Cathy Kristofferson | Oblogdeeoblogda | July 17, 2013
Just as marriage equality’ is being celebrated in England and Wales, religious leaders in Haiti become the latest to use the threat of similar marriage legislation coming to that island as an excuse to march against homosexuality. That, of course means, it is a march for hate and homophobia since inevitably one begets the other.
The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), a public interest law office, sent out a press release today denouncing the march planned for Friday.
In Haiti, same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults – 18 and older – in private has been legal since 1986. The strong presence of the Catholic Church combined with years of political unrest, though, does not make life easy for LGBT community members. There are minority rights in the country’s constitution but they do not explicitly call out LGBTI as a protected minority. There is no legislation, existing or proposed, to prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and no political party has ever even endorsed LGBT rights.
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