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| L: Cartoon Kaieteur News, 3 June, 2018; R Extract from Judgement in Jason Jones vs AG of Trinidad and Tobago and others |
Judgement
On 12 April, 2018 Trinidad & Tobago, Justice Devindra Rampersad ruled in favour of Jason Jones in declaring that the country's sodomy laws are unconstitutional.. The case and the judgement saw protests and counter-protests. Writer Monique Roffey reflects on the circumstances of case, and describes the win in Trinidad and Tobago as "A Win against Homophobia in the Caribbean".
There has been backlash as some persons have been fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes.
Three Barbadians petition the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights against the 'buggery laws' in Barbados. The Democratic Labour Party had protested gay marriage as part of their campaign, but it seems the Barbados electorate rejected them entirely, and Barbados got its first woman Prime Minister who didn't really say much about LGBTQ rights .
In Bermuda, the Supreme Court upholds same sex marriage. An article in the UK Independent explains how the refusal of the Cayman Islands to recognise same-sex marriages could break up families. Chantelle Day plans to take the matter to court.
Pride
In Trinidad, Calypsonian David Rudder says that LGBT rights are human rights. In Guyana, General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress calls for LGBT citizens to use their votes to scrap discriminatory laws. Votes come up again as leaders of the Christian community also say they will use their votes if the Government did not do something about the gay pride parade.
The Gay Pride parade was a success, though, with the only hitch being being "After a one-hour delay, caused by a last minute cancellation from the scheduled party truck, the procession moved off.
The replacement truck, which had been having problems with the sound system, blasted Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming out” and the revelry was in full swing."
Did God try some kind of compromise? While prayers can't stop a gay pride, the lack of music, would definitely affect it..
Video
SASOD in Guyana asks Government for a social contract as it celebrates its 15th Anniversary.
Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute publishes the report "Trapped : Cycles of Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons in Guyana
In Cuba, Cubans for the annual Pride/IDAHOT parade.
In Guyana, it seems that Christianity is as diverse as sexual orientation and gender identity, as the Anglican Bishop of Guyana, Charles Davidson, calls for a repeal of the discriminatory laws against LGBT citizens. In Barbados, an Anglican priest Noel Burke issues similar support for the LGBT community. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Trinidad & Tobago also does not believe buggery should be illegal|
In Trinidad, LGBT+ citizens cleaned up litter and sang hymns as anti-gay activists marched.The Trinidad pride would be held at the end of June.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he is willing to appoint gay Ministers. He said this in Brussels Belgium. This statement didn't seem to make as much news as Bruce Golding's 'No gays in my Cabinet' statement a few years ago, as people except talk to be followed by real action. He follows Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who had made similar affirmations. One of her colleague Senators remembers the circumstances.
Prime Minister Timothy Harris of St Kitts and Nevis says No to Buggery (though nothing about gays in his cabinet ).
The Gay Pride in Guyana inspired the newspaper cartoonists
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| Kaieteur News - 3 June, 2018 |
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| Stabroek News 4 June, 2018 |
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| Stabroek News 5 June, 2018 |
Writing and other creativity..
Peter Reginald Carr publishes "Reflections on the Life and work of Robert Peter Carr". According to the blurb "This book chronicles Robert’s journey from a compassionate young boy to one of the world’s leading human rights activists fighting against the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Backchat Port of Spain was a success, coming 20 years after the first every Caribbean LGBTQ literary reading.
Rosamond S King wins the 2018 Lammy (Lambda Literary Award) for Lesbian Poetry for her book Rock | Salt | Stone. Read an interview of Rosamond S King by Jacqueline Bishop in the Sunday Observer in Jamaica.
Check out Caribbean Queer Visualities : A Small Axe project for a multimedia presentation of creative works.
Caribbean Queer Visualities - A Small Axe Project
full catalogue david scott andil gosine vanessa agard-jones ebony g-patterson nadia ellis jean ulrick jerry philogene jorge pineda maja horn charl landvreugd rosamond king richard fung terri francis leosho johnson patricia j-saunders nadia huggins angelique nixon kareem mortimer roshini kempadoo ewan atkinson jafari s-allen afterword acknowledgements contributors
Don't forget to check our collection at Caribbean Sexualities – Love | Hope | Community – Sexualities & Social Justice in the Caribbean and share it with others.
The collection includes selected pieces from the Sargasso Print Edition, as well as special online features, including "Write It In Fire - Tributes to Michelle Cliff" (prose, poetry, visual and performance art).
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