Will Dominica be the first to repeal their homophobic laws? Baroness Scotland who was born in Dominica and is Commonwealth Secretary General designate has vowed to talk about decriminalisation of homosexuality in Commonwealth states. It seems she will talk everywhere except at the heads of government meetings which 'need consensus' for the agendas.
In Bermuda, the Supreme Court ruled that those in same-sex partnerships with Bermudans had the same residence rights as spouses of Bermudans even as the opponents of same-sex marriage target the island. This ruling seems to have the potential of equality, more than the one in Guyana where the ruling on the 'cross dressing laws' did not prevent police from charging Nicholas Kissoon for cross dressing.
Trinidad & Tobago Parliamentarians were caught up in a bacchanal about homophobic insults. The Jamaica Observer editorialised about the homophobic comments of the Minister of Justice.
Caribbean HIV/AIDS Legal Network with United & Strong, CARIFLAGS and other organisations continued the LGBTI Sensitivity Training with the police in Grenada and in Antigua & Barbuda. The Jamaican Constabulary Force also did Diversity Training aimed at "..the safety and security of women and girls, persons living with disabilities, marginalised youth, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or Transgendered (LGBT) community".
The first Montego Bay Pride in Jamaica was held on 25 October.
In Suriname, the Vereniging van Surinaamse Bedrijfsleven (VSB) (Association of Suriname Businesses) joins with Coming Out Week and publicly supports "in a symbolic marriage contract" the calls for non discrimination.
SASOD releases the video Guyana Transgender Visibility which shows the range of experiences of transgender citizens in Guyana.
SAVE CAISO's HOUSE -
"CAISO in coalition with groups like the Women's Caucus of Trinidad & Tobago and Friends for Life use this lovely house in Belmont, Trinidad. It’s a space for LGBTI communities to find each other, strategize, access information, support, advocacy or counselling, shop at our pride market, watch movies together, and celebrate birthdays. Help us keep our doors open, lights on, and activities running, now and into the future, by donating however much you can. Every dollar counts and brings us closer to that goal." Donate via the Youcaring campaign.
Helen Klonaris from the Bahamas is co-editor of Writing the Walls Down.
Writing the Walls Down explores the physical and metaphorical significance of walls within LGBT communities. What stories do city walls, border walls, prison walls have to tell us? What stories are stuck inside bedroom walls, kitchen walls, and the walls that separate neighbors from each other? How do these walls mirror the ones we learned to build inside our bodies? And what have been the consequences? Over 45 international writers and artists reflect on these questions and more in this groundbreaking anthology.
Here is some advance praise for Writing the Walls Down:
"This collection of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and visual art crackles with urgency, emotion and intelligence. It bursts forth from the pressurized isolation created by assumptions and ignorance, ushering into the world transformative stories that are vital to our survival." -Jewelle Gomez, author of The Gilda Stories
"The texts included in this fierce, beautiful weave of LGBTQ texts (groundbreaking in many ways, including in the rich inclusion of Arab and Indigenous contributors) speak, shout, and sing past the different kinds of walls that imprison, exclude, and alienate, whether personal, societal, economic, religious, geographical, or political. Challenging barricades ranging from class to homophobia to anti-queer violence to Israel’s apartheid wall to the US-Mexico exclusionary border, these writers celebrate bodies and spirits both broken and sacred, reclaim healing and wholeness, and map the way toward new definitions of home." -Lisa Suhair Majaj, author of Geographies of Light"Bravo, Amir Rabiyah and Helen Klonaris, for curating such an extraordinary community in the pages of Writing the Walls Down. What rises up is a chorus of poetry, story, and testimony that substantiates our varied queer experiences. Anyone who enters here will not feel isolated or alone because this book is an invitation into the heart of the powerful, life-saving word–a crucial place where many of us find our kindred spirit, our blessed haven, our tribe, our home." -Rigoberto González, author Unpeopled Eden
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