There is a lot of baggage still associated with being gay in America, but the bigotry and hatred crosses many borders within the African Diaspora. In many Caribbean cultures, machismo is greatly celebrated, so much so that many island inhabitants will tell you that there are no gay natives. From Bermuda to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and all points in-between, gay men are seen as less than human, a concept, despite America’s own treatment of gays and lesbians, we can’t seem to grasp.

Recently, Terri McMillan divorced her husband of several years because he came out of the closet. He was born and raised in Jamaica. In an exclusive interview with her he discussed that his severe repression brought on by cultural influences led to his own denial of who he was as a gay man, and that it wasn’t until he came to America and had freedom to act and explore that he did just so. Terri had trouble understanding this, but having spoken with many gay men from the Caribbean as well as Africa I have heard story after story of violence perpetrated against openly- or suspected gay men. I have heard stories of social shunning and excommunication, and most recently the media reported the very public anti-gay violence of two New Yorkers visiting a Caribbean island. Is it any wonder why so many black men are afraid to make their predilections known?