A Public Service Announcement (P.S.A) is defined as intended to change the public interest, by raising awareness of an issue, affecting public attitudes and potentially stimulating action.
In my last blog I spoke about the very strong and bold efforts of Jamaica Forum of Lesbians and Gays (J-FLAG), Jamaica Aids Support (JAS) and other organizations who had joined in on the Public Service Announcement “Unconditional Love” which was to create a new view or outlook of the public towards Gays, Lesbians & Transgender.
However, after much effort from all these organizations, the media house covering the events decided that they would rather not air the Public Service Announcement. They claim "They are presenting the particular ad as a public service announcement and in our business a public service announcement has specific meaning; it is not necessarily something that you would pay for. But even where you pay for PSAs the station would retain the right to determine if this is something that it would like to be identified with, because then normally we would say that it is done in association or it is supported by the particular station," I strongly believe in equality and the question arises in my head, isn’t J-FLAG and these other organizations not a part of the public? Secondly the P.S.A clearly states its purpose of airing, so what does this person mean to say by “a PSA has specific meaning”?
A Public Service Announcement is to create an awareness not to brainwash, but to stimulate change. So how could this particular P.S.A not be for the public? Any media house is supposed to be the voice of the PEOPLE or have they forgotten? The irony of the situation is that the same thing they are requesting in the PSA is the same thing they are being denied by this media house.
Media houses talk about not being biased, but there is some level of bias here, yes it is understood that not everyone wants to see an announcement about J-FLAG, but not everyone wants to see an announcement about the JLP or PNP. Not everyone supports the JLP and not everyone supports the PNP and it is no different with this group not everyone supports the J-FLAG community and just as any other organization or group they want their voices to be heard and that is the point of a PSA... of this PSA.
So I ask you my fellow amplify bloggers and friends, is this right?

 Unconditional Love In the Gay Community



To be different is to be taboo and as such you are to be excluded from society at least that is view of a majority of our nations’ people especially when the topic of Homosexuality arises. Arguments of homosexuality are often so intense that people often forget that they are humans too and that they are the same as you and I with families and other inviduals who care and love them.
A survey of Homophobic Discrimination & Violent Incidents as reported to the J-FLAG in the short time span of January – June 2011 were a total of Fifty-One (51) reports, Forty-Seven (47) Males & Four (4) Females. Among these cases these individuals faced assaults/attacks, displacement, extortion/blackmail and some of these were police related.
Jamaica Forum For Lesbians And Gays (J-FLAG) in association with Jamaica AIDS Support For Life (JASL), Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and Aids-Free World have now joined forces in a campaign called Unconditional Love launched July 28th 2011 at the JASL building. It is a campaign to bring acceptance to the gay community and to show that despite their differences in lifestyles they are people none the less. As former Miss (Jamaica) Universe Christine Straw stated at the launch - “Who cares what their sexuality is that doesn’t form who they are as a person.”
Christine Straw and her brother Matthew Straw also played a huge part in the Unconditional Love Campaign as a Sixty (60) second video was shown of her and her brother as he came forward saying he was gay and Christine giving her unconditional love to him and applauding his bravery in coming out.
After such an eventful PSA questions were raised by those in attendants as to how this will affect both Christine and Matthew Straw? And with confidence and poise and much love in her heart Christine poured her thoughts on the matter of discrimination and acceptance in the society.
This PSA showed that the fight for gay rights and acceptance still is going strong and that by using different methods of reaching out to the public it is possible to change hearts and the negative atmosphere surrounding the topic of homosexuality. Throughout the PSA various presentations and speeches were given and every one of those presentations captivated a different person in the room. One of those presentations in particular was a power point presentation by Maurice Tomlinson who is a part of Aids-Free World, he spoke on the laws and how they applied to us as individuals of society, and also how those laws don’t seem to reach to the gay community. Maurice used articles from The Gleaner, Star etc. to also shed some light on the injustice homosexuals face, it was a harsh truth. These presentations I believe should be shown to the public and the question at the end of it all should be “Who gives you the right?”
It had always baffled me that people criticize everyone else and everything else but they never stop to criticize themselves and I believe that this “Unconditional Love” campaign can do that, let people see themselves before they see and judge others and somehow bring some acceptance to the gay community.