SAME SEX ROW

That this story has to do with Jamaican culture and its approach to LGBT-Plus issues will surprise very few people as the Jamaican government and the United States are locked in a simmering row over a request from Washington for accreditation and immunities for the gay spouse of an incoming American diplomat.

Local media is reporting that the refusal by the Andrew Holness cabinet to accredit the unidentified American diplomat could threaten to sour relations between the two as Jamaica has stoutly refused to grant the request.

The leading RJR radio and television stations reported this week that the Biden administration has countered by now refusing to extend the stay of three Jamaican diplomats in the United States, including Ambassador Audrey Marks in Washington, another in New York and a third in Miami. The United States had made the initial request earlier this year but it was apparently ignored by Jamaica. The follow-up request from Washington was met by the rejection for accreditation.

“Our sources tell us the US then responded by rejecting a request from the Jamaican government to extend the stay of three diplomats in Jamaica’s embassy and consulates in the United States. The US served notice that the trio must leave immediately after their five-year diplomatic visa expires. This is in contrast to what now obtains, where extensions to diplomatic visas for Jamaican diplomats beyond the five-year periods are routine,” RJR stated. The three must return to Jamaica this year when their visa permissions expire.

Officials apparently fear that they are being set up and entrapped by the US as the request is seen as an effort to force the hands of government to approve it, leaving them in a legal bind as precedent would already have been established in a country where same sex relations are publicly frowned upon and “Granting approval to the request would require Jamaica to acknowledge same-sex marriages, an act that remains illegal within the country’s legal framework.  At present, it remains uncertain what further diplomatic measures, if any, the United States government might take against Jamaica as a consequence of the denial of diplomatic immunity to the spouse of one of its diplomats. The ongoing disagreement has the potential to strain relations between the two nations, raising concerns about the future of their diplomatic partnership,” RJR said.