better mindset. Now I'm working with Manny to get away from being the old me. [...] What's really important, is that instead of talking about being the new me, I'm going to show everybody on November 18." Siaca praised Ruiz and claimed that Ruiz made improvements while in training camp: "John's always had a good jab, but now he's throwing - bam, bam - four jabs and moving instead of throwing a jab and grabbing. [...] Johnny Ruiz will become the world heavyweight champion again. I'd bet my life on it."


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: From the opening bell, both boxers fought at a high pace, with Chagaev attempting to bob and weave while Ruiz tried to come forward, work behind the jab and clinch when in close range. From the third round, Chagaev started dictating the action, moving in and out of range, hurting Ruiz and throwing him out of position several times and successfully deflecting Ruiz's attempts to tie him up and smother in a clinch. Going into the championship rounds, Ruiz was finally finding some success as Chagaev seemingly slowed down, however Chagaev had the upper hand in the second half of the eleventh and in the twelfth round, raising his arms in celebration after the bell rang. Ultimately Chagaev took a split decision with scores of 117–111 and 116–112 in his favor, and 115–114 for Ruiz. "I had many difficult fights in my career, but Ruiz was probably my most difficult win. The difficulty came from the fact that it was a title eliminator. The American had a lot more experience than I had, and that gave him a major psychological advantage", Chagaev later said about the fight. Chagaev became the mandatory challenger for a shot at Nikolai Valuev, the WBA heavyweight champion at the time. Valuev was sat ringside and believed Chagaev was the rightful winner. At the conclusion of 2006, Chagaev was ranked No.9 heavyweight in the world by "The Ring"; Nikolai Valuev was ranked 8th; John Ruiz was ranked 10th.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev eventually reached agreement to fight WBA world heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on 14 April 2007 at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. This was Valuev's fourth title defense, previously beating Owen Beck, Monte Barrett and Jameel McCline by stoppage and expressing interest in fighting the then-IBF world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in a unification showdown in the near future. With a record of 46–0, 34 KOs, Valuev was three wins away from matching Rocky Marciano's 49–0 undefeated record. Going into the fight, Valuev, who was standing at and was taller than Chagaev by , was viewed as a heavy favorite, with bookmakers accepting bets on his victory with a coefficient of 1.2. During training camp, Chagaev's trainer Michael Timm had a special podium built, on which he stood up so Chagaev could get used to punching up to someone with a big height advantage. Most of his sparring partners, such as Julius Long, were between and tall. Timm also had a Panasonic TV with a 2.5 m diagonal installed so they could study Valuev's style in full size. Valuev's training camp was held in Saint Petersburg and Kienbaum. For the fight, Chagaev weighed in at 228.25 lbs; he was outweighed by 90.75 pounds (41 kg). The bout main-evented a card televised by Das Erste.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: From the first round, Chagaev used his speed, footwork and understanding of positioning to nullify Valuev's size advantage, successfully bobbing and weaving, slipping under Valuev's jab and going back-and-forth between moving to the left and right to confuse Valuev with his movement. Chagaev became more aggressive in the middle rounds, going more often to the body to make his left hooks to the head less readable. Between the tenth and eleventh rounds, Valuev's coach Manvel Gabrielyan was visibly angry with his boxer's reluctance to throw more punches, particularly a straight right, threatening to "throw a bottle" at Valuev and leave the ring if Valuev didn't step up his aggression; however, Valuev's attempts to be more aggressive and finish the match inside the distance seemed to have little effect as Chagaev won most of the exchanges and often caught Valuev on counterattacks. Chagaev won the fight and WBA title via a majority decision (117–111, 115–113 and 114–114). Many ringside had the fight close and some calling it controversial, while other believed the decision was too generous towards Valuev. Neither Valuev nor Wilfred Sauerland protested the decision. With the win, Chagaev became the first Asian to win a world heavyweight title. Chagaev dedicated his victory to the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov. The bout averaged 7.57 million viewers with 39.3 market share on Das Erste.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Later in an interview, Chagaev described his arrival to Uzbekistan after winning the title: "I was welcomed as a national hero. When I was a kid I saw Soviet films about how astronauts were welcomed in Moscow but who would've thought I would receive similar treatment one day in my home? At the ladder of a plane that brought us to Tashkent, a red carpet was laid down. The amount of people that were at the airport was crazy. I was put in the government's cabriolet and taken to the presidential residence. Along the road there were dozens of people that formed a corridor and were chanting my name. All this time, to be honest, I was in some kind of numbness, because I never expected something like this, especially since it was 11 p.m. The Prime Minister, the Mayor of Tashkent, the Minister of Sports, and many other government officials came to the residence for a gala dinner in honor of my victory. The next day I was accepted by the President Islam Karimov. He awarded me with the Order of Outstanding Merit, my promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl received the Jasorat (Bravery) Medal, my manager Taimaz Niyazov received the Shuhrat (Glory) Medal. Then we all laid flowers at the Monument to the Independence and Humanism, met with children from sports schools, and in the evening a grandiose concert was held at the stadium of the National Bank of Uzbekistan. I was also given keys from Daewoo Lacetti, these are produced at a join Uzbek-Korean factory in Andijan. [...] I couldn't even get to my house because I was taken straight to the residence from the airport. They explained that if they took me home, people would simply tear me to pieces: there were too many people who wanted to congratulate me on my victory." When being asked about his future plans, Chagaev stated: "My second son is going to be born in August. It will give me a motivational boost. I want to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. Wladimir Klitschko is yet to answer my callout. Hopefully I'll be able to achieve my dream."


