Caribbean IRN Blog

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...

L - Image from BBC News , R - Image from Nation News Barbados Pride in the Caribbean Police arrested LGBT Cubans who decided to march against homophobia , after the Cuban government cancelled the IDAHOBIT  March. The organising committee though said the other activities in academic spaces would continue. NOW Grenada features GrenChap on the 17 May. In Guyana, the pride events and the Pride parade  went ahead without any challenges. While t he Trump administration might be seen to answering the prayers of some Caribbean Christian leaders to save them from gay marriage ,  the US Embassy in Belmopan, Belize held a Pride Month celebration .  In Guyana, the US Ambassador spoke at a IDAHOBIT cocktail. Guyana's Pride celebrations are part of  an article about Global Pride events .  Vogue features Zeleca Julien from Trinidad&Tobago as one of the "LGBTQ voices around the world which would not be silenced."  Jamaica born Stacey Ann Chin is...

Left : Cropped image of Mariela Castro in IDAHOT 2017 via Ontop mag, Right : Cropped Image from Bermuda via Caribbean 360 Colin Robinson writes from Trinidad to Guyana to hold out faith  in the leaders and citizens will reject the idea of a referendum to 'legalise homosexuality'. The Attorney General of Guyana and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana had talked about the Government's reluctance to 'legalise homosexuality' In Guyana, the Anglican Diocese convenes its Human Rights & Social Justice Commission which is expected to "work assiduously to confront social issues .. such as discrimination (racial, against persons living with disabilities, sexual orientation and gender identity and torture) ..." A gay  Canadian couple get engaged in Antigua where 'homosexuality is still illegal', while in the Bahamas a gay tourists man is attacked at Junkanoo.  Bermuda will will a llow same sex marriage , after a case which was initiat...

(Left - Curaçao  Pride Walk 2016 image from Curaçao Chronicle ; Right -Coming Out Week Suriname by Regilio Derby on  Dagbland Suriname   "We are all God's Children' is the headline given to a letter from Retired Ugandan Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo  appealing for religious people to recognise diversity in human sexuality. He had joined in the celebration of   Montego Bay Pride Curaçao Pride was described as a great succe ss, with a series of events including a huge Pride Walk. Suriname's Coming Out Week was also described as a success. In Dominica, Opposition Senator Isaac Baptiste calls for decriminalization of buggery (while also appearing to oppose the criminalization of marital rape). The Government of Belize decides to appeal the judgement in Orozco vs A.G of Belize   on two grounds while in Guyana , the hearing on the cross dressing appeal has been delayed. Grenadians are reassured that  there will be no same-sex...

Picture from the Royal Gazette  "    Pro same sex marriage supporters and preserve marriage demonstrators both make their options know on the grounds of Cabinet building ( Photograph David Skinner)" Laws.. Bermuda held a referendum on marriage equality , with the majority of people who voted saying no to same-sex marriage. Among the people voting yes though was Sir John Swan , former premier and Bermuda's 2016 National Hero. His support seems to be shared by the President of the Bahamian Court of Appeal, Dame Nita Allen . Bahamas had a referendum on gender equality, with "No" votes being cast by those fearing same-sex marriage among other things. LGBT Activist Erin Greene explains the exclusion o f intersex Bahamians from the proposed amendments. The Caribbean Court of Justice delivers its judgement in the challenge of the homophobic immigration laws  brought by Maurice T omlinson against Belize and Trinidad & Tobago. Maurice Tomlinson refl...

Will Dominica be the first to repeal their homophobic laws? Baroness Scotland who was born in Dominica and is Commonwealth Secretary General d esignate 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. Caribbe...

Photo by Maurice Tomlinson - Barbados Stand for Equality - 19 August, 2015 from http://stpaulsfdr.org/Media_Blog/index.html Activist Colin Robinson asked What do LGBTI voters have to vote for?  in Trinidad & Tobago's recent elections. Blogger Brandon O'Brien wrote about the " The State of The Division: LGBT Rights in Trinidad and Tobago, As It Stands Today " which gives a history of the ambiguity and ambivalence (not the fascinating sexual kind) of LGBTI talk in Trinidad & Tobago.  The People's Partnership's 2015 Manifesto, like the ones of the APNU+AFC Coalition and the PPP/C in Guyana's May 2015 elections, included a key principle about not discriminating on the grounds of sexual orientation.  The Allies for Justice & Diversity put up a manifesto  J owelle De Souza, a transgender citizen ran for a seat in her constituency as an independent candidate. New Prime Minister Keith Rowley had said , on LGBTI rights, that he was not prepar...

Image from  https://blackatlanticresource.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/noctambules-the-hidden-transcripts/ In Guyana, two men kill Noel Nephi Luthers . The police have the pictures of the killers but there have been no arrests. Thin Slice talks about her relationship with Samuel Bristol who went on a murderous rampage in July 2014. In Barbados, Darcy Dear from UGLAB talks about gay bashing. The Trinidad Guardian writes about being ' Transgender in T&T ', and Alessandra Hereman's story from Guyana is told in a  Voices of Youth   blog. In Belize, a man is charged for assaulti ng Caleb Orozco. July began with the CARICOM Heads of Government dealing with a petition to preserve Caribbean families  and to resist pressure from foreign governments and so on. CARIFLAGS also wrote to ask the Governments to ensure that Caribbean LGBT citizens are ensured of the protection of their rights , same as any other citizen. The UN Secretary General also talks ...

Pride Flag at Big Black Box formerly Bohemia, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, TT Image from Shane McCutcheon Kaieteur News in Guyana recognises gay citzenship in an editorial  calling for Divine Intervention in Guyana saying that "Let the familiar adage of “one hand washes the other” continue to ring true. Gay man, straight man, every man, every woman and child from every race or ethnicity; let us unite like we do in times of disaster and pray for our leaders to lead the country in the right path. " Caribbean newspapers wrote editorials related to the Same Sex marriage ruling in the USA.  The Jamaica Gleaner wrote A Matter of Fundamental Rights , In Trinidad & Tobago, The TT Express talked about The Right to Be Gay  and the TT Guardia n was more measured. Guyana Times  seems to lament that "The debate in Guyana on LGBT rights has lagged." as activists and advocates and others called fo r Visibility and Inclusivity on LGBT issue s. Other Caribbean...