Proper purpose to be transgender, independence acknowledgement and kisses : Caribbean IRN Update September 2013

The judgement was handed down in the cross-dressing challenge in Guyana, ruling that the law only applied when cross-dressing was for 'improper purpose' The judge also ruled that the Magistrate did not do anything wrong in recommending Jesus to the litigants.  The litigants plan to appeal. The commentary in Guyana included an editorial in the Kaieteur News on the separation of church and state and an analysis from Dr Alissa Trotz in which she notes about the litigants

"Their advocacy asks us to consider whether the freedoms that some of us enjoy in the Caribbean are based on the unfreedom of others. Surely this is not the lesson to be learned from the struggles of our ancestors."

Dr Rosamond King wrote Trans in Guyana: Recognised but not Protected; Scott Long wrote  Decision on Guyana’s dress code: Teheran on the Caribbean and Se-shauna Wheatle gave a summary in the article Criminalising Cross-Dressing in Guyana: Quincy McEwan et al vs. Attorney General of Guyana

The full-text of the judgement is available on the Caribbean IRN collection at the Digital Library of the Caribbean

Political leadership and kisses

The political leadership of the Caribbean has been encountering LGBT equality. At the end of August 2013, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Denzil Douglas said that

" society needs to desist [from] the discrimination against homosexuals and should instead be understanding of their tendencies. " 

His colleague, Ralph Gonzalves , Prime Minister of St Vincent & the Grenadines however preferred to leave the discussion to the society, while willing to lead the discussions about medical marijuana.

In Belize, Prime Minister Dean Barrow addressed the issue of homosexuality in his Independence Day remarks.  He remarked that

"Above all else or, better put, including all else, Independence is about patriotism. So no Independence Day speech can be complete without a reflection on patriotism. And on this score I believe we are also in good shape. Indeed, in ways both ordinary and extraordinary, Belizean patriotism is always on show. And there are times when there is a great onrush, a great outpouring of that patriotism. One such was our Gold Cup football appearance. Belizeans went wild over the Jaguars; and the platitude that it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, took on a whole new meaning. It was, without a doubt, our Invictus moment.
Belizean patriotism has, of course, always been bound up with Belizean diversity. When we speak of unity in diversity we speak of the oneness, the solidarity, the surpassing fellow feeling that love of this country has produced among disparate ethnicities, disparate social groups.
Recently, however, a most unsettling phenomenon has arisen. A version of the culture wars has come to our country and it is souring the harmony and disrupting the rhythm of Belizean life. The golden knot that ties us all together, is in danger of coming loose. Now I do not wish to give offense to anyone on Independence Day. So what I say next is spoken not in anger or even in sorrow, but merely by way of exhortation. The diversity that we have hymned for so long must not now prove to be an empty trope, so much PR fluff. It must pass this latest test. In particular, we cannot afford for Government and the Churches to be at odds. The filigreed chain that links the two is a proud part of the national ornamentation, and it cannot be allowed to break. Government will therefore fully respect the right of the churches to propagate their understanding of the morality, or immorality, of homosexuality. But what Government cannot do is to shirk its duty to ensure that all citizens, without exception, enjoy the full protection of the law.
After all, the Belize Constitution that affirms the supremacy of God also affirms fundamental rights and the dignity of the individual human being.
That same Constitution further declares that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to non discrimination; to freedom from interference with their privacy; and to freedom from unlawful attacks on their honour and reputation.
There is, I submit, no logical inconsistency between these different tenets of our Constitution. And Government, the Churches and the Belizean polity must find a way to uphold all the principles of our foundation document. '

In Belize as well, the first reading of the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill , 2013 is read in the Parliament. The bill proposes changes to the law which deals with consensual same sex activities.

Meanwhile in Bermuda, the Deputy Mayor of Hamilton, Donal Smith, apologises for offensive remarks he made on a radio station where he talked about 'gays and lesbians and freaks'

The UN General Assembly in NYC was the occasion  for a Jamaica Anti-Homophobia Stand. The stand was organised to protest the Government inaction at the homophobic violence. Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on seeing the activists outside the Ford Foundation building, blew kisses at them.

Visibility

The issues of visibility are discussed in this episode of Air Me Now, especially how the issues related to same gender loving women.



In Dominica , Linden Shillingford tells his story. In Guyana, a journalist, Leon Suseran, comes out in the Stabroek News.

Guyanese Khemraj Persaud was selected as a representative of LGBT voices for the World Bank and IMF annual meetings.

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