by Kimani Parke Torres and Kareen Mitchell, GrenCHAP
Modern-day Grenada, and by extension the Caribbean, grapples with matters of intolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ people. Our postcolonial region has been structured on a premise where anything outside of narrow traditional relationship dynamics is deemed unacceptable. That notion continues to destroy communities, isolate children, and separate families.
International influence (media) has helped to shine a light on the LGBTQ community; therefore discrimination is not due to lack of understanding or visibility — it is directly related to historical values and the opinions of the church. It is proven that parents love their children despite their sexuality, but the judgment of their neighbours, pastors and congregation often takes precedence over said love. If only we could be brave, fearless, and demonstrate unconditional love, there would be less mental trauma of our gay youth, stronger families, and our children would not feel forced out of our country to seek a life free of prejudice.
Minister Peter David recently stated in a government weekly post-cabinet briefing that citizens of Grenada are not ready to tolerate LGBTQ human rights, and so as a nation, we must honour that. What he neglected to say was that human rights have nothing to do with sexual orientation or gender identity. There are no special rights designated for LGBTQ persons — they are fundamental human rights. Ultimately, the LGBT community is not asking for special privileges; merely tolerance, respect, and equality — as human beings.
The diversity of our world’s many religions, languages, cultures and ethnicities are not a pretext for conflict, but is a treasure that enriches us all. Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. Government, media, and religious institutions are all societal influences that shape the minds of the citizens — change can result if they teach and promote impartiality. Through visibility and advocacy, we must continue to be the voice of the voiceless and the driving force for change.
Today, 16 November 2020, is the 25th anniversary of the International Day for Tolerance — an annual observance day declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance.
Excluding, judging, and ostracizing the LGBT community costs the Caribbean approximately USD $4 billion in economic loss. Personal opinion aside, the LGBT community has a lot of spending power (often promoted at higher rates because it is not expected that they will have children or take parental leave at all). Even if you don’t agree with their life style, the hostility and refusal to do business with LGBT community will have long term economic consequences, as they relocate to bigger countries and invest their money there. As the writer said, they are not seeking special privileges, they just want to participate in society without a big target on their back. It costs zero dollars to be a decent human being.
Well done D Hart.
I am a practising Roman Catholic. I am a straight female (not that I have to declare this fact as it is irrelevant).
The fundamental rule of the Holy Book is “TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER”, “TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF”.
Remember that “THE HARM YOU DO TO OTHERS, YOU DO TO GOD”.
Anyone that is LGBTQ is the same as everyone else. We are all part of the HUMAN RACE. Each and everyone of us demands and should be respected. As long as we are going about our daily life with respect for ourselves and others, whilst not causing any harm to anyone, there should not be any problem.
Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Straight etc. etc. etc, what does it matter, as long as we are living as decent and caring human beings.
The fundamental problem with society is that we look to bring each other down by any means whilst actively living with a continued reason to divide each other. Grow up and look around you. There is enough conflict going on and many, many more agendas to focus on. Such as child poverty, police and government corruption. peadophillia, child abuse, sexual abuse, drug addiction, general poverty, poor housing, sanitation, education, jobs, etc.
Perhaps turn your wasted uneducated and narrow minded hatred towards LGBTQ people into positive energy to eradicating the gross actions that are actually destroying people and society and start looking at ways of fixing the inequalities. .
LGBTQ love and care for each other, perhaps in a way that straight people do not love and respect each other. Could this be because in the face of adversity, they will come together to support each other.
Imagine what society as a whole could achieve, if we ALL came together to care for each and everyone of us as a simple human gesture.
Spouting hatred is not going to change a person that has been born into their sexuality. We are all different and one’s sexuality is such a small part of the actual person.
Your sexuality does not make the whole of you and you should not define someone by it. IF YOU ARE AN ABUSER, MURDERER, RAPIST, THEIF, LIAR, CORRUPT. You are such because you have chosen to be an unsavoury person. Don’t take your vile hatred out on others to make yourself feel better.
Instead look inside yourself, decide to heal yourself and make changes so that your life and others will be better. Why don’t you understand this?????
If you can understand this and learn to simply LOVE every fellow that shares your space (basically the WHOLE OF HUMANITY), you will find that your life is much better.
Hatred for any only rots the inside of your soul. Cast it out so that you can be free.
Jesus left us with one main commandment LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.
START LIVING – START LOVING.
Celebrate the beauty of different cultures yes, but do not celebrate that which is offensive to God. Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” A man & a woman… we all know this to be God’s wisdom and law. Pray for those who have strayed from the path and drive demons from them. Remember that when you speak the name of Jesus Christ all demons in hell tremble in fear.
Grow up and get your mind out of that narrow passage you sit on. So you tell the world everything that goes on between yourself and your sexual partners? I suspect not. Love is love, it can manifest in many forms. No one has the right to deny another human being love however it may come. On an island where you educate children to gave intercourse and make babies at 14 years of, where you make more and more children that parents can’t afford to care for, where you have children forced to give birth when they are not intellectually mature, where grown men proposition 12 year old girls on the bus under the excuse that they are taking for it where grown men molest and sexually abuse babies and young girls and murder them, you want to judge those that love differently than YOU. Grenada has one of the highest rates if child sexual abuse. Look to heal your sick men who abuse women. Stop spying on your neighbours, sticking your nose into their lives, and start accepting people for who they are, doctors, lawyers, teachers, business people, vendors whatever plus they lead spiritual lives, support charities and live as normal a life as you. Stay out of their bedrooms and private lives unless you wish to open your bedroom door to the world and let us all judge you for your sexual behaviour regardless of how you live the rest if YOUR life.
fun fact, the Romans changed the Hebrew word for pedophile to the Greek word for homosexual in the bible, to protect the Roman adult male tradition of sexual relationships with minor underage males. At least pick a denomination that doesn’t protect pedophiles. Same-sex relations were common place in pre-Colonial Africa, so maybe start to accept that white supremacy and their version of the Bible divided us to conquer us. Christians often like to feel superior to others, which misses the point of loving your neighbor.