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.
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
* lgbt anti discrimination *
We believe that lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people should be able to participate fully Amerin life ee om discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr inty on the job; hog; when shoppg or gettg servic at rtrants, hotels, and other public plac; and when accsg ernment programs and servic. Vcent to overturn anti-gay laws om the lonial era that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean LGBTQ muny ntu to face a daily barrage of bias-motivated attacks and public discrimatn unr the untry's archaic statut hered om centuri of reprsive European le, acrdg to the 58-page report tled "'They Can Harass Us Bee of the Laws': Vlence and Discrimatn agast LGBT People Sat Vcent and the Grenad.
"Homosexualy ntu to be crimalized the former Brish lony after many hundreds of years, leavg LGBTQ dividuals wh ltle if any legal protectns while vlent crim were beg mted wh impuny, the report said. Standg crimal s on the island put nsensual gay sex the same tegory as crim like rape, ct, and sexual asslt, although there have been no recent nvictns unr the HRW report, published Thursday, also lls for St. Vcent to pass prehensive civil legislatn that would prohib discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr document amid a recent surge physil and verbal asslts, domtic vlence, homelsns, workplace harassment, bullyg, and sexual vlence agast mory populatns across the people have been targeted by fay members, neighbors, -workers, classmat and teachers -- as well as police officers, the report all the wns terviewed for the report dited at least one recent cint of physil or verbal abe, threats, sexual vlence, or other forms of many of the episos, police allegedly refed to offer assistance, and some s beme openly discrimatory toward gay workers were also facg job discrimatn a natn already bet by high of the terviewe said job hirgs and firgs were beg largely termed by sexual orientatn, while other gay people lucky to have jobs faced sexual harassment the workplace.
"The crimalizatn of gay sex giv tac state sanctn to the discrimatn and vlence that LGBT people experience their daily liv and pels many to look abroad to live eely and fulfill their dreams, " said Cristian González Cabrera, gay rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch. "Six other Wtern natns -- cludg Domi, Grenada, Guyana, Jamai, and Sat Lucia -- ntue to crimalize gay sex, wh penalti as weighty as a prison for "gross cency wh another person of the same sex.