AIDS Activist Slain in Apparent Hate Crime

AIDS Activist Slain in Apparent Hate Crime

NBJC mourns the loss of Steve Harvey, a fearless activist and educator.  Harvey,of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JAS), was attacked by unidentified men armed with guns after they raided his house on November 30, 2005.

Harvey, 30, was found dead early in the morning of November 30. According to Jamaican police, at least four assailants forced their way into Harvey's home when he returned from work around 1 a.m. They tied up Harvey and his two roommates, stole a number of their possessions, and abducted Harvey in the company car. Harvey was found with gunshot wounds in his back and head in a rural area miles from his home.  
 
For more than a decade, Harvey was a leader in the struggle to defend the health and human rights of people living with and at high risk of HIV/AIDS. He worked with Jamaica AIDS Support since 1997, and represented the interests of marginalized people and people living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica and throughout the region.  

Harvey was believed to be victimized by the prevailing homophobic violence in Jamaica, a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world. The country has seen 1,383 murders in 2005 alone, with a population of only 2.7 million people. Gun violence is particularly common.

In Jamaica, homosexuality is illegal. Men convicted of homosexual activity are subjected to ten years’ imprisonment with hard labor.

JAS, founded in 1991, is Jamaica’s oldest and largest AIDS, human rights, non-government organization. In JAS’s mission statement, the group states that it helps in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS by providing education.  More specifically, in countering homophobia, it pledges its commitment to "promote changes in attitudes and behaviors and empower persons to respond positively to the challenges." And it does not "discriminate against persons because of color, race, disability, gender, class, sexual orientation, age or religious belief."

“Steve Harvey's life was tragically cut short because of ignorance and fear. As long as society continues to devalue the lives of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, lives will be lost,”  said H. Alexander Robinson, CEO and Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “We honor Steve Harvey for his bravery and it is in his name and the names of all those who have gone before him that we will continue to demand fairness for our families and equal rights and justice for all people."

Harvey’s contribution to HIV/AIDS outreach could be seen through his efforts as Jamaica’s representative to the Latin America and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organizations. He was also a registered delegate to the People’s National Party conference in Jamaica.


An estimated 1.5 percent of Jamaicans are living with HIV/AIDS. Although two thirds of HIV transmission is through heterosexual sex, many people still blame gay men for spreading the virus.