A report om Human Rights Watch lls on the ernment of St. Vcent to overturn lonial-era anti-gay laws that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean island.
Contents:
- THE BT CARIBBEAN DTATNS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
THE BT CARIBBEAN DTATNS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS
Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still crimalized.From homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100,000 people says is unr nstant threat.“Every LGBT person terviewed by Human Rights Watch said they wished to leave the untry immediately or had envisned their future abroad,” the report stated. While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people. “People feel embolned to discrimate or be vlent.”In July 2019, two gay men om St.
Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down. “The (LGTBQ) muny the untry is very, very margalized and vulnerable.”Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.A 58-year-old bisexual man relled how someone h him the head wh a bottle an attack that cracked his skull and put him a a. One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm.Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici.
Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry. It is hard for me as a gay this untry.”Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St. Vcent Prime Mister Ralph Gonsalv was not returned.Gonsalv prevly noted there’s been a history of discrimatn agast gay people.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
That kd of irratnal homophobia is entirely unacceptable.”González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn. It’s those latter islands where gay and lbian travelers ually feel more at ease sce lol laws around homosexualy and same-sex marriage match those of their parent untri.
That’s not to say that gay and lbian travelers won’t feel safe or wele ls-progrsive statns. But rather than plan vatns to one of the dozen Caribbean islands where homosexualy is crimalized (surprisg, but te), most travelers simply prefer to vatn where they’ll feel fortable.