Gay rights debate heats up in the Bahamas

(L-R) Bradley Roberts, Dr Myles Munroe and Hubert Chipman

The last time I looked at our neighbours to the north was a post on gay rights there called Bahamas backed gay rights, then in 2011 The Bahamas supported the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution passed that affirmed equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette.

The resolution, which narrowly passed in the council in Geneva, Switzerland, expressed “grave concern” about discrimination against gays throughout the world and affirmed that freedom to choose sexuality is a human right.

Then Miss Bahamas won the Miss Gay Caribbean pageant in the US last year as well as carried on Gay Jamaica Watch

are in order of appearance for 2013 Miss Gay Caribbean winner - Bahamas, 2nd Place - Puerto Rico, 3rd Place - Guyana.(left)

Now comes a major row with leaders there as carried in The Nassau Guardian:

By Travis Cartwright-Carroll
Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts on Monday defended Bahamas foreign affairs minister, Fred Mitchell, after Bahamas Faith Ministries International president Dr Myles Munroe called for the prime minister to replace him over recent comments he made in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.

“If Myles feels very strongly about it, he knows what he can do; he can go form a political party and he can try and win the government and he can try to attempt what he wants to change,” said Roberts when called for comment.

Munroe told The Guardian that he believes Mitchell does not “represent the majority of the convictions of the Bahamian people”.

In a recent speech he gave in Trinidad and Tobago, Mitchell said his political career has suffered because of his position on LGBT issues.

He also urged tolerance and spoke of the general rights of all people.

Munroe said Mitchell should keep his personal convictions to himself.

Former foreign affairs minister Brent Symonette said on Monday that when someone becomes a minister of the government, that person loses his or her personal opinions.

“A minister of foreign affairs should be very careful when expressing those views,” he said.

But Roberts said successive governments have endorsed the position taken by Mitchell.

“I don’t understand what the discontent is,” he said.

“We have signed on with all the accords and so forth with regard to that matter.

“It is quite clear. Some people may have different views on the matter but they are entitled to that opinion, as Myles is.

“You can’t kill someone for having a different opinion.

“As far as I am concerned it is a non issue.”

In 1998, then Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham lamented public vehemence to a gay cruise ship that was to dock in Nassau.

Ingraham said it is a right for people in a democratic society to expect to be respected by their government.

In 2011, then foreign affairs minister Symonette said that the government supported the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that affirmed rights for LGBT people.

Shadow minister of foreign affairs Hubert Chipman said on Monday that he has nothing against LGBT people.

Chipman previously told The Guardian the he did not think Mitchell should have shared his views on LGBT issues while on the public dime.

Mitchell retorted in the House of Assembly that when he spoke in Trinidad, he did so as the minister.

He added that before he pronounces on any policy, he checks with the government.

Chipman said, “At the end of the day I said what I had to say. Now he did circulate what he said in Trinidad. I just thought the forum was wrong.”

also see: Sexual preference irrelevant for election and Bahamians won't elect openly gay candidate

More same gender loving women being forcibly evicted

Only last evening myself and friends of a same gender loving sister had to join in an impromptu move as her aunt decided to promptly end her residency as "proof" in the relative's eyes of her same gender preference was what she wanted to get before taking the premeditated move and that she did find from over hearing a phone call, a boisterous exchange was in progress when I received a conference call from another female friend as to how to address the matter temporarily as the expletives flew in the background the victim of the eviction seemed calm and was more concerned about getting out of the house as quickly as possible, those kinds of loud crisis usually attracts a crowd and who sometimes agree with the action taken, this was the case as well here as persons were said to be saying that the young lady should also leave. 

Usually cases such as this are more on the male side of things as carried here and on related blogs Gay Jamaica Watch and GLBTQ Jamaica on Wordpress.

With this being International Women's Week as well it is timely that this issue be raised as our sisters seem to be going through some changes in their previous tolerated status if you will in Jamaica.