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Shortly after winning the title, Chagaev signed the contract to face then-WBO world heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov in a unification showdown that would take place in Moscow on 13 October 2007. When talking about negotiations, president of Seminole Warriors Boxing promotion company Leon Margules described them as "the easiest negotiations of his career", praising both Ibragimov and Chagaev for being straightforward during the negotiation process. He also predicted the winner of this fight to eventually become the undisputed heavyweight champion. It was going to be the first heavyweight unification fight since 1999 and the third boxing event considered major for Moscow since WBC world heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev defended his title against Okello Peter and heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin faced fringe contender Larry Donald. On 31 July 2007, it was officially announced that the unification showdown was cancelled due to Chagaev suffering from an aggravation of gastric problems. Instead, former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield agreed to step in as a last-minute replacement. It was later discovered that Chagaev had contracted hepatitis B. At that point, it was not clear whether he would have been able to compete at all, with WBA considering a championship tournament for Chagaev's crown. After Ibragimov defended his crown against Holyfield, however, it was announced that Chagaev was able to recover.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev made his first official defence against Commonwealth heavyweight champion Matt Skelton (21–1, 18 KOs), who was ranked No.15 contender by the WBA, on 19 January 2008 at the Burg-Waechter Castello in Düsseldorf. Skelton's promoter Frank Warren initially wanted the fight to take place in February or March, but Chagaev insisted an earlier date. In regard to fighting Skelton, Chagaev said, "I am completely healthy and I am ready to fight, I want to get in the ring. It will be a hard fight against a good puncher." The fight was marred with a series of illegal tactics initiated by Skelton, many of them resembling techniques used in Muay Thai and kickboxing matches. Chagaev retained his WBA title via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 117–110, 117–111 and 117–111 in Chagaev's favour.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: His next mandatory defense was to be a rematch on 5 July 2008 with Nikolai Valuev, who defeated former WBO champion Sergei Liakhovich by unanimous decision to earn the right. However, the fight had to be cancelled after Chagaev suffered a complete tear of an Achilles tendon during his final sparring session in preparation for the defense, causing Chagaev's second postponement of the match. The WBA elected to make Chagaev "Champion in Recess" due to the injury that Chagaev sustained and necessary recovery time and mandated that top-contenders Valuev and John Ruiz meet for the vacated title. By beating Ruiz, Valuev also became champion on 30 August 2008.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev returned from injury on 7 February 2009 to fight the then-unbeaten Costa Rican Carl Davis Drumond. For the fight, Chagaev was not listed as WBA champion, but rather the "Champion in Recess". The fight took place at the StadtHalle in Rostock. Chagaev sustained a cut from an unintentional clash of heads in the third round. The fight ended after round 6, with Chagaev winning the fight via technical decision. Chagaev was taken to hospital after the fight for treatment. Judge Jean-Louis Legland had Chagaev ahead 60–54, whilst judges Hector Afu and Paul Thomas had Chagaev ahead 58–56.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev and Valuev were supposed to fight no later than 26 June 2009 to determine who the WBA regarded as their champion. They were scheduled to fight on 30 May 2009 in Helsinki, Finland at the Hartwall Arena, but Chagaev failed a Finnish medical test, allegedly due to hepatitis.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Unified world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko was scheduled to face David Haye on 20 June 2009, but Haye pulled out within weeks of the fight complaining of a back injury. Chagaev agreed to step in for Haye as a last-minute replacement. The winner would take the vacant "Ring" magazine heavyweight title in the battle between their number 1 ranked heavyweight, Klitschko, and third ranked Chagaev. Klitschko was defending his IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles. Chagaev's WBA champion in recess title was not on the line. "The Ring"'s pre-fight comparison gave Chagaev the edge on defense, praising him for his fundamentals and footwork, and thought he had a stronger chin. It gave Klitschko the advantage in power, speed, athletic ability and experience.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: The fight took place at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. With over 61,000 fans attending the fight it was the largest audience for a boxing match in Germany since 1939, when Max Schmeling knocked out Adolf Heuser in front of 70,000 people in Stuttgart. Klitschko dominated the fight, keeping Chagaev at the end of his jab and throwing straight right hand whenever necessary. Klitschko dropped Chagaev near the end of the second round and was gradually fighting more aggressively as the fight progressed. Chagaev's trainer Michael Timm did not allow Chagaev to come out for the tenth round, prompting the referee to wave the bout off, declaring Klitschko the winner by corner retirement (RTD). On 24 July 2009, when the WBA published their Official Ratings as of June 2009, Chagaev was no longer the "Champion in Recess" but the No. 1 challenger instead.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev fought Kali Meehan (35–3, 29 KO) on 22 May 2010, in a WBA heavyweight title eliminator at the Stadthalle in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Chagaev won the bout by unanimous decision with the scores of 117–111, 117–112 and 118–110. Six months later in a stay-busy fight, he defeated Travis Walker via unanimous decision in an eight-round fight which turned into a slugfest.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: After Wladimir Klitschko unified his WBO and IBF titles with David Haye's WBA title, Klitschko was upgraded to "Super Champion" by the WBA, thus making the "Regular Champion" title vacant. On 6 July 2011 negotiations for Chagaev to fight Russian heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin (21–0, 15 KOs) for the vacant title began between Sauerland, who promote Povetkin, and Chagaev's promoter Universum. Two days later, Povetkin's trainer confirmed the fight would take place on 27 August. At the time of the bout, Chagaev was ranked No.4 heavyweight contender by "The Ring", while Povetkin was ranked No.3 contender by the same publication. There were concerns about Chagaev's health state, due to him being diagnosed with hepatitis B and the possibility of him infecting Povetkin. Chagaev, however, insisted that the medical examination had confirmed that his opponents (Povetkin included) weren't in danger of being infected. Most observers expected the fight to be close, giving Chagaev an advantage in experience, while also giving Povetkin the edge in youth and athletic ability. Both fighters were given an even chance to win.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Both fighters were active from the opening bell, with Povetkin appearing to have the upper hand in the first half of the fight, frequently closing the distance and working Chagaev's body, while blocking most Chagaev's shots with arms and gloves. Povetkin staggered Chagaev with an uppercut in the third round. Chagaev regained composure in the middle rounds, hurting tired Povetkin several times with clubbing left hooks. Povetkin withstood Chagaev's attacks and re-established his pressure going into the championship rounds, while Chagaev appeared to be saving energy for the last rounds. The twelfth round saw both fighters trading shots. The bout went full twelve rounds, with Povetkin being declared the winner by unanimous decision. The scores were 116–112 (twice) and 117–113, all in favor of Povetkin. According to CompuBox, Povetkin landed 152 punches out of 533 thrown (28.5%) with 112 landed power shots (39.6%), while Chagaev landed 72 punches out of 416 thrown (17.1%) with 62 power punches (35.2%).


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: After the Povetkin bout, Chagaev went 5–0 (3 KO), defeating world ranked Jovo Pudar & four journeymen with respectable records.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: On 15 June 2013, at a press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, European heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (17–0, 9 KOs) stated his plans to fight Chagaev next although details had not been discussed. Towards the end of the month, Chagaev spoke out denying any rumours that he was interested in a fight with Pulev. He instead stated that he was closing in on a deal to fight undefeated Cuban Luis Otiz (19–0, 16 KOs) in the fall of 2013.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: In May 2014, talks began for a fight between Chagaev and former world title challenger Fres Oquendo (37–7, 24 KOs) for the vacant WBA "regular" heavyweight title in June. Oquendo climbed the WBA rankings further after stopping Galen Brown (41–27–1, 24 KOs) in two rounds earlier in the month. Oquendo pulled out in July due to passport issues and was on the verge of being replaced by German boxer Alexander Petkovic (49–4–4, 27 KOs), however Oquendo managed to board a plane, confirming the bout was still on. The fight took place on 6 July at the Ahmat Arena in Grozny. Chagaev claimed the vacant title via majority decision after 12 rounds in a tough battle. Judge Guillermo Perez Pineda scored the fight 114–114, whilst judges Gustavo Jarquin and Alexis Marin both scored it 115–113 in favour of Chagaev, giving him the win. Chagaev controlled most of the fight with his constant jab and later in the fight started connecting with body shots. A few days after the fight, the WBA ordered Chagaev vs. Ortiz. Both camps had 30 days to negotiate a deal.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: In November 2014, Oquendo spoke out about not receiving his guaranteed purse of $1 million and an immediate rematch within 120 days if he lost. His promoters Hitz Boxing and Square Ring Promotions, who were guaranteed an additional $100,000 were also reportedly not paid. Bobby Hitz of Hitz Boxing stated that they would file a lawsuit. In the same month, RUSADA released information from a mandatory drug test that was taken after the fight which stated that Oquendo had tested positive for tamoxifen and anastrozole. According to the fight contract, this meant Oquendo would need to pay back his purse. In December, a $5 million lawsuit was filed by Oquendo against promoter Terek Box Event seeking damages caused by the agreement to the Federal Court in Manhattan. In a statement, Oquendo said, “I am really looking forward to my day in court and finally getting justice. These guys pulled a really slick move and tricked me into fighting on July 6 by promising me to increase my purse to $1 million and giving me a rematch at a time when I wasn't mentally right, with my wife and newborn baby being sick and in the hospital. Well, now they are the ones behind the eight ball. They’ve got until January 2 to respond to the lawsuit.” In April 2015, the judges issued an injunction.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: In May 2015, it was announced that Chagaev would make his first title defense against long time contender WBA #13 Francesco Pianeta (31–1, 17 KOs) on 11 July at the GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany. Pianeta's only loss came in 2013 to Wladimir Klitschko via stoppage. World of Boxing president Andrey Ryabinsky helped settle the issue between Chagaev and Oquendo. With the legal battle finished, it was said that Oquendo would fight the winner of Chagaev vs. Pianeta. Chagaev won the fight via 1st-round TKO. Pianeta was dropped with two lefts but beat the 10 count. He was then dropped again following two more lefts. Referee Jean-Louis Legland stopped the fight 3 seconds before the round was due to end.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev and Oquendo were scheduled to have their rematch on 17 October at the Sparkassen Arena in Kiel, Germany. On 6 October, Oquendo pulled out of the fight citing illness.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: On 14 November 2015, the WBA ordered Chagaev to reach a deal to make a defence of his WBA title against Australian heavyweight contender Lucas Browne. The two sides had until 30 November to reach a deal. Chagaev's promoter Timur Dugazaev announced the fight would likely take place in Grozny in March 2016. In the January 2016, the fight was officially announced to take place on 5 March. Browne won the fight by stopping Chagaev in the tenth round. Browne landed nearly 20 unanswered punches, mostly right hands, before referee Stanley Christodoulou stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 27 seconds. Browne was knocked down in the sixth round and at the time of the knockout, behind on all judges scorecards (81–88, 82–88 twice).


