LGBT TRAVEL: OFF TO THE CARIBBEAN, INTO THE PAST
(An older story, published now as part of my portfolio. This was written in Semester 2 of Level 5 as the Feature I wrote for my Politics module)
Gay Marriage has been legal in the UK since 2014, but British Overseas Territories are rife with discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, Molly Woodthorpe reports.
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39). Possibly the most famous piece of scripture in Christianity, and one that has been continually discarded by religious people across the world.
Perhaps most notably by groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, who caught the public's attention by picketing at the funerals of dead soldiers, claiming ‘God hates F*gs’ and going as far to make it their website URL. Or, the LGBTQ+ people who in the 78 countries where homosexual acts are illegal, are forced into jail or beaten for their alleged ‘sins’.
Despite the bible stating you are to ‘love thy neighbour’ it is the bible which protects the heinous acts committed against LGBTQ+ people in British Overseas territories.
Imagine this, you and the love of your life are planning a trip, and you settle on the Caribbean - a place known for its idyllic beaches, carnivals and customs. You’re excited, and you go to look if there’s anything you need to be aware of- different shots you may need as you sometimes do before you travel, so you head to the government website, only to see that, in their words, “local attitudes outside the tourist areas can be conservative and some people may not approve of public displays of affection between same-sex couples”.
So, you start researching, out of concern or maybe fear, and you stumble across the ‘I Have to Leave to be me’ report, which details beatings, corrective rape and conversion therapies for gay people. You see that this is a British Territory and although they have their own laws, there is no protection for you. Upon reading further, you find that this is something that often receives no legal action because the people doing it are claiming they are Christians and it goes against their religion, so it goes no further.
A bill is being put forward in parliament, known as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) (Overseas Territories) Bill [HL], by Lord Michael Cashman - one of the co-founders of Stonewall. It proposes protection for British, same-sex couples visiting overseas territories, where same-sex marriages are either shunned, not recognised or even illegal. Places like the British Virgin Islands, where being gay results in being attacked under the guise of religion.
This bill is only in its second reading in Parliament, after being put forward in July 2022. It was the idea of Lord Cashman, and a man who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people across the UK, and almost a year after it was initially brought to the House of Lords, it has barely been looked at. The bill is not a political issue- it is a human rights issue. Article 12 of the Human Rights Act 1988, guarantees the right to marry and to found a family.
As Lord Cashman co-founded Stonewall, we contracted them for a comment on this issue, however received nothing in response.
Now, there could be the argument that due to the fact this is the European court of human rights, it holds no obligation for places overseas to allow for this right. But this bill covers British nationals, who are currently having a crucial part of their identity stripped away from them, for fear of violence or persecution. There are people who may be doing something as innocent as visiting family, only to be forced into ‘corrective rape’ or exorcisms to rid them of their sexual orientation. Violent and traumatic acts, for something that is natural-whether you believe it is genetic or environmental, it is not something that is forced upon a person, unlike being straight can be forced upon a person.
In this day and age, many people feel it is the obligation of the UK Government to promote equality in countries where there is still regular persecution of innocent people. I spoke to a student at University Centre Peterborough, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ Community to see her views on this law. Her response to the question of: is the British government doing enough to support LGBTQ+ overseas, was:
“I don’t believe so, I believe there should be protections in place for UK citizens travelling overseas to ensure they are safe while in other countries, especially when their country’s laws are different to ours.”
Furthering that, when asked if the current lack of protection for LGBTQ+ community members, would prevent her from travelling to our overseas territories, she said:
“Yes, as a young woman anyway it is something you need to be aware of, but as a queer woman, there’s an additional fear of what might happen”.
In her perspective, as a 20-year-old woman, she has grown up seeing the world become more accepting. Coming out is such a huge part of someone’s life, being forced back into the closet feels like you are supposed to be ashamed, that what you are doing is wrong and that maybe you are broken in some way.
The UK government has the power to change this, however in a year, where people are more outwardly accepting than ever, the progress made with this bill has gone at the speed of biblical times.
Sidebar:
5 facts about LGBT Hate Crimes:
One in Five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime in the last year regarding their sexual orientation or gender.
The number of LGB people who have experienced a hate crime the last year because of their sexual orientation has risen by 78 per cent from nine per cent in 2013 to 16 per cent in 2017.
Over a third of LGBT people say they don’t feel comfortable walking down the street while holding their partner's hand.
Following on from this, this increases to three in five gay men, who do not feel comfortable holding their partners hand in public.
28 per cent of LGBT people who visited a faith service or place of worship in the past 12 months reported that they experienced discrimination there.
This information comes from Stonewall.
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