EACH ISLAND OFFERS A DIFFERENT KIND OF WELCOME TO GAY AND LESBIAN VISITORS
by Julia Steinecke
This story appeared in the Toronto Star on November 10, 2007, launching a four part Caribbean series. To see the rest of the series, visit www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/94592
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES -- In St. Maarten, we criss-cross the island in vain, searching for a lesbian who will talk to me – though, later I hear the cafés in Marigot are full of them.
In Jamaica, some Dancehall performers sing about shooting gay men in the head, pouring acid over them, and raping lesbians. So far this year, 100 LGBT folk have reportedly been attacked in 43 mob incidents. Yet, there's a huge, lively underground scene.
In Cuba, gays and lesbians can't get permission to start their own advocacy organization. Meanwhile, the government is working on same-sex partnership recognition as well as free sex-change surgery and hormones on demand.
This is the Caribbean, with some of the most complex and least understood gay and lesbian destinations in the world. Some travellers write off the whole district as homophobic, forgetting that each island has a distinctive history and culture; each has a unique intersection of sexuality, race, and class.
I visited three islands and spoke to residents, activists and tourism professionals. Over the next few months, Pink Planet will look at Curacao, St. Maarten and Saba. In the meantime, here's an overview of what else is happening in the region.
First, the bad news. Some say that homophobia is worse on the islands colonized by Victorian-era England, or the islands with the least present-day European and American influence. I suspect it has more to do with economic resources and other social challenges.
Jamaica, which struggles with a heavy foreign debt, large income gaps, and chronic unemployment, still enforces the old English laws against "buggery." Amnesty International is constantly reporting on mob violence and murder, including the attack, earlier this year by a crowd of 200 on a pharmacy in Kingston that supposedly harboured four gay men. In September 2007, the Jamaica Labour Party was elected, under the leadership of Bruce Golding, who has stated that he will provide "no solace" for gays and lesbians. In fact, during the 2001 campaign, the party used a song called "Chi Chi Man" which advocates for the shooting and burning of gays.
Through it all, Jamaican gays and lesbians meet and have fun together. Middle and upper class men drive in convoys to house parties in wealthy neighbourhoods. Promoters organize semi-public events at secret locations with high security. Playwright, Trey Anthony, creator of Da Kink in my Hair, told Torontoist.com that she visited the island recently and found a huge underground community -- and she got picked up by a lot more women than on Toronto's Church Street.
More good news comes from places like San Juan, Puerto Rico, which has a gaybourhood with bars, guesthouses, restaurants and stores. Pride has been celebrated there for over a dozen years. In local politics, many gubernatorial candidates include LGBT rights in their platforms. Homosexuality was legalized in 2005, and assaults can now be prosecuted as hate crimes. The Puerto Rican island of Vieques is known as a gay getaway, with gay-owned accommodations.
Some islands of the Netherlands Antilles are promoting themselves as gay-friendly destinations, with Curaçao in the lead (gaycuracao.com). On the three Antilles I visited, local activists tried to convey the importance of discretion, a sort of "don't ask, don't tell," that was hard for me, as a Canadian, to understand. A very active and out resident of tiny Saba tried to explain how strange it is, even on his open minded island, when a boat unloads a hundred gay men who don't always understand the low-key island culture. They've had better experiences with more seasoned travellers.
Cruise ships have been a sore point on many islands but acceptance is growing. In 2005, gay passengers were prevented by a port official from disembarking on Nevis, but the Tourism Minister later expressed his regrets and reaffirmed the island's welcome. In 2006, the Cayman Islands, which had turned down cruises for several years, admitted an Atlantis cruise with over 3000 on board. In the Bahamas, ships have encountered protesters, as well as an official on-board welcome from the Ministry of Tourism. In October 2007, Bahamian police raided an off-board party for the eighth annual Black Gay and Lesbian Pride Cruise. Police reportedly videotaped participants but no arrests were made. A few days later the Tourism Director General sent a written apology to the event producers, stating that the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation is against all forms of discrimination.
Cuba has come a long way since the 1959 revolution, when homosexuality was considered a sign of capitalist degradation. Legal reforms are being introduced by the government's National Center of Sexual Education, headed by Mariela Castro Espin, (Raúl Castro's daughter and Fidel's niece), who has publicly discussed the police harassment of gays and lesbians. Transsexual rights to name and identity document changes are already recognized.
Change is coming, sometimes where we least expect it.
Julia Steinecke's trip was subsidized by the Curaçao Tourism Board, the St. Maarten Tourist Office, and the Saba Tourist Bureau.
RESOURCES
wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Americas
Describes legal and social environment on all islands of the Caribbean, with links to several detailed articles.
globalgayz.com/art-index.html#caribbean
Personal travel experiences, interviews and news from 13 Islands including Haiti.
gaycuba.ca
Educational tour described as the "historic first LGBT tour of Cuba."
jflag.org
Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, which operates largely underground
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