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: It was reported on 22 March that Browne failed his post-fight drug test and was then stripped of the belt and will likely have the result changed to a no-decision.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: On 28 July, it was reported that Chagaev had been stripped of his WBA 'Regular' title for failure to pay outstanding sanctioning fees. According to WBA, Chagaev and promoter Timur Dugazaev have repeatedly failed to pay $40,750 in sanctioning fees related to Chagaev's majority decision victory against Fres Oquendo. The WBA said it sought payment multiple times and had no choice but to vacate the title when there was no response.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: It was announced on 28 July 2016 by manager Timur Dugashev that Chagaev announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 37 due to problems with his eyes. Dugashev stated: "Ruslan informed us that he would no longer fight. The reason is the state of his eyes. Health is the most important thing." According to Chagaev's wife, however, Chagaev decided to retire because he was no longer motivated to step in the ring and that his fight with Browne was going to be his last no matter the outcome.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: There were reports in October 2016 that Chagaev was offered a farewell fight to close his career, potentially a rematch with Lucas Browne. Chagaev chose to stay retired due to health issues.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev is of Volga Tatar ethnicity and an adherent of Islam. His parents, Shamil and Zamira Chagaev, are Mishar Tatars from the village of Kalda (located in today's Baryshsky District of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia), who moved to the Uzbek SSR in the 1950s. Chagaev has a sister, Luiza. He is married to Viktoria, an ethnic Armenian, who is also from Andijan. They have three children together: Artur (named after his friend Artur Grigorian), Alan and Adam. Their first son, Artur, was born on 24 March 2004.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Around the time shortly after winning the world title, several news reported that Chagaev was having an affair with Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the Uzbek President Islam Karimov. An anonymous source claimed that Karimova pushed Chagaev to divorce his then-wife and marry her. On 18 October 2007 a website CentreAsia published news that Chagaev divorced his wife on 26 September. The website showed photos of documents published by the tabloid Darakchi to confirm those rumors. He was allegedly supposed to marry Karimova, but shortly before the scheduled date Ruslan, Viktoria and their kids left Uzbekistan and moved to Germany where Ruslan and Viktoria remarried. This resulted in the government taking his portraits away from all places and Uzbek media being forbidden to mention Chagaev in any form. Currently Ruslan resides in Hamburg, Germany with his family.


title: Ruslan Chagaev

text: Chagaev is a fan of Schalke 04. Before his first title defense against Matt Skelton, Chagaev visited Schalke's training center. The team's head coach Mirko Slomka offered his players to train while using exercises typical for boxers. At the end of the training, Chagaev had a sparring session with its main squad players, particularly Gerald Asamoah and Marcelo Bordon. Prior to his showdown with Wladimir Klitschko, Chagaev became an official member of its fan club. He also publicly received its home shirt from the club's president Josef Schnusenberg.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Sexual intercourse between same-sex partners is legally punishable by imprisonment.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2006, "Time" magazine labelled Jamaica "the most homophobic place on Earth", and in 2013 the majority of LGBT people said they were subject to homophobic violence in public.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The government of Jamaica said in 2012 that it "is committed to the equal and fair treatment of its citizens and affirms that any individual whose rights are alleged to have been infringed has a right to seek redress." The government also claimed that "there is no legal discrimination against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation" though there is widespread homophobia and a sodomy law (The Offenses Against the Person Act of 1864) that is still in effect.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Islands in the Commonwealth Caribbean adopted British buggery laws; however these laws were not as strictly regulated in the Caribbean as they were in the United Kingdom up until the Victorian era. Prior to this era, recounts were made of the island's British occupants engaging in sodomy, which may correlate with the fact that the first colonists were mostly men. The slave communities in Jamaica and the rest of the British Caribbean were made up of men and women from West Africa, the men being more sought after by slave owners.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In England, the Buggery Law of 1861 was liberalized in 1967. By this point, Jamaica had already gained its independence in 1962, and thus its buggery law adopted from the British constitution, remained in tact and is still in force to this day.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaica's laws do not criminalise the status of being LGBT but instead outlaw associated conduct, including anal sex and any sex between men. The Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) provides as follows:


