Lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people Sat Vcent and the Grenad face bias-motivated vlence and discrimatn their daily life, Human Rights Watch said a report released today. The legislature should repeal the untry’s lonial-era laws that crimalize nsensual same-sex nduct and pass prehensive civil legislatn prohibg discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr inty. The 58-page report, “‘They Can Harass Us Bee of the Laws’: Vlence and Discrimatn agast LGBT People Sat Vcent and the Grenad,” expos the physil and verbal asslts, fay vlence, homelsns, workplace harassment, bullyg, and sexual vlence that sexual and genr mori face unr the shadow of discrimatory laws. Those rponsible for mistreatment clu people close to LGBT people – fay members, neighbors, workers, classmat, and teachers – as well as strangers and police officers.
Contents:
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
- ENDG VLENCE AND DISCRIMATN AGAST LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND TERSEX PEOPLE
ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
People around the world face vlence and equaly—and sometim torture, even executn—bee of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientatn and genr inty are tegral aspects of our selv and should never lead to discrimatn or abe. Human Rights Watch works for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr peopl' rights, and wh activists reprentg a multiplicy of inti and issu. We document and expose ab based on sexual orientatn and genr inty worldwi, cludg torture, killg and executns, arrts unr unjt laws, unequal treatment, censorship, medil ab, discrimatn health and jobs and hog, domtic vlence, ab agast children, and nial of fay rights and regnn. We advote for laws and polici that will protect everyone’s digny. We work for a world where all people n enjoy their rights fully. * discrimination towards lgbt *
Vcent, anal sex is punishable by up to 10 years prison, while “gross cency” wh another person of the same sex is punishable by up to five years, acrdg to lonial-era laws that are mon the socially nservative Caribbean rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people. ”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.
ENDG VLENCE AND DISCRIMATN AGAST LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND TERSEX PEOPLE
* discrimination towards lgbt *
Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir 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. ”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.
Christe Geiger, the owner of Stud 8 Hair Lab Traverse Cy, told lol outlet 9&10 News that she is OK wh lbian, gay and bisexual people but ref to e preferred pronouns and has a right to ny jt weeks after the U. The 1977 law ma illegal to discrimate on the basis of relign, race, age, weight, sex and other characteristics; was expand earlier this year to clu genr inty and recent Supreme Court cisn sidg wh a webse signer who refed to serve a hypothetil gay uple, 303 Creative v. The laws are vaguely word, have broad latu, and sgle out nsensual gay sex the “sexual offens” sectn of the crimal that is otherwise rerved for crim like rape, ct, and sexual asslt.
This report documents the range of ab agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) stunts sendary school. It tails wispread bullyg and harassment, discrimatory polici and practic, and an absence of supportive rourc that unrme the right to tn unr ternatnal law and put LGBT youth at risk. * discrimination towards lgbt *
Along wh Domi, Guyana, Grenada, Jamai, Sat Lucia—the other five untri the Caribbean that crimalize gay sex—Sat Vcent and the Grenad ntu to be an outlier a hemisphere that has chewed the crimalizatn of nsensual gay sex. Every LGBT person terviewed by Human Rights Watch said they wished to leave the untry immediately or had envisned their future abroad due, part, to the homophobic or transphobic vlence and discrimatn the untry.
The news followed the Supreme Court cisn allowg a web signer to discrimate agast gay upl. * discrimination towards lgbt *
Some terviewe noted that fay rejectn was often uched moralistic terms, echog the homophobic rhetoric preached some church, which are a rnerstone of social life and shape social attus. Man said that 2019, he was attacked his neighborhood, and he believed the attack uld have been motivated by his sexual orientatn sce many people there know that he is gay.
Aled Henry, a 58-year-old bisexual man om Sat Vcent, said that March 2009, he suffered a homophobic attack that ed permanent damage to his speech, visn, motor functns, memory, and balance:. Kyle Wilson, the 19-year-old gay man om Sat Vcent mentned above, tried to file plats at the Kgston police statn about five tim, all related to harassment public spac, but said he gave up when police appeared unwillg to help.
For Melissa Ashton, the 28-year-old lbian om Sat Vcent, laws crimalizg same-sex nduct make her hant to go to the police for help related to homophobic vlence: “Nothg would e om gog to the police. Some terviewe noted that fay rejectn was often uched moralistic terms, echog the homophobic rhetoric preached some lol church, which are a rnerstone of social life and help shape social attus. Sharon Nichols, a 29-year-old bisexual woman, said her mother recently beme more tolerant and is maly “ncerned about what others would thk” and about homophobic vlence agast Nichols.