Caribbean IRN Blog

CENESEX Cuba image from Struggle La Lucha blog     Our thoughts are with all citizens affected by Hurricane Beryl.     All gorgeous gender s  The Dominica High Court has decriminalized consensual same-sex relations as the Government says the ban on buggery has not been lifted if the act is without consent. Daryll Phillip shares about the rest of the fight for liberation. Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago are the former British colonies who have since decriminalised consensual same-sex relations. The Barbados LGBTQ+ Coalition writes about the concerns for legal protectio ns as Barbados engages in the constitutional reform process.    CAISO publishes its report Insights 2023 speaking about the experiences of discrimination and violence in Trinidad & Tobago.      Gabriele Hosein writes on Discrimination against Transgender citizens in her Newsday column and Newsda...

 Spiritual Work  "Spiritual work, 100% guaranteed .gay lovers togetherness.. lesbians together .." is advertised in the Sunday Chronicle in Guyana in the Spirituality section.   The healer though probably needs to help the Government of Guyana as the United Nations Human Rights Committee recommends among other things that : "Adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that explicitly addresses all spheres of life and prohibits direct, indirect, and intersectional discrimination on all grounds including race, ethnicity, age, nationality, religion, migration status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and ensure access to effective and appropriate remedies for victims of discrimination; Combat violence and discrimination against persons based on their sexual orientation and gender identity and ensure that offences motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, or real or perceived gender identity are investigated promptly and establish specifi...

Extract from "Copies or Extracts of Despatches relating to Chinese Immigrants recently introduced into the colonies of British Guiana and Trinidad - c1853 "   Lashes.. There are references to "unnatural intercourse" and 'unnatural crime" on board the ship Samuel Boddington coming from China to Demerara in 1853. The crime was punished by lashes and "pitching" . Punishments were meted out to Nabi Baksh and Mohangoo in 1898 as part of the colonial justice. The Caribbean is referenced in a report by the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal Borloz who " explores the impact of colonialism and decolonization on the continued formation and perpetuation of harmful social mores associated with sexual orientation and gender identity, and how these relate to the enjoyment of human rights." Jamaican activist Maurice Tomlinson  writes his resignat...

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 e...

  Antigua and Barbuda Orden David and Women against Rape challenged the constitutionality of the laws which criminalised homosexuality in Antigua and Barbuda. The  Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the High Court of Justice ruled the laws unconstitutional. SASOD in Guyana claimed this a s a victory for all Caribbean people. CariFLAGS also welcomed the ruling, as did ECADE .  The Caribbean Observatory on Sexual and Reproductive Health a nd Rights also praised the judgement.   Citizenship In Cuba, a September Referendum on the new Family Code would be done to get the 'people's decision' on  same-sex marriage and  adoption by LGBTIQ+ families among other things. In the BVI , the BVI Christian Council lost their appeal in dealing with a same-sex marriage case. The Montserrat Christian Council said they oppose same sex marriage as the UK tries to make it legal in the overseas territories. A gender neutral person Natino Thompson questions Bahamas' Prime Mini...

Loss Brandy Rodriguez President of the Trinidad and Tobago Transgender Coalition died and activist groups remembered her work on HIV/AIDS and on dealing with other forms of discrimination .   Republics and homophobic laws Barbados became a Republic on 30 November2021 and activists expect that the colonial laws could be removed. Article 1 of the The Charter of Barbados which was debated in Parliamen t stated that "All Barbadians are born free and are equal in human dignity and rights regardless of age, race, ethnicity, faith, class, cultural and educational background, ability, sex, gender or sexual orientation." Barbados joins Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago as Caribbean Republics evolving from the British Empire. Guyana proudly maintained its anti-sodomy laws as part of its Republican status, Jason Jones was successful in his challenge to the Trinidad & Tobago Republican anti-sodomy laws. The Jamaican Minister of Health and Wellness called for an end to anti-LGBT di...