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Section 76. Unnatural Offences. Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery, committed either with mankind or with any animal, shall be liable to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for a term not exceeding ten years.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Section 77. Attempt. Whosoever shall attempt to commit the said abominable crime, or shall be guilty of any assault with intent to commit the same, or of any indecent assault upon any male person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and being convicted thereof, shall be liable to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding seven years, with or without hard labour.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Section 79. Outrages on decency. Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and being convicted thereof shall be liable at the discretion of the court to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: "Gross indecency" is not defined by the OAPA but has been interpreted as "referring to any kind of physical intimacy", including merely holding hands.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: According to Human Rights Watch, regardless of how often persons are convicted of buggery or gross indecency, "the arrests themselves send a message." The Jamaican press publishes the names of men arrested for those crimes, "shaming them and putting them at risk of physical injury." The gross indecency law in Section 79 made LGBT persons "vulnerable to extortion from neighbours who threatened to report them to the police as part of blackmailing schemes."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Section 80. Other matters. Any constable may take into custody, without a warrant, any person whom he shall find lying or loitering in any highway, yard, or other place during the night, that is to say the interval between 7 o'clock in the evening and 6 o'clock in the morning of the next succeeding day, and whom he shall have good cause to suspect of having committed, or being about to commit any felony in this Act mentioned, and shall take such person, as soon as reasonably may be, before a Justice, to be dealt with according to law.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Police have great discretion in detaining individuals under Section 80. This and other laws are used by police to detain LGBT men who are engaged in sodomy or other sexual acts or forms of intimacy with another man, or who are abusing animals.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The European Parliament in 2005 passed a resolution calling on Jamaica to repeal its "antiquated and discriminatory sodomy laws and to actively combat widespread homophobia".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Following Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson's pledge that "no one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation", and that the government will seek a review of the buggery law (which did not happen), LGBT rights campaigner Maurice Tomlinson filed a case against Jamaica at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in February 2012. He had fled the country because of death threats after news about his marriage to his partner Tom Decker in Canada reached the local media. No date for the first hearing was set.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In February 2013, AIDS-Free World filed a legal complaint with the Jamaica Supreme Court on behalf of Javed Jaghai, who said his landlord kicked him out of his home because of his sexual orientation. In June 2013, the court began hearing the case. In August 2014, he was forced to withdraw his lawsuit, citing death threats and concerns for his personal safety and that of his family.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In November 2015, LGBT activist Tomlinson filed another lawsuit with the Jamaican Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of Jamaica's laws criminalizing consensual sex between men, saying that the colonial-era statute violates several provisions of the Jamaican constitution, including the right to privacy. He also argues the sodomy law violates “the right to protection from inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment.” The legal challenge is being supported by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and AIDS-Free World. In February 2016, the court held a first hearing of the constitutional challenge. The Public Defender (PD) Arlene Harrison Henry applied to be joined as interested parties. It was adjourned to 26 April 2016 when the applications by the various parties were heard. In July 2016, the court blocked Henry from participating in the suit, and as a result, she sought leave to appeal the denial of participation to the court of appeal. The Supreme Court suspended the hearing of the case pending the decision of the Appeal Court. After a two-year delay, the Court of Appeal upheld the Supreme Court ruling barring Henry from joining Tomlinson in the lawsuit, leaving him alone in the case. The lawsuit remains pending, as of 2022.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2012, a gay man named Gareth Henry and a lesbian woman, Simone Edwards, filed complaints at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The two members of Jamaica's LGBT community have put themselves forward as petitioners in the case. Both claim they fled Jamaica because of those laws. Gareth Henry sought asylum in Canada in 2008 after enduring repeated attacks by homophobic gangs and police brutality, and said he was forced to flee Jamaica in fear of his life. Simone Edwards fled Jamaica and was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 2008 after two men in a homophobic gang fired shots at her house. They also tried to kill her two brothers, one of whom is gay. Six years later, in July 2018, The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced it would review whether it could make a case to challenge Jamaica's anti-buggery laws. The IACHR in its report setting out the decision, acknowledged the victims' concerns about "violence and discrimination against LGBT people and the impact of buggery laws,” and noted that, “if proved, the alleged facts relating to threats to life, personal integrity, interference with private and family life, obstacles to the right of residence and movement, unequal treatment, lack of access to justice and judicial protection, and interference in access to health care, could establish possible violations of (…) the American Convention [on Human Rights]”. The Government of Jamaica has objected to the admissibility of the Petition and defended its anti-gay laws. The case remains pending, as of 2022.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In December 2018, a Jamaican parliamentary committee recommended holding a national referendum on repealing the country's anti-sodomy law. The recommendation was criticised by LGBT activists, who felt a referendum was not needed and that people should "stay out of gays' bedrooms".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2009, Ernest Smith, a Labour Party member of Parliament, stated during a parliamentary debate that "homosexual activities seem to have taken over" Jamaica, described homosexuals as "abusive" and "violent", and called for a stricter law outlawing homosexual conduct between men that would impose sentences of up to life in prison.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The "Civil Service Staff Orders of 2004" (which have the force of law) protect Jamaican civil servants from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Jamaica has "no law which prevents discrimination against an individual on the basis of his or her or their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. There is no legislation addressing hate crimes in Jamaica."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2011, a national Bill of Rights was formally added to the Jamaican Constitution (Chapter 3). While it does guarantee all citizens numerous civil and political rights, it pointedly stipulates that the charter does not invalidate laws dealing with sexual offenses, pornography, or "the traditional definition of marriage".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2011, the Parliament passed "The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011" which explicitly banned same-sex marriage and any other kind of union to be recognized in Jamaica.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2019, both Prime Minister Andrew Holness of the Jamaica Labour Party and the Leader of the Opposition Peter Phillips of the People's National Party announced their opposition to the legalisation of same-sex marriage.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In July 2019, after previously speaking out and filing several lawsuits against Jamaica's homophobic laws, Maurice Tomlinson petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), requesting that it rule that Section 18 (2) of the Constitution of Jamaica, which does not recognise same-sex marriages, contravenes various articles of the American Convention on Human Rights ratified by Jamaica. He argues that because the Jamaican constitution does not recognise same-sex marriage, he and his husband Tom Decker are unable to enjoy the benefits and protections afforded to them. Tomlinson wants to return to Jamaica, with his Canadian husband in order to work and look after his ageing parents, who are in rapidly declining health. The petition also says that by virtue of this constitutional ban against non-heterosexual unions, there is neither an adequate nor effective domestic remedy available to him and/or his same-sex husband under Jamaican law. It also outlined several instances in which persons believed to be members of the LGBT community had been killed. He is asking the IACHR to require Jamaica to fulfil its human-rights obligations under the convention and to recommend that the government repeal Section 18 (2) of the Constitution of Jamaica in order to comply with the country's obligations under the convention. Further, he wants the IACHR to recommend that the government allow the naturalisation of same-sex spouses of Jamaican citizens on the same conditions as heterosexual spouses of Jamaican citizens. He also wants the Jamaican government to condemn and monitor serious human-rights violations, including discrimination and hate speech, as well as incitement to violence and hatred. A letter dated July 18, 2019, has subsequently been sent to Ambassador Audrey Marks, permanent representative of Jamaica to the Organisation of American States, requesting a government response to the petition in three months.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Neither one of the two major political parties in Jamaica has expressed any official support for legal rights for its LGBT citizens. However, at a televised debate in late December 2011 between opposition leader (and former prime minister) Portia Simpson-Miller of the People's National Party (PNP) and then-Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Simpson-Miller said she would consider appointing anyone she felt was most qualified for her cabinet, regardless of sexual orientation, and added that she wanted to see conscience votes allowed by the major parties on LGBT rights issues in parliament. Although Simpson-Miller was criticised by some social conservatives for her stance, it did not affect the PNP's sweeping election victory days later.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: During the 2001 elections, the Jamaican Labour Party adopted "Chi Chi Man" by T.O.K., controversial for its lyrics which promote the murder of gays, as its theme song. In April 2006, then-opposition leader and future prime minister Bruce Golding vowed that "homosexuals would find no solace in any cabinet formed by him". Two years later, when asked if LGBT people could be in the cabinet, he said, "Sure they can be in the cabinet - but not mine."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The conservative National Democratic Movement opposes LGBT rights on religious grounds, alongside the more leftist economic parties such as the People's National Party and the New Nation Coalition.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) was founded in December 1998, and operates underground and anonymously. It is the first LGBT human rights organisation in Jamaican history, and its primary efforts include legal reform and advocacy, public education, crisis intervention, and support programs.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Quality of Citizenship Jamaica (QCJ), founded by Jalna Broderick and Angeline Jackson in 2013, was an organisation that works toward creating safe spaces to empower the LGBT community. Its primary goal was to improve the lives of lesbian and bisexual women as well as transgender individuals, and part of the organisation's vision was to enhance the healthcare opportunities for LGBT women and youth, specifically regarding mental health and HIV/AIDS awareness. In his visit to the University of the West Indies in Kingston, United States president Barack Obama stated about Jackson, Instead of remaining silent, she chose to speak out and started her own organisation to advocate for women like her, and get them treatment and get them justice, and push back against stereotypes, and give them some sense of their own power.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Maurice Tomlinson is a Jamaican lawyer, law professor, and gay rights activist currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2011, the "Jamaica Observer", a local newspaper published an article with a photograph of him with his Canadian husband during their wedding ceremony. After the article was published, Tomlinson began receiving death threats and moved to Toronto. On 27 November 2015, he filed a Jamaican Supreme Court case challenging the nation's sodomy law. He stated in the court filings, "the laws of Jamaica that criminalise consensual sexual intimacy between men essentially render me an un-apprehended criminal." He says that the 1864 law was worsened when the requirement of the convicted to carry offender identification was added in 2011, punishable by an additional twelve months in prison and a one million dollar fine. He argues that the law as a whole encourages violence, and in a blogpost for Human Rights First in January, 2016, he stated the following:I filed a constitutional challenge against Jamaica’s sodomy law, citing the law’s violation of the protections outlined in Jamaica’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. These include the rights to liberty and freedom of the person, freedom of expression, privacy and family life, and freedom from inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment, among others.Since then, Tomlison has continued to speak out against homophobia in Jamaica.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Carolyn Gomes is currently the executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), which works with Caribbean populations who are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and have social and financial barriers barring them from treatment and aid. Prior to assuming this role in January 2014, Gomes served as executive director of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), which she founded in Kingston in 1999 in order to fill the gap needed in Jamaica for a citizens' rights action group that works towards eradicating corruption in the judicial system and the public sphere as well as imbalances in the socio-economic system. She resigned from JFJ in 2013 after nationwide pushback on the sexual education leaflets the organisation produced for adolescents, due to their mentioning of anal sex. She speaks out on LGBT issues as they relate to her organisation and in part due to the fact that her sister is a homosexual woman.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Nicolette Bryan is a queer Jamaican woman who is a co-founder of Women's Empowerment for Change (WE-Change) and has been serving as the Executive Director since November 2017, upon her return from the United Kingdom as a Chevening Scholar. She is one of the more notable young women's rights activists in the country and can be credited with being an instrumental in the abortion reform movement currently ongoing in Jamaica.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2012 said that "discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is widespread throughout Jamaica, and ... discrimination against those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex ... communities is entrenched in Jamaican State institutions. Those who are not heterosexual or cisgender face political and legal stigmatisation, police violence, an inability to access the justice system, as well as intimidation, violence, and pressure in their homes and communities."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Human Rights Watch said in 2012 that because of homophobia, "human rights defenders advocating the rights of LGBT people are not safe in Jamaica".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: A Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Jamaica was completed in 2011 under the auspices of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In its report,


