Brian Williamson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Williamson
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Williamson in an undated photograph
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| Born |
Brian Bernard Ribton Williamson
4 September 1945 Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
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| Died | 9 June 2004 (aged 58) Kingston, Jamaica
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| Occupation | LGBT rights activist |
Brian Williamson (born September 4, 1945 – died June 9, 2004) was an important Jamaican activist. He worked hard for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. He was one of the first openly gay men in Jamaica. He became one of the country's most well-known activists for fairness and equality.
Williamson grew up in a well-off family in Saint Ann Parish. He first thought about becoming a priest. But he later decided to focus on helping LGBT people in Jamaica. In the 1990s, he bought a building in Kingston. There, he opened a club where gay people could meet safely. This club stayed open for two years, even with challenges from the police. In 1998, he helped start an organization called J-FLAG. He soon became the public voice for this group.
As a leader of J-FLAG, Brian Williamson spoke on Jamaican TV and radio. He argued for equal rights for LGBT people. This made many people in Jamaica upset, as there was a lot of unfairness towards gay people. Members of J-FLAG received threats. Williamson himself was attacked with a knife but survived. For a time, he left Jamaica and lived in Canada and England. He returned to Kingston in 2002. In June 2004, Williamson was murdered in his apartment. Police believed the reason was robbery. The person responsible was later sent to prison. People in the Jamaican LGBT community held a private memorial for him. Groups in the United Kingdom also protested his killing.
Who Was Brian Williamson?
Brian Williamson was born into a family with good standing in the countryside of Saint Ann Parish. He thought about joining the Roman Catholic Church as a priest. He studied for this in Montego Bay. But he later chose a different path. In 1979, he started working for gay rights in Jamaica. He was the first person to do this so openly. Jamaica was known for its widespread unfairness towards gay people. This attitude was common everywhere. Some popular Jamaican musicians even sang songs that encouraged harm against gay men.
Fighting for Fairness
At first, Williamson offered his apartment in Kingston. It was a safe place where gay Jamaicans could meet. They gathered there about every two weeks. In the early 1990s, he bought a bigger building on Haughton Street in New Kingston. He turned part of this building into a club. He called it Entourage. Many people who went to the club worked in foreign embassies in the city. The police tried to close the club. But it stayed open for two years. One day, Williamson was attacked by someone at the club. He was hurt during this attack.
A Lasting Legacy
After his death, the Jamaica Observer newspaper called Williamson "Jamaica's most important gay rights activist." The BBC and The Independent also called him the country's "best-known gay rights activist." Gary Younge from The Guardian said he was "the public face of gay rights in the country."
Tony Hadn, a volunteer for J-FLAG, said Williamson was "so brave." He added, "He never stopped to think, 'oh, I might get in trouble for this,' so in that sense he was very selfless." Gareth Williams took over as J-FLAG's leader. He told reporters that Williamson "was the only openly gay person in Jamaica. He had the courage to show his face on television. I was very close to him... His murder was a truly sad loss for our community." One J-FLAG member even said that "Brian Williamson is our Martin Luther King." Four days later, J-FLAG held a memorial for Williamson. Nearly two hundred people attended. The memorial included personal stories, poetry slams, and singing along to Whitney Houston songs.
Images for kids
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Williamson in an undated photograph
See also
- LGBT rights in Jamaica
- Lenford Harvey
- Murder of Dwayne Jones
