It is well known that on the Island of Jamaica, if a man is gay or bisexual or anything other than heterosexual, he really ought to keep it to himself. To prevent abuse, act as normal as possible and be discrete. What happens to those who cannot fit in? Gregory Bowe Janson is a big and tall, dark-skinned and very masculine Jamaican gentleman who happens to be bisexual. As a member of the Jamaican Defence Force, Gregory has to walk a fine line. There are many liberal and progressive voices in Jamaican society, but that doesn't mean everything is fine. The majority of Jamaican LGBT continue to be closeted and with good reason. It can be said that their lives depend on it...
Gregory Bowe Janson left the military base located a few miles from Montego Bay after a joint exercise with visiting officers from the Armed Forces of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of an international effort to foster cooperation between various Caribbean military forces. He'd been part of the practice squad that showed their skills during a live fire exercise. As he walked the streets proudly in his dark green military uniform, Gregory spotted a scene which made him feel uncomfortable. A pair of skinny, effeminate black males were being harassed by a trio of burly, uniformed black men. Even from where he stood, Gregory could see that they were in obvious distress.
For a brief moment, Gregory thought of the conversation he had with his parents, Lionel and Claire Janson, on the subject of his bisexuality. A conversation which ended with Gregory getting banned from the Janson family estate. Gregory has always dated women, and enjoyed sex with them, but on occasion, he felt curious about men. This revelation pissed off Gregory's parents, to say the least. Around the world, while gay men are grudgingly accepted, bisexual men are almost universally loathed. The same heterosexual women who would go to war to protect their effeminate gay male friends tend to lose their minds when they meet a fine, masculine man and he turns out to be bisexual, rather than heterosexual. Such a sad state of the affairs...
Gregory observed the interactions between the three uniformed guys and the two effeminate males. Why do some guys go around talking and acting like women? Aren't they tired of getting harassed, taunted, disrespected or even beat up because of this affectation? Gregory has always wondered whether guys like that are born that way, or do they simply act this way to get attention. Either way, Gregory didn't feel like a man should get mistreated because of his mannerisms. If he harmed other men physically, then he could get dealt with. A man's mannerisms weren't sufficient provocation for violence in Gregory's book...
"No batty man shit allowed on the streets, you fuck boys," one of the uniformed guys taunted the harried pair. Far from being intimidated, the effeminate, sassy black males taunted their tormentors, swearing at them. They snapped their fingers and defiantly glared at their tormentors. A lifetime of being harassed due to their effeminate ways made them oddly immune to intimidation. Gregory drew closer and saw the three uniformed men ball their fists, and surround the sassy pair. This was about to get extremely ugly really fast. What's a brother to do under those circumstances?
"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?" Gregory said as he approached the scene. The three uniformed men glared at him and then saw the lieutenant's bars on his crisp military uniform. Gregory saw that they were wearing the cadets uniform. These three cadets weren't even full soldiers yet. They were still in training at the National Military Academy of Jamaica. Why were they acting all big and bad? Gregory put on a smile as he saw the trio tense while their targets eyed him cautiously. Something had to be done to diffuse the situation...
"No problem here, sir, we were just taking care of some batty men," said one of the burly cadets, whose name tag identified him as Cadet Blake Floyd. Gregory looked at the other cadets, Mason Gramble and Lucas Hawthorne. They were rookies and would have been in their first year of college if they hadn't signed up for the Jamaican military. Assuming a commanding posture, Gregory placed himself between the three cadets and the two effeminate guys while keeping everyone in his line of sight. No soldier wants to take his or her gaze off the enemy or even one's allies during a tense situation.
"Cadets, I am sure you've got better things to do than to waste time in this manner," Gregory said, and the three cadets hesitated. Cadet Blake Floyd, who appeared to be the leader, seemed to hesitate. Cadets Mason Gramble and Lucas Hawthorne exchanged a look which Gregory recognized as that of basic followers taking cues from a leader. After a moment, Cadet Blake Floyd nodded, and then gave a hostile look to the effeminate twosome before locking eyes with Gregory.