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaica stressed that, although consensual sex between adult males remained proscribed by law, there was no legal discrimination against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation. Jamaica pointed out that Jamaican law did not criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender orientation, nor did the Government condone discrimination or violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. It added that there had been no credible cases of arbitrary detention and/or harassment of such persons by the police, nor was there any such official policy. Likewise, there was no evidence of any mob-related killing of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender persons. Jamaica stressed that the issue of male homosexuality was one of great sensitivity in Jamaican society, in which cultural norms, values, religious and moral standards underlay a rejection of male homosexual behaviour by a large majority of Jamaicans; and that the Government was committed to ensuring that all citizens were protected from violence.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: During the UPR working group meeting, Australia encouraged Jamaica to repeal its laws against same-sex activities and condemn homophobic statements made by public figures. The Netherlands expressed concern about harassment of LGBT persons and stated that legislation criminalising consensual same-sex activities might contribute to the problem. The United States "remained concerned about continuing discrimination, violence and exploitation, especially against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Slovenia stated that the abuse and harassment of LGBT persons by law enforcement officials were "highly worrisome". The United Kingdom encouraged Jamaica to promote tolerance and end discrimination against LGBT persons. Sweden expressed concern about the criminalisation of consensual sex between men and inquired about whether there were initiatives to decriminalise it.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaica refused to support the recommendations made about LGBT rights. "In response to questions regarding sexual orientation, Jamaica ... noted that sexual orientation was not criminalised, only a specific act. Jamaica stated that it was aware of existing concerns and observed that this was a sensitive issue." In addition, "Jamaica explained that the government has raised public awareness" about sexual orientation and discrimination and "will continue to do so, but that this needed resources."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Human rights non-governmental organisations and governmental entities have agreed that violence against LGBT people, primarily by private citizens, was widespread in 2012. The Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) in 2012 "continued to report serious human rights abuses, including assault with deadly weapons, 'corrective rape' of women accused of being lesbians, arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of gay and lesbian patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of such persons."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: According to the Bureau of Democracy for Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, "Police often did not investigate such incidents. During 2012, J-FLAG received 68 reports of sexually motivated harassment or abuse, which included 53 cases of attempted or actual assault, including at least two killings, and 15 reports of displacements. J-FLAG data showed that young people, ages 18 to 29, continued to bear the brunt of violence based on sexual orientation." In Jamaican prisons, there were numerous reports in 2012 of violence against gay inmates, perpetrated by wardens and other inmates, but few inmates sought recourse through the prison system.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Amnesty International has "received many reports of vigilante action against gay people by members of the community, and of ill-treatment or torture by the police. Gay men and lesbian women have been beaten, cut, burned, raped and shot on account of their sexuality. ... We are concerned that these reports are just the tip of the iceberg. Many gay men and women in Jamaica are too afraid to go to the authorities and seek help." This violence has prompted many gay persons to emigrate and hundreds of LGBT Jamaicans to seek asylum in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Violence against HIV positive people is commonplace, but legal repercussions for the aggressor are rare. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS representatives for Jamaica have described the blind-eye towards homophobic violence as "legalised discrimination" and have claimed that the violence has driven the HIV epidemic further underground, making access to treatment and outreach more difficult.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In January 2018, Jamaica banned Steven Anderson, from the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, a Holocaust-denying anti-gay pastor, after an outcry from activists on the island. The pastor said he was about to board a flight to Kingston when he was informed he would not be allowed into Jamaica.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In January 2019, Director of Tourism Donovan White said that gay tourists are welcome, and that Jamaicans harboured no open hostility towards gay visitors during a press conference at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In September 2019, Mayor Omar Davis of Montego Bay, and Councillor Charles Sinclair (both elected officials) blocked the use of the local cultural center by the local LGBT group in a bid to protect the "sacredness" of the building. The government's actions forced the cancellation of the pride events; no other venues would rent their premises to the LGBT group, following the actions of Davis and Sinclair. Other venues cancelled their reservations made by the LGBT group owing to fear of a backlash. Furthermore, the policed advised that because of the mayor and councillor's actions, and the homophobic hysteria that had been whipped up, they could not provide any kind of protection to LGBT Jamaicans. These circumstances forced the cancellation of the scheduled Pride events that were to be held in October 2019.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2012, in what was called "an unprecedented constitutional legal challenge "a case was filed by LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson in the Supreme Court of Jamaica against Jamaican television stations for refusing to air a 30-second advertisement “Love and Respect.” The ad, which promotes recognition of the humanity of LGBT people, was rejected by Television Jamaica (TVJ), Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBCJ) and CVM Television (CVM TV). in May 2013, the lawsuit was heard. In November 2013, the case "Maurice Tomlinson v TVJ, CVM and PBCJ" the Constitutional Court ruled against Tomlinson. The case was appealed. in February 2016, the Jamaican Court of Appeal heard the appeal, after it was originally scheduled in July 2015. The TV station Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBCJ) was not included in the appeal, and CVM withdrew from the case saying that they would accept any decision from the court. The court reserved its judgement, and the decision is pending.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In June 2004, founding member and the public face of the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), and Jamaica's leading gay-rights activist, Brian Williamson, was stabbed to death in his home. Police ruled that the murder was the result of a robbery, but J-FLAG believes his murder was a hate crime. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Rebecca Schleifer had a meeting with Williamson that day, and arrived at his home not long after his body had been discovered:


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: She found a small crowd singing and dancing. One man called out, "Battyman he get killed." Others were celebrating, laughing and shouting "Let's get them one at a time", "That's what you get for sin". Others sang "Boom bye bye", a line from a well-known dancehall song by Jamaican star Buju Banton about shooting and burning gay men. "It was like a parade", says Schleifer. "They were basically partying."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: HRW also reported that police helped a suspect evade identification, and consistently refused to consider the possibility of a homophobic motive for the killing, with the senior officer responsible for the investigation claiming "most of the violence against homosexuals is internal. We never have cases of gay men being beaten up [by heterosexuals]."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: A friend of Williamson's, Lenford "Steve" Harvey, who worked in Targeted Interventions at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, was shot to death on the eve of World AIDS Day the following year. Gunmen reportedly burst into his home and demanded money, demanding to know: "Are you battymen?" "I think his silence, his refusal to answer that question sealed it," said Yvonne McCalla Sobers, the head of Families Against State Terrorism. "Then they opened his laptop and saw a photograph of him with his partner in some kind of embrace that showed they were together. So they took him out and killed him." Six people were charged with the killing. Their trial began, and was then postponed, in 2007. It was resumed in 2012; in 2014, one of the accused was set free.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In April 2006, students at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies rioted as police attempted to protect a man who had been chased across the campus because another student had claimed the man had propositioned him in a bathroom. The mob demanded that the man be turned over to them. It only dispersed when riot police were called in and an officer fired a shot in the air.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In November 2012, two campus security guards beat a reportedly gay university student when he sought refuge from a mob of fellow students who were chasing him. The security company fired the two guards, and their action was condemned by the University of Technology, as well as the security company. The university established a working group to develop a sensitisation and education program to deal with intolerance and bullying, and to recommend corrective measures.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In July, a mob in St. James stabbed to death a gender-nonconforming 16-year-old, Dwayne Jones. The murder attracted international attention and outrage, especially in North America, resulting in condemnation of the killing by human rights groups. Police investigated the murder, however, no one has been arrested or charged, and the crime is still considered unsolved, as of 2022.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In August 2013, Dean Moriah, a gay businessman in Montego Bay, was stabbed to death in his home. His house was then set on fire and his car was stolen in the same incident. Following the murder, an investigation was launched to determine whether Moriah had been targeted due to his sexuality and both local and international gay rights activists argued that the murder was a homophobic hate crime. In 2014, a nineteen-year-old man was formally charged with the murder.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Also in August 2013, two men who were perceived by angry residents to be gay were forced to take refuge in a police station after a minor car accident.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In August 2017, Dexter Pottinger, a Jamaican gay activist, fashion designer, and face of Jamaica Pride 2016 and 2017, was robbed and found murdered with 25 knife stab wounds at his home in St. Andrew. In April 2019, in what has been described as a gay panic defense case, Romario Brown, who was initially charged with the murder of Pottinger, pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter after his caution statement revealed that his actions were caused by provocation by the deceased. In May 2019, he was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter. Pottinger's relatives said that the sentence was too short. His sister, Tashan Adams, said that the family was not satisfied and questioned the claims of the murderer.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: A poll in 2001 showed that 96 percent of Jamaicans were opposed to any move that would seek to legalise homosexual relations.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Results from the "National Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions of Jamaicans Towards Same Sex Relationships" were published in 2011. Based on a random survey in late 2010 of 1,007 Jamaicans, aged 18–84, 85.2 percent were opposed to legalising homosexuality among consenting adults. In addition, 82.2 percent said that male homosexuality was immoral, 75.2 percent believed that female homosexuality was immoral, and 75.3 percent believed that bisexual relationships were immoral.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2008, a poll of 1,008 Jamaicans was conducted that read, "Whether or not you agree with their lifestyle, do you think homosexuals are entitled to the same basic rights and privileges as other people in Jamaica?" 26 percent said "yes", 70 percent said "no", and 4 percent did not know.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2012, a poll revealed that about a third of the population—over 900,000 Jamaicans—believe the government is not doing enough to protect LGBT people from violence and discrimination.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaica has a heavily male-dominated social structure. Consequently, heterosexual relations are praised as signs of male virility in the lyrics of popular songs, particularly in Jamaican dancehall. Homosexual intercourse in this context is seen as a potential affront to the male "ideal". Popular music similarly reproduces and enforces heteronormativity and aggressive homophobia in Jamaican culture. The chorus of Jamaican dancehall hit "Boom Bye Bye" by Buju Banton repeats: "Boom bye bye Inna batty bwoy head, Rude boy no promote no nasty man Dem haffi ded". The song, commonly played in Jamaica for over ten years after it released, explicitly calls for the murder of men who have sex with men. This trope is rather common in dancehall music and reflects the "remarkably ubiquitous" homophobia in Jamaica. Aggressive homophobic attitudes in Jamaica are mostly attributable to the norms of hypermasculinity, which is roughly equivalent to the machismo found in Central and South America.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Homophobia in Jamaica is bolstered by the contemporary association of homosexuality with colonization, and by extension, of homophobia with anti-colonialism. Scholar Wayne Marshall describes that, in Jamaica, acts of homosexuality are believed to be "decadent products of the West" and "are thus to be resisted alongside other forms of colonization, cultural or political." This sentiment is easily demonstrated in the Jamaican dancehall hit "Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks, in which homosexuality is violently condemned alongside a call for the "freedom for Black people."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaican male sexual identity has long been defined in opposition to homosexuality. According to Dr. Kingsley Ragashanti Stewart, a professor of anthropology at the University of the West Indies, "A lot of Jamaican men, if you call them a homosexual, ... will immediately get violent. It's the worst insult you could give to a Jamaican man." Dr. Stewart believes that homophobia influences almost every aspect of life and shapes the everyday language of ghetto youth. "It's like if you say, 'Come back here,' they will say, 'No, no, no don't say 'come back'.' You have to say 'come forward,' because come back is implying that you're 'coming in the back,' which is how gay men have sex."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: "Jamaica Gleaner" columnist Morris Cargill, who supported the "nurture" view with respect to environment and sexual orientation, opinionated in 1999:


