By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Social Services introduced a diversity programme that is helping to prevent gay youth from being sent to juvenile detention centres because of their sexuality, according to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex advocate Alexus D'Marco.

However, for some, like 41-year-old Berkitt Knowles, the trauma of once being held in a correctional institution because of one’s sexuality still lingers.

D'Marco and Mr Knowles spoke to The Tribune after the United States, in its latest human rights report, reported a claim by non-governmental agencies that “self-identifying LGBTQI+ children were remanded to juvenile correctional facilities after their guardians deemed the children ‘uncontrollable’ based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression”.

Many were surprised by the claim.

Ms D'Marco said between 2015 and 2020, there were high reports of youth being placed in juvenile correctional facilities if they were perceived or known to be members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

However, she said, instances of this have waned.

“There has been an improvement within the Department of Social Services on diversity as human beings, so there has been an improvement as it relates to those children,” she said yesterday.

“They try to more protect those children now as opposed to in times past, putting them into the boys or girls industrial school if they notice or perceived LGBTQI.”

Mr Knowles, who identifies as a homosexual, said he grew up as a ward of the state from five until 22 years old.

He said he was a resident of a home in the 1990s when he was remanded to Simpson Penn Centre for Boys for about two years because of his sexuality.

He alleged that he was confined to a cell for three months and was only allowed to leave to shower.

Recalling his first day at the institution, he claimed: “The person who was in charge at that time, he asked me if I was homosexual, and I took offence to it because at that time I didn’t understand what it was.

“Then when he started to break down and whatever, I was like, yes, and I was beaten right there on the first day. He took a cane, and they beat me right there in front of everyone.

“They asked me a question, and I answered and based on my answer, I was beaten, I was ridiculed, I was laughed at, and I was pointed at.

“I didn’t feel good at all, but I guess that was the norm at that time, like that’s what they did with homosexual young men at that time.”

Mr Knowles said in addition to the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys, he was sent to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre because “they thought maybe it was something wrong with me.”

“It did do a mental toll on me because I didn’t feel comfortable within myself,” he said.

“I thought I was a problem, so I removed myself away from the world for quite some time just so I could try to understand myself.”

He said the experiences remain vivid and that others in a similar position are too embarrassed to publicly share their story.