UNAIDS Caribbean Director, Dr. Ernest Massiah has said in a message on the occasion of International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) today that in the Caribbean “we have developed as a people,” but “there are still phobias that we must address (and) homophobia is one of them.”
The UNAIDS Caribbean Director said that today’s commemoration of IDAHO “is an acknowledgement that whatever one’s personal position on homosexuality or gender, there are universal and Caribbean standards that all people must be treated with dignity and respect.”
“We are all equal and are therefore equally entitled to the protection and services of the state as well as the humanity and respect of our fellow man,” Dr. Massiah asserted.
Noting that phobia is a fancy word for fear, Dr. Massiah said that when applied to people, phobia is a fear of people and homophobia is the fear of people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, while transphobia is the fear of people whose biological sex doesn’t line up with the gender they feel inside.
“Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are our sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, neighbours and members of our churches, mosques and temples,” he observed.
Dr. Massiah said further that these persons are “teachers, judges, politicians, policemen and women, soldiers, boys on the block, and sports personalities. They are on TV and radio. They live in town and in the country. They are no less deserving of the protections, services and opportunities that our Caribbean societies offer to all citizens.”
In many countries in the region, except the Bahamas, he pointed out, there are old nineteenth century “buggery” laws which feed the prejudice, violence and lack of protection from law enforcement that gay and bisexual people often experience.
Persons sometimes point to members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community who live fulfilling lives as evidence of the society’s tolerance.
However, Dr. Massiah maintained that the “true test of our humanity is our willingness to accept all members of our family and those on the margins.”
“That means we must stop throwing gay and bisexual youth out of their homes. We must stop abusing transgender people. Our hospitals, clinics, police services and laws must now respond to the needs of LGBT people,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) Caribbean Director acknowledged that leadership on these issues has begun to emerge in the region, noting that in April the Guyana government announced a series of national consultations on whether legislation that discriminates against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people should be reformed.
In March, he pointed out, Trinidad and Tobago agreed at the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review to “increase measures to ensure that violence and discrimination against… lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, are both prevented and prosecuted.”
He also noted that during the December 2011 Jamaica general elections that Portia Simpson Miller went on to win, she called for a conscience vote on anti-gay laws.
Over time, Dr. Massiah posited, some people change their minds about these issues and as seen from the experience of race and class prejudice, others do not.
He observed further that in schools across the Caribbean children are taught their national anthems and pledges. “Our children learn these words: “I pledge myself to… love my fellow citizens”.
“There is no country where the anthem or pledge says that some are more equal than others or that gay and bisexual people should be treated differently,” Dr. Massiah said.
But “at home, in the street and in the school yard, our children hear a different story. They hear old tales and fears. They hear them from adults. We teach them prejudice.”
“This is just like in the old days when skin colour, hair texture, where you lived, who your parents were, and if you were male or female meant that you could be denied a job, a place in school or entry to certain clubs. We have developed as a people but there are still phobias that we must address. Homophobia is one of them,” Dr. Massiah highlighted.