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: There seems to be a certain logic in female homosexuality. For if it is true, broadly speaking, we acquire our first sexual proclivities in infancy, girl children who are petted and fondled by their mothers, nurses and female relatives acquire what might be said to be a "normal" sexual affection for their own sex. But this is not true of male children, so it seems to me that there is a very fundamental difference between male and female homosexuality.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Amnesty International, however, has received reports of violence against lesbians, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. Lesbians reportedly have been attacked on the grounds of "mannish" physical appearance or other visible "signs" of sexuality. Some reports of abduction and rape come from inner-city communities, where local non-governmental organisations have expressed concerns about high incidences of violence against women.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Although lesbian civil ceremonies have taken place, Jamaica does not recognise any legal basis for partnerships between women. In 2012, American couple Jamaican-born Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn and Emma Benn held the first lesbian wedding in Jamaica, although their marriage was not legally recognised in Jamaica, they were by law, legally married in New York State (which legalised same-sex marriage in 2012) where they reside. The couple had their celebration ceremony in Jamaica after being lawfully married in the United States.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: What makes the lives of transgender individuals in Jamaica different from those in other countries is the fact that Jamaican society has an exceptionally low tolerance for LGBTQ individuals, especially male-to-female transgender women, according to a case study done by the University of West Indies’ Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social Economic Studies. The stigmas placed upon these individuals influence their perception of the world, and upon internalising these stigmas, the treatment process becomes more difficult. The viewpoint arises that doctors will stigmatise patients or treat them badly because of the unconventionality of the treatment being carried out. Ultimately, low tolerance leads patients to obtain less treatment overall.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Many Jamaicans identify as devoutly Christian and claim that their anti-gay stance is based on religious grounds.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In June 2013, Jamaican church pastors rallied nearly 1,500 people in Kingston to support the country's buggery laws. Pastor Leslie Buckland of the Church of Christ argued that LGBT activists were trying to "take over the world" with their challenge of the laws. Buckland said that if the laws were repealed, activists would "go back to the court to make it a criminal offense to speak against the homosexual lifestyle."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In February 2006, a coalition of church leaders and members of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship declared their opposition to the privacy provisions of a proposed Charter of Rights that would form the basis of an amended Jamaican Constitution. Chief among the concerns was that homosexuality could be made legal, although Justice Minister A. J. Nicholson and the leader of the opposition, Bruce Golding, denied this and opposed decriminalising buggery.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Cecil Gutzmore at the University of the West Indies has written that religious fundamentalists believe that the Bible variously declares homosexuality to be an "abomination", a "vile affection", "unseemly", "not natural", or a "form of ungodliness".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Those who commit this great sin are thus unequivocally construed ... as legitimate subjects to be punished by terminal violence, a fate not only dealt out directly by God Himself but, presumably, also by those regarding themselves as His faithful servants and the possible agents of His will. These persons feel a kind of righteous justification for ... acting violently on God's behalf against perceived homosexuals and homosexuality. ... In Jamaica metaphorical stones enthusiastically and destructively cast take the form of homophobic song lyrics, passionate sermons, and parliamentary and party conference speeches that voice a refusal to liberalize anti-homosexuality laws.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Local LGBT-rights group J-FLAG acknowledges that anti-LGBT sentiment is influenced by certain passages from the Bible, but counters that,


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: the appropriation by legislatures of the Christian condemnation of homosexuals is a purely arbitrary process, guided largely by individual biases and collective prejudices. In the case of adultery, of which much more mention is made in Biblical text, Jamaica has no law pertaining to its condemnation or prosecution. The same applies to the act of fornication.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: There are some homophobic attitudes in the Rastafari movement, according to an anonymous, well-educated Rasta elder in 2007:


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The real reason why the average "Jah D" in Jamaica has this extreme, rational aversion to male homosexuality is not ... because of "fear of the other", it is not because of Biblical injunction; it is not because of its supposed "un-Africanness" nor the fact that Jamaica is nominally a "Christian country". It is simply that he cannot condone the abandonment of the clean "nip and tuck" of normal heterosexual relations for the unhygienic foray amid waste matter, unfriendly bacteria and toxic germs.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Senior Rastafari Ras Iyah V opposes the repeal of Jamaica's buggery laws. "I would have to stand with those who oppose homosexuality because that is not our way. From a moral and traditional African point of view, homosexuality is not acceptable."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Some Rastafari from Jamaica, however, have supported gay rights. British-born writer Benjamin Zephaniah said in 2005, "[I]t hurts when I see that [Jamaica] ... is now associated with the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation. I believe it is my duty to call upon all the progressive people of Jamaica ... to take a stand against homophobia." Mista Mahaj P, a Jamaican-born Rastafari based in the United States, released in 2011 reggae's first pro-gay album entitled "Tolerance". King B-Fine, a Rastafari Reggae artist born in Jamaica, openly supports gay rights. He clarified this after some controversy about his song "Jah Nah Dead".


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Jamaica's popular culture has a strong tradition of music, including reggae and dancehall. As a consequence, performers are high profile, both influencing popular opinion and reflecting it. The United States Department of State said that in 2012 "through the songs and the behavior of some musicians, the country's dancehall culture helped perpetuate homophobia." In its 2011 review of Jamaica for compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed regret over "virulent lyrics by musicians and entertainers that incite violence against homosexuals" and recommended that Jamaica investigate, prosecute, and sanction persons who do so.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Artists such as Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Mavado, Sizzla, Elephant Man, Capleton, T.O.K., and Shabba Ranks have during their careers written or performed, or both, songs that advocate attacking or killing gays and lesbians.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Buju Banton, according to "Time Magazine", "is an avowed homophobe whose [1992] song "Boom Bye-Bye" decrees that gays 'haffi dead' ('have to die')." The song also "boasts of shooting gays with Uzis and burning their skin with acid 'like an old tire wheel'." Buju Banton's manager, Donovan Germain, has insisted that "Buju's lyrics are part of a metaphorical tradition. They're not a literal call to kill gay men."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: One of Beenie Man's songs contains the lyrics: "I'm a dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays." Bounty Killer has urged his listeners to burn "Mister Fagoty" and make him "wince in agony." Elephant Man said in one of his songs, "When you hear a lesbian getting raped / It's not our fault ... Two women in bed / That's two Sodomites who should be dead." Lyrics from Sizzla's songs include: "Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom." (Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom.)


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Some Rastafari have advocated for violence and discrimination against LGBT people. When singing about gay males, those advocates have used terms like "MAUMA MAN (Maama Man), FASSY HOLE (or simply FASSY), MR. BURN, PUSSYHOLE, FAGGOT, FISHMAN, FUNNY MAN, BUJU MAN, FREAKY MAN, POOP MAN, BUGGER MAN and the most commonly used, BATTY MAN (butt man) and CHI CHI MAN (chi chi, in Jamaica, is the slang for vermin)."


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: When singing about gay women, they have used terms like "SODOMITE, CHI CHI GAL or simply LESBIAN." The Bobo Ashanti, including dancehall singers Sizzla, Capleton, and Anthony B, condemn everything in conflict with their beliefs: "Fire pon politicians, Fire pon Vatican, Fire pon chi chi man..." Some singers have defended themselves by saying that it is "a 'spiritual fire.'"


