Is Belize Gay-Friendly? An Overview |

Contents:

• BELIZE GAY GUI AND HOTELS
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BELIZE
• GAY LIFE AND WORK BELIZE 2010
• THE CHALLENGE OF BEG GAY BELIZE
• IS BELIZE GAY-FRIENDLY?

BELIZE GAY GUI AND HOTELS

Although Belize ntu to be a largely nservative untry, is creasgly beg a popular statn for gay and lbian travelers.

Wispread acceptance of homosexualy has not yet been achieved, but a recent Supreme Court cisn that stck down a law banng sodomy is a step the right is a meltg pot society posed of wily disparate groups such as Creol (scendants of enslaved Ains), the Maya, Mtizos, Che, East Indian, Mennon, Garifuna (an Ao-Caribbean people), and expats. Belizeans are also renowned for their genue iendls, cursy, and hospaly, and most gay and lbian travelers are ma to feel right at home. Officially, there has never been a Gay Pri para Belize, but a number of private functns have been held the untry, cludg a Pri Week held for the first time San Pedro 2015.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BELIZE

While not explicly intified as beg gay or lbian activi, the events are further proof of a wispread tolerance amongst Belizeans for people to act, drs, and behave however they wish. AdvertismentReports of asslt, harassment, or other forms of timidatn agast gay and lbian travelers are extremely rare.

GAY LIFE AND WORK BELIZE 2010

Most gay and lbian travelers have a good time and are left alone. Areas popular wh tourists such as San Pedro, Belmopan and San Ignac are particularly LGBTQ+ tolerant or iendly, and there are no reports of travelers beg arrted or fed for vlatg the untry’s archaic anti-sodomy summary, gay and lbian travelers n safely vatn Belize even if the untry isn’t que yet gay-iendly.

Gay club Alexanr - Sunny Beach, has space for over 200 people, a wi cisg area, pole staff and up-to-date and varied mic. Tips for Gay and Lbian Travelers Belize. Homosexualy was illegal up until 2016, when the untry’s Supreme Court lred the anti-sodomy law unnstutnal, thanks to the brave work of one Caleb Oroz.

THE CHALLENGE OF BEG GAY BELIZE

Although Belize’s first pri para proceed the followg year, the untry is still culturally and religly opposed to homosexualy, even among younger generatns. There is virtually no open gay or lbian bar or club scene Belize Cy or any of the major tourist statns. Gay and lbian travelers should choose their hotels wh re and be discreet most public areas and Internati onal Gay and Lbian Travel Associatn (; tel.

954/630-1637), the tra associatn for the gay and lbian travel dtry, offers an onle directory of gay- and lbian-iendly travel bs and tour operators. From there I went to San Pedro, a small town on the island y of Ambergris off the east ast of Belize to talk wh half a dozen LGBT people about gay life this small ral untry. Also see: Gay Belize News and Reports.

Much as imposed Brish ernance brought anizatn and stabily to Belize, the shadow si of the pdish Victorian le here was the fluence of certa penal laws, pecially the punive sodomy statut and hostily toward homosexualy. Sodomy is still a crime on the books and homophobia still ns the cultural blood, the streets, schools and among police. In Belize, certaly a machismo society, ’s rare to hear of extreme vlence or aggrsn agast gay people.

IS BELIZE GAY-FRIENDLY?

He scribed his personal voyage to his current suatn as founr and head of UniBAM, the newt LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr) anizatn Belize. Caleb (photo right) knows everythg gay here and is one of the pot people to see for si views of the cultural, polil, tnal and health suatn for LGBT people here. From closeted ernment officials to homophobic evangelists to upg lbian groups, he offered an enthiastic and balanced view of each aspect of this remarkable untry along the Caribbean.

Caleb told stori of his enunters wh homophobic bulli durg high school but as an adult do not have many war stori to tell about anti-gay vlence Belize. A supportive mentator recently observed: “Belize needs to do somethg about the stigma and discrimatn agast gays and HIV.