LGBT rights in Barbados
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Barbados face legal risks not experienced by non-LGBT citizens. Homosexual acts are illegal in Barbados
, with a life sentence; but the law is rarely enforced. The law is currently in effect, but under review. Recent polls conducted by Caribbean Development Research Services Inc. (CADRES) have found Barbadians to be more tolerant than previous years.
In 2011 the Bajan government said it was investigating claims that some gay Bajans were seeking refugee status to Canada
. The Bajan minister for Foreign Affairs, Maxine McClean stated a concern of the government at these applications attempting to secure refugee status in Canada since two of the nine applications to the Canadian government had already been denied and questions surround whether it is an attempt at abusing the refugee system to Canada. The Bajan organisation United Gays and Lesbians Against AIDS, Barbados (UGLAAB) stated it to was also looking to conduct its own investigation on the same allegations. One anonymous story in the Bajan media by a past applicant stated their attempt to lie about so called persecution in order to bolster their refugee application but stated their attempt had failed.
The resident U.S.
ambassador
later commented to the local press that some of the other nations in region were among the highest number of such refugee applications to the United States, but he went on to say that the U.S. Embassy to Bridgetown
had not yet reported any specific problems within Barbados to the U.S. State Department. The ambassador highlighted that sodomy law
s were a part of statue law for Barbados and that the Barbadian government should perhaps consider formally retiring those laws to maintain Barbados' good image internationally.
In 2011 the Prime Minister of Britain stated during a Commonwealth of Nations Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia that his government would find it difficult to provide aid for countries which still had laws banning buggery on their statute books. Thereafter, the Attorney General for Barbados stated publicly that Barbados would not be dictated to by the U.K.http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/not-by-uk/ Following the statement several members of Barbados' openly gay community stated that Barbados should begin to offer packaged tourism deals for gay tourists.Dear: Cash in gay tourism However an informal comment line by the Barbados Nation newspaper found that plan to be disliked by some.TALK BACK: Readers see no reason to focus on gay tourism
Following Britain's comment, the Washington, D.C. based Inter-American Court for Human Right established a unit to tackle gay rights. It noted the problem some of the laws in the region presented stated that it would "promote the harmonious development of all its work areas based on the interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights and the need to protect the rights of all individuals and groups historically subjected to discrimination."http://www.cidh.oas.org/Comunicados/English/2011/115-11eng.htm
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, with a life sentence; but the law is rarely enforced. The law is currently in effect, but under review. Recent polls conducted by Caribbean Development Research Services Inc. (CADRES) have found Barbadians to be more tolerant than previous years.
In 2011 the Bajan government said it was investigating claims that some gay Bajans were seeking refugee status to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Bajan minister for Foreign Affairs, Maxine McClean stated a concern of the government at these applications attempting to secure refugee status in Canada since two of the nine applications to the Canadian government had already been denied and questions surround whether it is an attempt at abusing the refugee system to Canada. The Bajan organisation United Gays and Lesbians Against AIDS, Barbados (UGLAAB) stated it to was also looking to conduct its own investigation on the same allegations. One anonymous story in the Bajan media by a past applicant stated their attempt to lie about so called persecution in order to bolster their refugee application but stated their attempt had failed.
The resident U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
later commented to the local press that some of the other nations in region were among the highest number of such refugee applications to the United States, but he went on to say that the U.S. Embassy to Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
had not yet reported any specific problems within Barbados to the U.S. State Department. The ambassador highlighted that sodomy law
Sodomy law
A sodomy law is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes. The precise sexual acts meant by the term sodomy are rarely spelled out in the law, but are typically understood by courts to include any sexual act deemed unnatural. It also has a range of similar euphemisms...
s were a part of statue law for Barbados and that the Barbadian government should perhaps consider formally retiring those laws to maintain Barbados' good image internationally.
In 2011 the Prime Minister of Britain stated during a Commonwealth of Nations Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia that his government would find it difficult to provide aid for countries which still had laws banning buggery on their statute books. Thereafter, the Attorney General for Barbados stated publicly that Barbados would not be dictated to by the U.K.http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/not-by-uk/ Following the statement several members of Barbados' openly gay community stated that Barbados should begin to offer packaged tourism deals for gay tourists.Dear: Cash in gay tourism However an informal comment line by the Barbados Nation newspaper found that plan to be disliked by some.TALK BACK: Readers see no reason to focus on gay tourism
Following Britain's comment, the Washington, D.C. based Inter-American Court for Human Right established a unit to tackle gay rights. It noted the problem some of the laws in the region presented stated that it would "promote the harmonious development of all its work areas based on the interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights and the need to protect the rights of all individuals and groups historically subjected to discrimination."http://www.cidh.oas.org/Comunicados/English/2011/115-11eng.htm
See also
- Politics of BarbadosPolitics of BarbadosThe politics of Barbados function within a framework of constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.Executive power is vested in...
- LGBT rights in the AmericasLGBT rights in the AmericasLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights are complex in the Americas. The British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonists, who settled most of the Americas, brought Christianity from Europe...
- LGBT rights by country or territory
Further reading
- BC’S B’DOS: Gay bashing, Nov. 07, 2011