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Pride - Caribbean IRN Update - May, June, July, August, September 2023

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Composite Image derived from Left - Cuba Conga 2023 Yamil Lage/AFP, Right - Barbados Pride from Barbados Today

 

Pride

A conga against homophobia and transphobia was held in Cuba in May 2023, returning for the first time since 2018. 


 

 Pride Month in June was commemorated by Pride Barbados, concluding in a march. 

The Guyana Pride Festival was held in June and included the Pride Parade.  

In July,  Pride Parade was held in Cayman Islands and in Martinique

Pride Trinidad and Tobago was celebrated in July. St Lucia Pride Week was held in August for the fifth time.

Pride Week in Belize was held in August., around the anniversary of the Court ruling which struck down the sodomy laws in Belize.

The theme for Bermuda Pride was 'Homecoming'.

Pride Ja was celebrated in August in Jamaica.  The Pride March in Guadelope had six persons.

 The US Embassy in Bahamas raised the Pride Flag, and US Vice-President Kamala Harris reportedly expressed support for activist Alexus D'marco. The  Pride Flag was also raised at the US Embassy in Belize. 

Pride in Curaçao.and Suriname will be held in October.

Jamaican musical legend Sizzla tells the US to keep the visa as he condemns the US Embassy in Jamaica for raising the Pride Flag, while Jamaican singer Pamputtae performed at the Toronto Pride Festival.


Laws

Jamaican activists expect that a break from the British monarchy should mean a change in the laws in Jamaica.

In Guyana, SASOD launches Guyana Together  to lobby for law reform for the LGBTQ community.

In Haiti, Djennifer Mercer talks about the exclusion of women from the LGBTQ rights space. 

In Barbados, a UNDP commission National LGBTI Survey, which reported among other things that "Roughly 55% of survey respondents do not believe that government officials support and protect LGBTQ+ people and very few feel protected under the Barbados Constitution and laws (6.6%). " 

Human Rights Watch reports on the bias that LGBTQ citizens in St Vincent and the Grenadines face.

The international media shares the story of Orden David who with ECADE and Women Against Rape successfully challenged the sodomy laws in Antigua & Barbuda

There is a  Call for Papers for Beyond Homophobia:Place Matters Conference in January 2024

 

Living

Trinidad  had controversy about books with LGBTQ characters being sold at RIK Book Services.Newsday TT reports that Trinidadian Rhian Guerro was a finalist in the Mr Gay Great britain competition

In Dominican Republic, LGBT rights activist Juanjo Cid is running for an elected post as a councillor.

Rajiv Mohabir writes about himself as  'A Queer relearning Hindustani' in Story, the Indo Caribbean Association of Canada publication. Story also shares "Brittany Singh on Lesbian Visibility and leaving a Legacy"



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