Mother struggles with bisexual sons

A Kingston woman bared her soul in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday as she revealed her challenge in dealing with the fact that her two sons are bisexuals.

The emotional mother made the revelation after her 18-year-old son was brought before the court for robbery with aggravation.

"I have two sons and they are both bisexuals. I have a bigger son and he's bisexual and it is hard for me as a mother to deal with that, to cope with it," the mother said.

The court heard that her teen son, a cross-dresser, allegedly robbed a man in the New Kingston business district. It is alleged that on January 2, the complainant was driving along Ripon Road, then later Grenada Crescent in New Kingston, seeking services from prostitutes in the area. It is further alleged that a group of cross-dressers robbed the complainant of J$27,000 and US$50,000 (approximately J$7.8 million), an Alcatel cell phone and bank cards.

The teen was later identified as one of the cross-dressers and was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery with aggravation. However, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On a previous court hearing, prosecutors were informed by the mother that she was willing to have her son reside with her, should he be offered bail, but her relatives were not accepting of her son's sexual orientation.

"It was hard for me to come to court, but he's my son. I want him to come live with me, but my other family don't accept him lifestyle. He's mine and he treat me good out of the two of them," his despondent mother said yesterday.

Meanwhile, senior parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque urged the accused youth to "leave the streets".

"I have been a senior judge for the Corporate Area for the past seven years and I have seen members of the [LQBTQ] community come court as defendant and complainant with all type of scars over their body," she said.

"Some members of the community are very vicious and there are members out there who will mess you up. Me nuh think the road is for you," the senior jurist said.

Cole-Montaque urged the accused man to look in the mirror and decide whether he is comfortable with what he is seeing.

"Me not telling you who to go with, but I am telling you that the path you on, how you choosing to practise that path, is not right," the judge said.

The teen was offered bail in the sum of $150,000 with at least two sureties. He has been ordered to report to the police twice weekly. He was also made the subject of a daily curfew and is to reside with his mother in the Corporate Area.

The matter has been adjourned until April 19.