Caribbean IRN Blog

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...

Guyana Trans United leads March for Transgender Visibility - 31st March, 2019 , Georgetown, Guyana "Transgender rights are human rights" the marchers called as they walked past the Brickdam Police Station where many transwomen had been locked up , and passed the courts where transwomen were told to find God or asked to leave the court room. "I thought the Cathedral was a bar" one young transwoman who did not visit Georgetown regularly said as the marchers walked through the area around St George's Cathedral, in Guyana. Some Church people in Trinidad & Tobago object though, as the Church Council and Rebuild TT say that LGBTI people do not deserve human rights.  This all started when a politician, Bhoe Tewarie told religious groups to accept LGBT citizens. Politicians across the Caribbean seem to be coming out in support of their LGBT constituents. In St Kitts & Nevis, a young person asks Ministers about LGBT rights, and the Ministers said tha...

Pride In Guyana, the Judicial Service Commission responds to the complaint of Guyana Trans United about the behaviour of Magistrate Dylon Bess . Magistrate Bess had discriminated against Petronella and Twinkle Bissoon, two transgender citizens by excluding them from his courtroom on separate occasions.    In the response , the Judicial Service Commission said that there was a denial of access to justice and that Magistrate Bess agreed with the Commission. SASOD congratulates the Government of Guyana on their support of an OAS resolution which condemned discrimination against LGBTI citizens. The Government of Guyana might not have intended to say they will be having a referendum on removing of the buggery laws. Jamaica t hough affirms that they will only be changing the buggery laws by referendum. St Lucia's United and Strong get to meet their Minister of Foreign Affairs in advance of the OAS resolution on LGBTI rights. "Antiman" politics A Jamaican ...

Image from Guyana Chronicle Guyana's Minister of Social Protection , Ms Volda Lawrence called for Inclusion of LGBT  while addressing participants at a cocktail reception. She has subsequently come under fire for not dealing with allegations of child abuse made against a colleague , and for making disparaging remarks about the persons who made the accusations. Magistrate Dylon Bess though, did not heed Minister Lawrences' call and  refused to allow Twinkle access to his courtroom, in defiance of the court judgement on the cross dressing laws. The Guyana Trans United protested the discrimination. The A ppeal on the decision is to be heard. In Bermuda, t he Rainbow Alliance has opposed the announcement by the Government to have a referendum on Marriage Equalit y. They noted that the campaigns for the referendum will intensify the homophobia in the society. In Barbados,  the Minister of Labour t, Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo  was firm that the Bajan Government wa...

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...

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 ...

Image from  http://www.thecubanhistory.com/  : IDAHO march in Cuba  Cuba voted Yes along with 24 other countries  of the UN Human Rights Council  in favour of a resolution against homophobic violence and discrimination. Guyana's neighbours, Venezuela and Brazil also voted in favour of the resolution. Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Kamla Persaud-Bissessar indicated that it was not legally possible  to deal with gay rights. This revelation generated responses from activists and organisations  including CAISO and included comments from the  the Inter-Religious Organisation  and the Catholic Church . This post on Global Voices describes the reactions. In Jamaica, Father Sean Major-Campbell of the Anglican Church writes about the criminalisation of sex. In Trinidad & Tobago, the TT Film Festival awarded  its inaugural Amnesty International Human Rights Prize to the Abominable Crime. The film is desc...

Didi Winston (Picture taken from Barbados Nation) A conversation on Facebook leads to a brutal attack on Akil Thomas in Trinidad & Tobago who said his belief in God kept him alive even as his attacker asked him first if he believed in God. In Jamaica, it is reported that 2 5,000 God fearing Jamaicans said "NO TO THE HOMO AGENDA" In  Guyana, the Chairman of the Inter-Religious Organisation, Pastor McGarell says 'gays should go live on an island  by themselves", sentiments supported by the God fearing Junior Minister of Finance, Juan Edghill . However, there have been responses to some of the beliefs. In Guyana, Swami Aksharananda rejects Pastor McGarrell's assertions  while veteran Trade Unionist Lincoln Lewis cautions that Guyana is not a theocracy . In Barbados, Didi Winston  protests her treatment at the Pricesmart , and the Barbados Nation writes about  her story  .   Reverend Clifford Hall responding to the criticisms of the repo...

May started with the news that Jamaican "homosexual activist" Maurice Tomlinson was given leave from the Caribbean Court of Justice to challenge the Immigration Laws of Belize a nd Trinidad & Tobago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCGYkIGzQbM May 17th was International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. There was a week of activities in Cuba for its Seventh Campaign Against Homophobia . Photo taken from UNDP Latin America In Guyana, SASOD lauched its Cine Campaign and facilitated the 'Selfie Expression' campaign. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxw0PbL-Ws0 In Trinidad, activists picketed the Parliament and the British High Commission lowered the Union Jack and raised the Rainbow Flag. From the Trinidad Expres s Amin Flood from United & Strong in St Lucia calls for an end to discrimination . http://youtu.be/vrDil1uFVKw While the laws might not be changing, there are some small things happening. In Trinidad, a young...

In Belize, Vanessa, a transgender woman is stoned by a mob as is reported in this news report.   UNIBAM writes about the  connection between religion and politics and discrimination  against LGBT, UNIBAM also  challenged the Government of Belize at the IACHR hearing.   Civil society organisations from Jamaica also spoke to the IACHR hearing of the lack of action of the Jamaican Government to different abuses against LGBT. However, the Government has been talking. The Leader of the Opposition of Jamaica asked for a R eferendum on the laws against buggery and ganja. In cross talk with she said that she asked a Minister to meet with the LGBT community. Meanwhile, the Minister responsible for youth said her ministry would be developing programmes for LGBT youth. The Jamaican Minister of Health notes that cultural and religious beliefs drive stigma and discrimination with respect to HIV & AIDS , while no reports are made about what he plans to do ...

Public debate  In the Bahamas, the Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell makes statements about aid a nd LGBT equality even as the Nassau Guardian reports that  Gays recall fears of living in the Bahamas In Belize, UNIBAM writes about How Self censorship, threats and negotiations undermine rights. In Trinidad & Tobago, the discussions on Constitutional Reform included the debate about gay rights in the constitution.  Colin Robinson from CAISO was able to explain in a TV programme.   Colin Robinson - CAISO - on Constitutional Reform from globewriter on Vimeo . Colin Robinson also wrote in the Guardian about Rights, Child Molesters and the Constitution . In Trinidad as well, the Vatican Representative urged Catholics to shun the gay debate even as a Catholic priest Father Stephen Geofroy urges that T&T must enshrine BASIC dignity of all human beings   .  Trinidadian artist Leroy Clarke makes some comments about how Homosexuality Fuels C...