Here Comes the Sun: Deconstructed Student Essays

Nicole Dennis-Benn on Coming Out

Here, Dennis-Benn explains how she did not publicly come out until she left Jamaica and moved to New York. Because of the harsh societal and legal standards in place in Jamaica, she felt uncomfortable and unsafe publicly sharing her true self. Dennis-Benn explains how if she were to stay in Jamaica, she would have to remain closed off to the public about any relationship she had. Even if she could freely express herself within the comforts of her home, she would be unable to do so anywhere else on the island. Through this, in conjunction with the relationship between Margot and Verdene, neocolonialist values are contested. The true colors of those in power in Jamaica are exposed. Colonial renderings depict Jamaica as a place of leisure, luxury, and paradise. However, after hearing Dennis-Benn's first-hand stories of being on the island, the question of who the island is a paradise for is explored, and the idea that it is even a paradise is challenged. Based on Dennis-Benn's perspective, Jamaica is not a paradise for people who associate with the LGBTQ+ community. It is the exact opposite. The years of Colonial rule in Jamaica have instilled cruel neocolonial and puritanical beliefs into the society. Because of this, Jamaica is far from being a paradise for all and instead is only a paradise for people who align themselves with the practices put in place by colonial powers. Those who are not a part of the white cis-gendered heterosexual upper class of Jamaica will not find the island to be a paradise for themselves. This being said, through Dennis-Benn's brave actions of coming out and publicly speaking against the legal and social systems of Jamaica, the colonial renderings of island geographies are contested. (Shapiro)

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