  We are wired to love.. "..we're wired to love" Colin Robinson shared in one of his many discussions on love. Colin Robinson - activist, poet, hopeful citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and the world died on March 4 2021.  Andil Gosine wrote his memorial column in Newsday TT. Gabrielle Hoosein also writes about Colin and his activism. Friends and family also shared L oving memories in a Life Portrait and Libation event which has been recorded on the CAISO TT Facebook page In Guyana, Namela Baynes-Henry died on March 25 2021. Namela worked in the media, a nd was also a strong ally and activist for LGBTIQ+ equality and in responding to HIV/AIDS.  She was a member of the Board of Trustees of SASOD . Rights and Politics The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights publishes its decision on the petition brought by Gareth Henry and Simone Edwards. The decision calls on Jamaica to repeal its sodomy laws.   Tina Brown and "Sean" who fled Jamaica ...

  Loss The LGBTIQ++ community in Trinidad & Tobago mourned the loss of Anthony Medina  who as CAISO noted "made indelible contributions to LGBTI community and dress-up culture in T&T," Launch of the Digital Archive of the Jamaica Gaily News  The Jamaica Gaily News (JGN) was the publication of the first gay activist organization in the anglophone Caribbean, the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) in Jamaica.   The Caribbean IRN is pleased to have added the JGN collection of the 82 issues to the GFM archive on the Digital Library of the Caribbean.  The Launch event was held virtually on Friday 20 November, 2020 and featured a panel reflecting on this moment in Jamaica’s history.  The panelists were :- Vidyaratha Kisson – Coordinator, Caribbean International Resource Network Larry Chang – Co-Founder of GFM and JGN Editor Donna Smith – GFM member and JGN columnist Glen McDaniel – GFM member and JGN columnist Jennifer Ffrench-Parker – Jamaican journalist Mo...

Message from Jamaica Gaily News Law In Barbados, there is talk that Barbados will recognise same-sex marriage as they relinquish the Queen. They seem to want to do this without decriminalizing sodomy. However, the Anglicans ,  Methodists and others were against it. Alexa Hoffman files a transgender discrimination case against the Government. The Jamaica Gleaner refers to Barbados in its Editorial : Conversations needed about the Buggery Law , even as " TVJ wins court battle against Gay Activist " . The Jamaica Observer seems to agree about the time to deal with Thorny Issues.  However the majority of Jamaicans in a poll want to keep the anti-sodomy laws. In Cayman Islands, a law allowing same-sex parternships comes into place. In Cayman , activists come under threat from an online group , even as the Police Commissioner does not seem to take the threats seriously. In Guyana,  SASOD launches a campaign a gainst cyber-bullying.   Just before the UNC lost ...

Screen shot of  Map of Caribbean LGBTIQ+ organisations Dying, Living Colin Robinson writes about Learning to Die about the pain of cancer and dying from it.  Newsday in Trinidad shares Colin 'In his own words ' and Doing the work of memory. The  Being LGBTI in the Caribbean  project shares voices of LGBTI citizens from the Caribbean. Queer Caribbean students in the USA share their perspective Dominica goes to the UN to defend its anti-buggery laws . In Belize , L GBT advocates call for an investigation into the death of Ulysease Roca   , claiming that police brutality resulted in the death. A gay celebrity praises Belize as a tourist destination. Angelique V. Nixon connects the B lack Lives Matter movement to the Caribbean movements for justice and equality. Caleb Orozco notes that Giving up i s not an Option! In Barbados, Alexa Hoffman talks about a regional approach to decriminalising homosexuality. In Cuba, Mariela Castro rep...

Politics In Jamaica, the People's National Party affirmed " its commitment to non-discrimination based on class, colour, creed or sexual orientation, " as it apologised for the homopohobic comments against MP of the Jamaica Labour Party. There was public outrage at the homophobic attacks. In Cayman Islands, MLA  Anthony Eden says that natural disasters and diseases are warnings over the gay lifestyle. In Guyana, the rainbow spreads over Elections 2020 as SASOD presents its LGBTQ Manifesto to the political parties. The agenda does not have anything like "Make Guyana Gay" or "destroy the family" and so most of the parties contesting the elections attend a Town Hall meeting organised by SASOD. The parties  presented a spectrum of positions on LGBTQ+ rights ranging from uncertainty and need for 'public consultation' to outright support . One party Peoples Republic Party is contesting with a manifesto which states "It...