Caribbean IRN Blog

(Snapshot of results of Jan 2026 Google Image search of Caribbean LGBTIQ)   Hurricane Melissa Recovery  Equality for all Foundation Jamaica and other  Caribbean LGBTIQ+groups mobilised to respond to the devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa.    Living and laws Equality for all Foundation launches its 'Queer Agenda' which does not include anything about making all Jamaicans gay. Jason Jones writes about the "dreaded “savings law clause” which preserves colonial homophobia in parts of the Caribbean  Guyanese businessman Harold Hopkinson talked about the personal impact of homophobic discrimination on his family as he called for change in legislation, and another businessman Omkaar Sharma also called for repeal of the anti-gay laws.   The Protected Areas Trust is responsible for oversight of Protected Areas in Guyana. The Gender Policy was adopted in 2025. The Policy recognises gender diversity beyond the binary, and that sexual orie...

 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...

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...

By Shivsharan Trasi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,       Laws and rights The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) and the Saint Kitts Nevis Alliance for Equality (SKNAFE) welcomed the ruling of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court on 29 August, 2022 which said that the buggery laws were unconstitutional.     In December 2022, the S upreme Court of the Republic of Barbados ruled that similar legal provisions were unconstitutional. The Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba ruled in favour of  same-sex marriage in Aruba and Curaçao,   Colours Caribbean in Cayman Islands says the UK Privy Council ' continues to enable the oppression of LGBTQIA+ people in the Caribbean by reversing progressive lower court decisions and upholding the enforceability and constitutionality of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in those states (most of which were themselves introduced by the UK)." But legislators in ...

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...

Image from article "Men in Dresses - and a village is divided," The Sunday Chronicle, Sept 5 1971. Charlot Jeudy, Haiti Charlot Jeudy, leader of Kouraj was found dead on November 25, 2019. "Men in dresses" "Men in dresses - and a village is divided" is an article in a 1971 article in the Sunday Chronicle in Guyana. The story tells of Anita the Iceberg, Miss Diamond, Shakira, Penny and Miss Viking Queen who lived in Grove village, East Coast Demerara. This article was reported on by Akola Thompson in her  column The Minority Report in Stabroek News. The title of the column is" Trans history and remembrance: Beyond the stereotypes "  Almost five decades later, in Jamaica, Renaè Green and Donique Givans from Transwave Jamaica tell their stories of dealing with discrimination .  Neish Maclean shares his story in the Jamaica Gleaner, and makes the front page of the Sunday Magazine. In Guyana,  the CCJ ruling struck down the cross-dre...

Second Photo (Guyana Trans United) - Protest in 2016 against the actions of Magistrate Dylon Bess Difference  In November, 2018 the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that the cross-dressing laws in Guyana were unconstitutiona l. After the appeal filed by Gulliver (Quincy) McEwan, Isabella (Seyon) Persaud, Angel (Seon) Clarke and Pheches (Joseph) Fraser and SASOD, Quincy McEwan explained the ruling in a TV interview Tracy Robinson and Arif Bulkan from the University of the West Indies reflected on the case during the seminar Modern Vagrancies, LGBTQI lives, Discrimination and Strategic Litigation in the Caribbean  . Caribbean Solidarity Network shared the video. Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that Guyana 'respects the ruling'. The ruling generated some regional responses. The Jamaica Gleaner  editorialised "Judicial Courage and the Buggery Law"  . In Trinidad & Tobago, Colin Robinson wrote about the CCJ being a 'small man court" , and Ga...

Top quote from "Barbados Pride combats nation's anti-LGBT hatred " , Bottom quote from " Chief Justice laments murder of Sasha Fierce, calls it a hate crime" Love The murder of Sasha Fierce generated hateful comments. There were responses of love from colleagues and friends , and a campaign #SayHerName . (Update : A man has been charged for her murder ) Newsday had an editorial "R IP Sasha Pierce.  "  Chief Justice Ivor Archie called for acceptance instead of tolerance   while lamenting the murder. Sasha Fierce was active in the campaign "Not a Straight Thing" by Friends4LifeTT. Citizenship In Barbados, a Christian youth group marched to reclaim the rainbow. LGBT citizens and allies did a counter protest. The ' Row over the rainbow colours " though seemed to end peacefully and prayerfully, according to  one of the counter-marchers, Luci Hammans, . Another Church leader said that Christians loved the sinners, not t...

Left - from Transmission Gallery, Right from Demerara Waves In Guyana, the Court of Appeal dismisses the appeal on the "cross-dressing" challenge . The same day   Magistrate Dylon Bess refuses entry to Petronella  (Ronel Trotman) - a transender complainant in an assault case - until "she dresses like a man". Petronella is subsequently locked out of the court when the case is dismissed.  All of this would mean more work for the Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton who has committed to leading the ant-discrimination law reform . There is no indication that the Minister would be facilitating meetings  to promote cohesion between the Magistrate Bess and the citizens who have been refused entry to the courtroom.  In Guyana also, SASOD has launched a campaign against anti-LGBT hate speech and music on radio. In Suriname, the Government has filed an appeal against the Court decision to recognise transgender Yvanna Hilton as a woman In Trinidad and...