Only last weekend I was floored by a similar case this time of a lesbian whose father and other siblings apparently went through her phone and belongings in search of "proof" yet again to confirm their suspicion thus in their eyes the justification to take such resolute actions against their own family members simply because their sexual orientation differs from theirs. The woman who is a participant as well of a life changing project designed for young LGBTians is now slowed by this interruption in her growth but thanks to some wonderful support from friends and fellow participants in the exercise she is coping when last there was an inquiry. 

January 2014 also saw another case in St Elizabeth and that was reported to the team at Aphrodite's PRIDE Jamaica as well she has since recouped and is staying with her love interest as she adjusts to the new surroundings and parish while on a job search, she too was profiled by other family members while not displaying any stereotypical traits that would otherwise arouse suspicion for some.  

Last year I was able to confirm four major cases between June to the end of the year and a rising sign of physical assault/violence as well to even more non butch identified women wherein the "manroyal" connotation would cause negative reactions from some men who see these women as a threat of some sort hence they were also treated as men in terms of abuse. More "feminine" same gender loving women are now seeing themselves in line for abuse or assualt and at least two corrective rape cases also were reported and confirmed in 2013. Forgive me as I will not get into the details of the latter matters as they are still pending in court and other avenues for resolution and I do not want to obscure those processes. 

Strangely although I have some limited resources and my association with Aphrodite's PRIDE Jamaica I still get the calls and contacts on cases and thanks to the slowly widening network of allies and professional volunteers for psycho-social and other engagements for persons; they are still not enough as expected the more the discourse opens up publicly on LGBT issues is the more the stigma seems to raise its head with separation being the route to resolve the discovery of persons with said orientation instead of engagement and learning towards tolerance. I am still finding that some women when questioned about filing a report with the already established agencies they are reluctant to do so hence the under-reporting continues and a feeling that those agencies are male centred hence they would not be embracing and understanding of the matters at hand.

One adolescent female who was assaulted actually said quite openly that before she files with certain agencies she keeps it to herself as gay men are more a priority than lesbians in the scheme of things.

Portmore too have not gone untouched by this eviction trend albeit that the city has had its share of challenges for years with persons being forced to move either by other residents from profiling or full on prying or family members taking "steps" against gay and bisexual persons as fear, hatred and ignorance play out in stigma. A lesbian couple had to relocate late last year as well after men on the same walk way in Braeton decided they were not comfortable with the women cohabiting. The dominant partner as it were was told that she is a threat to other men in the area as they feared she would take of eye their female friends into lesbian life. This fear is real despite the fact that same gender loving women continue to have what seems overall lesser negativity as exampled in the sex industry or the strip club circuit where sometimes live sex between women is a major draw for some men although some of the participants are not even same gender loving.

The concept of a man's lesbian plays out weekly where some strippers do confess that they get requests for such types of entertainment and club owners or managers do include such considerations for terms of employment. 

Many women have expressed some concern as recent at two weeks ago at a workshop in Kingston where they feel somewhat uncomfortable as that feeling of "acceptance" seems to be fading, men seem to be more openly hostile when persons traverse the streets or even in their communities, one woman said she has been told that a man can "fix her" with a good f***, so violent heterosexual assault is the way to deal with persons same sex orientation in the eyes of some despite the visibility of said persons raised and the discourse in motion. 

also see:
A mother’s hateful letter, a lesbian’s suicide attempt

Jamaica lesbians suffer from under-reported violence but whose fault is that ???

Some concerns about same gender loving women on the rock

The group Quality Citizenship Jamaica recently had self defence classes for women which is a take off from the defunct Couture Elements/Underlined Response group sessions as well in 2009/10 which will help in some instances but not many women are exposed to such training or even willing, there is also a cost prohibitive reason as well as others who have offered such training/skills charge hefty fees for same. Women for Women back in the day also occasionally had classes but not with any sustainable timetable.

Please help out where you can and encourage more established LGBT agencies in particular thanks also to concerned individuals who have taken the initiative to use social media as a reporting or referral mechanism for crisis matters for women only which seems to be working. 

Peace and tolerance

H