Light from the City upon a HIll - Caribbean IRN Update March 2017

News broke in 2017 of a letter written by 289 Christians to President Donald Trump to shine a moral beam from the City Upon a Hill.  Activists in St Maarten, St Lucia, Guyana and the Bahamas have commented on the letter. The Caribbean is probably sunny and bright enough.


Another kind of American interest though, seems to be countering the Pastors as American tourists are said to be 'improving queer life' in Cuba.
 Tasheka Lavan mourns her birth place Antigua while on a visit to Cuba.

Transit Havana is a film about gender reassignment in Cuba.

In Jamaica, the LGBT citizens are assured of the support of the Canadian Government though Pride walking Prime Minister Trudeau knows that advancing LGBT rights in the Commonwealth is a 'delicate task'.  "This is Who I am" is another film about being LGBT in Jamaica.
Dancehall and Gay bashing   seem to inspire some International stars according to the Jamaica Observer.

Jamaica was also the venue for the LGBT Beyond Homophobia conference. Check UWITV Video.

In Trinidad & Tobago , Jason Jones explains his constitutional challenge to the buggery laws.

#KeepSafe is the campaign launched by the Alliance for Justice and Diversity, - a group of feminist and LGBTI groups. According to Colin Robinson  "Instead of panic, fear and victimhood, we are calling for people to increase our responsibility and vigilance, to take more loving care of each other, and to ensure each other’s protection.”

Telling the Caribbean story

ECADE asks international media to check with Caribbean groups for fact checking when they portray LGBT life in the Cairbbean.
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The BBC has a series - Writing  a New Caribbean - featuring writers from the (Anglo) Caribbean (excluding Guyana ).

The writers  include Colin Robinson, Marlon James and others who have written about LGBT subjects.

Martin Boyce shares a free Kindle version of his book "My Sisters' Voice : Short stories by a Bajan Buller Man Volume 1 "

A new Caribbean without the light from Donald Trump's City might still be possible!

The #LifeinLeggings Marches were organised around International Women's Day 2017 included calls for rights for LBT women. Guyana Trans United and others participated in Guyana, BGLAD in Barbados, and "supporters' in Trinidad & Tobago. The Jamaica march was organised by Latoya Nugent who is an LGBT activist.

In Barbados, the Youth Parliament was expected to discuss LGBT issues . The PM, Roshanna Trim resigned after the resolution was changed at the last minute. In Barbados as well,  sixteen officers from the Royal Barbados Police participated in a training course on human rights and LGBT citizens.

The Dominican Republic was the venue for a conference “LGBTI Political Leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean”

The Conference was organised by the Victory Institute Diversidad Dominicana , Caribe Afirmativo and other partners. The Conference was addressed by the Minister of Womens Janet Camilo. She reportedly said “"Quiero ver muchos miembros de la comunidad LGTBI siendo regidores, diputados y alcaldes y llegará un momento que podrán ser presidentes, aquí y en el mundo", (Trans : "I want to see many members of the LGTBI community being regional leaders, deputies and mayors and there will come a time that they will be able to be presidents, here and in the world”

Shining a different light from the one the Pastors are seeking.