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:
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
- GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL THIS CARIBBEAN ISLAND; HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH WANTS BAN REPEALED
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
- GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS
- “GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”: THE FRAMG OF NEW INTERPRETATNS OF INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS
- CLTON TO UNED NATNS: "GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS"
- ‘GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE GAY RIGHTS’: HILLARY CLTON
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
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. * gay rights are human rights *
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 island. 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 law. Gay people have been targeted by fay members, neighbors, -workers, classmat and teachers -- as well as police officers, the report said.
In many of the episos, police allegedly refed to offer assistance, and some s beme openly discrimatory toward gay victims. Many 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.
GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL THIS CARIBBEAN ISLAND; HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH WANTS BAN REPEALED
There are six untri the Caribbean where same-sex timacy is still banned and punishable by prison time. Human Rights Watch, s latt report, is llg out of the untri for the anti-gay atmosphere that exists and the stigmatizatn of LGBT dividuals. * gay rights are human rights *
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. Vcent and the Grenad is known for s volnic terra, spectacular ral reefs and yacht-filled the ty Eastern Caribbean untry loted the Lser Antill also has a dub reputatn when to the treatment of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people: Its lonial-era gay sex ban. “The laws sgle out nsensual gay sex the ‘sexual offens’ sectn of the crimal that is otherwise rerved for crim like rape, ct and sexual asslt, ” the report said.
Vcent and the Grenad, the level of homophobia the untry and ntued effect of s archaic law on rights of LGBT dividuals warranted report’s release while there is currently a trial si St.
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. * gay rights are human rights *
Vcent, gay sex is crimalized Domi, Grenada, Guyana and Sat Rights Watch says that the Hoe of Assembly St. Vcent and the Grenad should repeal the gay-sex provisns s crimal and pass prehensive civil anti-discrimatn legislatn that clus protectns based on sexual orientatn and genr inty. “Every LGBT person terviewed said they wished to leave the untry and envisned their future abroad due, part, to the homophobic or transphobic vlence and discrimatn the untry, ” the report said.
González said 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. Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat.
GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS
An pennt UN human rights expert on Tuday warned that the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, trans and genr diverse (LGBT) people are beg “liberately unrmed by some state ernments the Uned Stat”, urgg more actn on the part of the Bin admistratn to protect them. | * gay rights are human rights *
While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people. Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down. ”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.
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.
”Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St. ”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.
“GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”: THE FRAMG OF NEW INTERPRETATNS OF INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS
* gay rights are human rights *
Human Rights Watch works for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr peopl' rights, and wh activists reprentg a multiplicy of inti and issu.
“I am eply alarmed by a wispread, profoundly negative ripti created by liberate actns to roll back the human rights of LGBT people at state level, ” he said, notg that the clu eply discrimatory measur seekg to rebuild stigma agast lbian and gay persons, limg prehensive sexual and genr tn for all, and accs to genr-affirmg treatment, sports and sgle-sex facili for trans and genr diverse persons. “This landmark lg is an important step forward ensurg equaly and digny for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny St.
In a human rights ntext, lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people face both mon and distct challeng. Intersex people (those born wh atypil sex characteristics) suffer some of the same kds of human rights vlatns as lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, people. When to human rights protectn for lbian, gay and bisexual people, the gap between wtern liberal mocraci and the untri of the global south is wing.
CLTON TO UNED NATNS: "GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS"
Uganda has put s famo anti-homosexualy bill on hold, which at one pot sought the ath penalty for certa offenc.
At the same time, same-sex civil partnerships are by and large the norm wh the untri of the European European nventn on human rights system first stck down legal provisns crimalisg male homosexualy 1981, through a challenge of the offendg laws by a Northern Ireland activist Dudgeon v UK. The UN human rights mtee impugned the same type of legislatn, the se of a gay man om the Atralian state of Tasmania, Toonen v Atralia 1994. Some natns – signifintly, those wh a Brish lonial past the Caribbean, Ai and Asia – almost fe themselv terms of their opposn to such judicial the bate about gay rights be creasgly ternatnalised, the rear-guard actn for transigent untri is to e parliament to legislate so-lled natnal valu.
‘GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE GAY RIGHTS’: HILLARY CLTON
The Ugandan anti-homosexualy bill and a Nigerian bill of a few years ago, which purported to crimalise same-sex marriage, are over-the-top exampl. By so dog, he effectively nced that human rights were the appropriate ethil amework for nsirg the treatment of gays, lbians and bisexual.
In the same ve, after the murr of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato earlier this year, Print Barack Obama and the secretary of state Hillary Clton issued statements urgg a full vtigatn. The polil signal om the US was unmistakable: "gay rights" are human rights that not only mand a legimate place wh the muny of natns, but require practil steps to be secured.
Followg on Internatnal Day agast Homophobia (Idaho), one uld easily nclu that the treatment of gay, lbian and bisexual folk around the globe is prsg. This progrs has been slow and cremental, spearhead by civil society efforts the regn to abolish laws that crimalize gay sex. The laws rerce societal prejudic, effectively givg tac legal sanctn for stigma, discrimatn, and vlence agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people.