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:
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
- LEGIMACY OF ‘CTOMER’ SUPREME COURT GAY RIGHTS SE RAIS ETHIL AND LEGAL FLAGS
- GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
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. * gay rights laws us *
The laws rerce societal prejudic, effectively givg tac legal sanctn for stigma, discrimatn, and vlence agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people. 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.
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. 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.
ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
* gay rights laws us *
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:. While Shane Hathaway, a 43-year-old gay man om Bequia, never experienced a physil altertn, people have lled him “battyman” and thrown sticks his directn.
If people are havg an argument, that’s what they jump to, that’s the jtifitn for homophobia, they say ’s the laws, that ’s illegal, and bee of the scriptur. 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.
LEGIMACY OF ‘CTOMER’ SUPREME COURT GAY RIGHTS SE RAIS ETHIL AND LEGAL FLAGS
A Pevian high urt has orred same-sex unns to be legally registered public rerds, markg a victory for the LGBTQ muny a untry that has been reluctant to regnize gay upl. * gay rights laws us *
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.
[92] She said that 2019, she heard one relative support the march by prentg arguments such as “thk of the children, ” “you don’t want to get your kids exposed, ” and “[homosexuals are] viants. While some LGBT people terviewed by Human Rights Watch did not experience overt homophobia om their fay members, all terviewe said they had attempted to nceal their sexualy om their fai out of fear.
Samuel Sayers, a 25-year-old bisexual man om Sat Vcent, said that part of the reason he do not broach the subject wh his parents is that they go to a church where homophobic views are exprsed and that fluenc their views on sexualy.
GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Alliance Defendg Freedom distribut hundreds of thoands of dollars to ge groups attackg trans, gay and abortn rights * gay rights laws us *
Michelle Edwards, a 23-year-old bisexual woman om Sat Vcent, liv wh her fay but nceals her sexualy for fear of homophobia and abe, which has occurred her muny:.
Prevly, Wilson held a janorial job at a ntist’s office between December 2021 and October 2022, until his boss told him he “mt stop workg bee ‘the ctomers are talkg, why do they have a gay cleang?