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: An international campaign against homophobia by reggae singers was headed by OutRage!, the UK-based gay activism group, and the UK-based Stop Murder Music Coalition. An agreement to stop anti-gay lyrics during live performances and not to produce any new anti-gay material or re-release offending songs was reached in February 2005 between dancehall record labels and organisations opposed to anti-gay murder lyrics.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: According to a 2005 published report, the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica was also requiring performers who wished to tour in Canada to sign an Entertainer Declaration that stated that they had read and fully understood excerpts from the Criminal Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian Human Rights Act and would not "engage in or advocate hatred against persons because of their ... sexual orientation." Calls for a boycott of Jamaica and its music in Canada had provoked a debate over censorship and free expression in both Jamaica and Canada.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In August 2013, Queen Ifrica made anti-gay comments at the Grand Gala independence celebrations in Kingston, which were promptly criticised and labelled as inappropriate by the government's Ministry of Youth and Culture. The promoters of Rastafest in Toronto, held later the same month, then dropped her from the concert lineup after various persons and groups protested her inclusion.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: A 2010 random survey of Jamaican adults showed that among those who most listened to reggae music, 65.0 percent expressed repulsion (the most negative emotion among the Riddle scale's eight possibilities) about persons in same-sex relationships. The percentages for dancehall music were 62.8 percent, 47.5 percent for rhythm and blues, 45.4 percent for those with no music preference, 42.9 percent for old hits and gospel, 35.3 percent for rock/alternative, and 30.8 percent for hip hop/rap.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2022, during Pride Month, Jamaican Canadian singer Mark Clennon released a music video for his song "Kingston", which featured a romantic storyline between Clennon and male model Jean-Julien Hazoumi. The music video, filmed in Kingston and co-directed by Clennon and Canadian filmmaker M. H. Murray, became the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: LGBT individuals are represented in the work of Jamaican authors such as Claude McKay, who left Jamaica in 1912 to pursue his writing career in Harlem. McKay is among the first Jamaican fiction authors to write about homosexuality; however, he refrained from being open about his own sexuality. In his novels "Home to Harlem" and "Banjo", he creates "homosocial" worlds in which men engage sexually exclusively with other men. McKay is more widely known and accepted among the black community as a powerful figure in the Harlem Renaissance than as a pivotal figure in the queer community.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2015, Jamaica held its first LGBT Pride celebrations, known as PRIDEJA, a week-long event used to highlight the island's efforts to tackle discrimination and hate against the LGBT community. However, there was no parade, as it would have been risky for the marchers, according to J-FLAG. The Mayor of Kingston, Angela Brown-Burke, attended and spoke at the event, voicing her support by saying: "I come from the point of view that I, as mayor, have a responsibility to all the individuals of Kingston. There are individuals who are minorities who have been struggling in terms of their identity and finding their own space. It is important for us to provide safe spaces for them." Then Minister of Justice Mark Golding issued a statement in support of the gay Pride celebration, saying "I support the right of all Jamaicans, including members of the LGBT community, to express their opinions through any lawful means. As the LGBT community embarks on a week of activities to build awareness of the rights and needs of their members, I urge all Jamaicans to respect their right to do so in peace." Hollywood actor Elliot Page also attended the event. At the 2018 event, the cocktail reception was jointly hosted by the Charge d’ Affaires of the US Embassy, Eric Khant; British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad and Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, Laurie Peters. It has been yearly celebrated ever since.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In October 2015, another pride event, Montego Bay Pride, was held for the first time, and has been yearly celebrated ever since. Growing from about 150 participants in 2015, it expanded to over 300 persons in 2016, to over 850 in 2017, and to over 900 in 2018. The 2017 pride saw Jamaica's first ever LGBT film festival, with four nights of documentaries highlighting the work for LGBT human rights in Canada, the United States, Uganda, and India. The 2018 pride saw a walk for acceptance and equality despite fear of attacks. Venues of pride events are not disclosed for security reasons.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In a study by the International Journal of Sexual Health in 2007, in which LGBT individuals were selected from groups for sexual minority support, human rights, and HIV/AIDS care and prevention, 13% of individuals interviewed were diagnosed with depression, and 11% met the criteria for substance abuse. 76% of the participants reported that they were victims of abusive experiences up to twelve months prior to the interview, of whom 19% reported physical violence. There are several human rights and sexual minority support groups and HIV/AIDS programs already existing in Jamaica that provide social support, information services, counselling, legal representation, and education, but many argue that these programs lack organisation and do not have enough mental health counsellors.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: According to a study conducted in 2015, adverse life events and low literacy have an effect on the prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Jamaica. Through the survey method, the researchers in this experiment found that these two factors are underlying determinants of the infection, and HIV was found most prevalent in MSM who were sex workers and had been raped. These men had lower self-esteem, which often leads to a reduction in ability to practice safe sex. Risk factors of HIV that have already been classified as established determinants such as receptive anal intercourse and casual sex partners tended to be more common among those MSM who had dealt with the issues formerly stated. Other underlying determinants of HIV include employment as sex workers, which made up 41.1% of those surveyed, and identifying as transgender, as did 52.9% of the survey participants. Overall, 31.4% of the MSM surveyed were HIV positive.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: There are many efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Jamaica and the broader Caribbean today. In 2001, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government declared AIDS as a regional priority of the Caribbean, and the Pan Caribbean AIDS Partnership (PANCAP) was formed in order to initiate the region's response to HIV.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In Jamaica itself, there is a National Human Immunodeficiency Virus program based in the Jamaican Ministry of Health designed to slow the epidemic and decrease its impact. It has been a national plan in Jamaica to respond to HIV since 1988 when the National AIDS Committee was established to lead the island's multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS. To prevent the epidemic, information, education, and communication campaigns have been formed to promote condom use, control sexually transmitted infections (STI), and form workplace programs, HIV testing, and counselling.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: There have also been efforts to minimize the stigma and discrimination surrounding issues relating to HIV and AIDS in Jamaica. In 2001, antiretroviral therapy was introduced in order to prevent vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child. In 2004, a public access treatment program was introduced, and in 2005 parliament unanimously adopted a national HIV/AIDS policy. The 2007-2012 National Strategic Plan included in it Jamaica's efforts toward aims to achieve access to HIV prevention worldwide.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: An estimated 1.8 percent of the age 18–49 population of Jamaica was HIV positive in 2011. The rate for men who have sex with men was 32.8 percent. The highest rates of infection were in the most urbanised parishes and in tourist areas. The HIV epidemic has been closely tied to poverty and developmental and socio-cultural issues, including slow economic growth, high levels of unemployment, early sexual debut, the culture of multiple partnerships, and the informal drug and commercial sex sectors.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: In 2004, Human Rights Watch issued a report on the status of LGBT people in Jamaica. The report documented widespread homophobia and argued that the high level of intolerance was harming public efforts to combat violence and the AIDS-HIV pandemic.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The way Jamaicans associate HIV with homosexual anal sex has been partly shaped by the international media coverage at the beginning of the epidemic. Dr. Robert Carr, widely recognised as one of the world's leading researchers on cultural forces and the unfolding of the HIV pandemic, said:


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: AIDS was seen as a disease of gay, White, North American men. And people were really afraid of it. There were no treatments available in the Caribbean at the time, so AIDS really was a death sentence. You had people with Kaposi's sarcoma, people with violent diarrhoea, who were just wasting away and then dying in really horrible and traumatic ways. To call what was going on here "stigma and discrimination" was really an understatement. In the ghettos[,] they were putting tires around people who had AIDS and lighting the tires on fire. They were killing gay people because they thought AIDS was contagious. It was a very extreme environment, and really horrible things were happening.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: Stigma has been associated with HIV in Jamaica since the beginning of the epidemic, partly because of its association with male homosexuality. Jamaican men, in particular, are so concerned about being associated with homosexuality that they are hesitant to seek HIV treatment and prevention services. Poor men living with HIV are assumed to have participated in same-sex sexual acts, and poor men who participate in those acts are assumed to be HIV positive. Some people in Jamaica become suicidal when they first receive their HIV diagnosis, rooted in the fear of isolation and discrimination that will result from others finding out and not from the potential of death associated with it. HIV is a reportable disease, resulting in a visit by a contact investigator who asks for the names of sexual partners.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The spread of HIV also encourages a cycle of blame and violence, which marginalises and encourages violence against a gay lifestyle. This cycle takes on further meaning under Jamaican law, which criminalises all anal sex and often turns a blind eye to violence against homosexuals. Few are willing to take up the language of human rights against what is happening to homosexuals and HIV positive individuals because they are considered responsible for the spread of HIV.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: A study conducted by AIDS researchers found that half of surveyed university students in Jamaica felt sympathetic towards heterosexual men and non-sex workers who were HIV positive, but did not feel the same for homosexual men and female sex workers. Essentially this study showed that less blame is attached to people who became positive through "less controllable" acts such as voluntary heterosexual intercourse or drug use. Many Jamaicans felt that sex workers and homosexuals are not to be pitied for contracting HIV because they were acting in a way that knowingly put themselves at higher risk.


title: LGBT rights in Jamaica

text: The secretive nature of gay culture in Jamaica makes outreach nearly impossible. Fear of being identified as gay has forced many men into early marriages in the hopes of avoiding future accusations. Miriam Maluwa, the UNAIDS country representative for Jamaica, said, "[Gay men] marry fairly rapidly, they have children fairly rapidly to regularise themselves, and that is really a ticking bomb". Gay men forced into heterosexual marriage are thus likely to have extramarital affairs, putting their wives at high risk for infection too.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: The second season of the "Sailor Moon" anime series Sailor Moon R (originally released in Japan as , and later as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Junichi Sato and Kunihiko Ikuhara. According to the booklet from the "Sailor Moon Memorial Song Box", the letter "R" stands for the word "Romance", "Return" or "Rose".


title: Sailor Moon R

text: Like the rest of the series, it follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino and her fellow Sailor Guardians. The first 13 episodes consist of the "Makai Tree" arc, while the following 29 episodes consist of the "Black Moon Clan" arc which adapts the fourth through seventh volumes of the "Sailor Moon" manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. After defeating the Dark Kingdom, the Sailor Guardians are living normal lives, but their memories and powers are then restored after the arrival of the Hell Tree aliens, who are harvesting energy from people and challenge the Sailor Guardians. Afterwards, the Black Moon Clan have travelled from the future to the present and start planning an operation to steal energy at the Star Points of the future Crystal Tokyo, forcing the Sailor Guardians to confront them with her daughter from the future, Chibiusa.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: This season makes use of two pieces of theme music: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme, titled , is performed by the idol group DALI. The ending theme is performed by Yoko Ishida. DIC Entertainment used an English-language version of the Japanese opening theme as both the opening and ending theme.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: The season aired from March 6, 1993 to March 12, 1994 on TV Asahi in Japan. In the 1994 "favorite episode" polls for "Animage", "Protect Chibiusa! Clash of the 10 Warriors" came in eighth place. The following year, "The Final Battle Between Light and Darkness! Love Sworn to the Future" came in seventh place.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: The season was licensed and heavily edited for a dubbed broadcast and VHS/DVD release in English by DIC Entertainment. It was the last season to be dubbed by DIC. The first 25 episodes of their adaptation were aired on the Canadian channel YTV from October 25 to November 28, 1995. Eventually, the remaining 17 episodes aired from October 4 to November 21, 1997, omitting only one of the season's 43 episodes. A year later, General Mills-sponsored The Program Exchange syndicated those episodes as "The Lost Episodes" on Cartoon Network's programming block Toonami. Starting with the third season, Cloverway Inc. took over dubbing new episodes for broadcast on Cartoon Network. Later, ADV Films re-released the series in an uncut, albeit subtitle-only, DVD box set, which also omitted episode 67 from the release. Afterward, in 2014, Viz Media began redubbing the series from the start for an uncut release, and released "R" in two DVD/Blu-ray boxsets on July 14 and October 27, 2015.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: In 1993, Bandai published "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R" for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1994, Angel, a subsidiary company of Bandai, developed and published "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R" for Game Boy.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: "Sailor Moon R: The Movie", originally released in Japan as , and later as "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R: The Movie", and in the United States as "Sailor Moon R: The Movie: The Promise of the Rose", is an anime film directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara and written by Sukehiro Tomita. The film debuted in Japanese theaters on December 5, 1993 and Pioneer Entertainment released it in the United States on February 8, 2000. On January 13, 2017, Viz Media re-released the movie re-dubbed and uncut for the first time in American theaters, simply titled "Sailor Moon R: The Movie".


title: Sailor Moon R

text: The events portrayed in this film seem to take place somewhere in the very end of the series, as Chibiusa knows about the identities of the Sailor Guardians, the characters are in the present rather than the future, and Mamoru and Usagi are back together. The film centers on the arrival of an alien named Fiore on Earth, who has a past with Mamoru and wishes to reunite with him. Unfortunately, Fiore is being controlled by an evil flower called Xenian Flower, forcing Usagi and her friends to save Mamoru and the Earth from destruction.


title: Sailor Moon R

text: Japanese theaters featured a 15-minute short recap episode before the film titled . The re-dub also included the English dubbed short.


title: Glen Keane

text: Glen Keane (born April 13, 1954) is an American animator, author and illustrator. He was a character animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios for feature films including "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "Pocahontas", "Tarzan" and "Tangled". He received the 1992 Annie Award for character animation and the 2007 Winsor McCay Award for lifetime contribution to the field of animation. He was named a Disney Legend in 2013.


title: Glen Keane

text: In 2017, Keane directed "Dear Basketball", an animated short film based on Kobe Bryant's retirement poem in "The Players' Tribune", for which Keane and Bryant received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards"."


title: Glen Keane

text: Keane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of cartoonist Bil Keane, creator of "The Family Circus", and Australian-born Thelma Keane (née Carne). He was raised in Paradise Valley, Arizona as a Roman Catholic.


title: Glen Keane

text: Keane's interest in art developed from observing his father's work as a cartoonist. (Keane's father based his "Family Circus" character of Billy on Glen's younger self.) To encourage Glen to draw, his father gave him a copy of Burne Hogarth's "Dynamic Anatomy", and recommended he observe body forms and practice creative approaches to life drawing.


title: Glen Keane

text: After graduating from high school at Brophy College Preparatory in 1972, Keane applied to the California Institute of the Arts School of Art, rather than accepting a football scholarship to another college. His application was accidentally sent to the Program in Experimental Animation (then called Film Graphics), where he was mentored by Jules Engel.


title: Glen Keane

text: Keane left CalArts in 1974 and joined Disney the same year, where he spent three years working with veteran animator Ollie Johnston on the characters Bernard and Penny in "The Rescuers". He subsequently animated Elliott the Dragon in "Pete's Dragon", and the climactic bear showdown in "The Fox and the Hound".


title: Glen Keane

text: In 1982, inspired by the groundbreaking film "Tron", Keane collaborated with animator John Lasseter ("Toy Story", "Toy Story 2") on a 30-second test scene of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are", which was optioned for them by Disney executive Tom Wilhite. The test integrated traditional character animation and computer-generated backgrounds (), and, like "Tron", was a cooperation with MAGI. It was Disney's first experiment with digitally-drawn characters. Although the project was revolutionary (and became a predecessor to the famous ballroom scene in "Beauty and the Beast"), Disney declined to invest further in the featurette due to its cost.


title: Glen Keane

text: In 1983, Keane left contract employment with Disney and worked as a freelance artist. He animated the character Professor Ratigan in Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective"; the "Boys and Girls of Rock n' Roll" and "Getting Lucky" in "The Chipmunk Adventure"; and the characters Fagin, Sykes, Jenny Foxworth and Georgette in "Oliver & Company".


title: Glen Keane

text: He became a lead character animator, one of the group of young animators mentored by "Disney's Nine Old Men". Keane animated some of Disney's most memorable characters in what has been called the "New "Golden Age" of Disney Animation. He designed and animated the character of Ariel in the film "The Little Mermaid" (1989), and the eagle Marahute in "The Rescuers Down Under". He was supervising animator for the title characters of the three Disney hit features "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas".


title: Glen Keane

text: While living with his family in Paris, France for three years, Keane completed work on Disney's 1999 "Tarzan", for which he drew the eponymous character. He then returned to Disney's Burbank studio as the lead animator for John Silver in "Treasure Planet".


title: Glen Keane

text: In 2003, he began work as the director of Disney's CGI animated film "Tangled" (based on the Brothers Grimm story "Rapunzel"), released in November 2010, where Keane and his team strove to bring the style and warmth of traditional animation to computer animation. In October 2008, due to "non-life threatening health issues", Keane stepped back as director of "Tangled", but remained the film's executive producer and an animating director.


title: Glen Keane

text: On March 23, 2012, Keane left Walt Disney Animation Studios after 37 years there. In a letter to his coworkers, he said, “I owe so much to those great animators who mentored me – Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston – as well as to the many other wonderful people at Disney whom I have been fortunate to work with in the past nearly 38 years. I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist its siren call to step out and discover them.”


title: Glen Keane

text: He later said that one of the reasons he left Disney was his experience during the production of "Tangled", which underwent several storyline and title changes. He felt that in a big studio like Disney, there were too many conflicting interests, with management pulling people "in too many different directions".