CAISO hails Madam President

UPDATE:

HEAD of LGBT lobby group CAISO Colin Robinson yesterday hailed President Paula-Mae Weekes’ call for calm in the country’s ongoing debate on gay rights, saying other top office-holders should now follow her lead.

“It is the kind of leadership that is needed in this moment and we ought to be seeing from the Attorney General (Faris Al-Rawi), the Prime Minister (Dr Keith Rowley) and the Leader of the Opposition (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) as well,” Robinson told Newsday.

Asked about the victimisation of three gay young men who were kicked out of their homes after participating in last Thursday’s rally outside the Hall of Justice, he lamented, “It is more than three now. The number of people who have moved or had to move has grown. It was triggered by the policy they chose to undertake in fighting for their rights.”

Robinson opted to give no further details, saying he did not want the men to be re-victimised in the media. He said Weekes’ call was also applicable to the mainstream media, as he alluded to a controversial story by one media house yesterday alluding to an individual’s sexuality. Meanwhile, yesterday, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, British Prime Minister Theresa May publicly apologised to Commonwealth countries for having enacted laws during colonialism that banned male homosexual acts.

Robinson welcomed May’s remarks, but wanted to see tangible follow-up assistance. “It would be great if offers of technical co-operation followed Theresa May’s apology,” he said. “What the UK and other leading economies in the Commonwealth ought to do is provide and finance technical support to the countries they are eager to decriminalise.

“Prime Minister May’s comments went further than I thought they would have. They went beyond an apology. She talked about providing support with law reform. More of that is needed.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

CAISO's Colin Robinson yesterday praised President Paula-Mae Weekes' call for calm in the country's ongoing debate on gay-rights, saying other top office-holders should now follow her lead.

Robinson told Newsday, "It is the kind of leadership needed in this moment and we need to be seeing from the Attorney General (Faris Al-Rawi), Prime Minister (Dr. Keith Rowley) and Leader of the Opposition (Kamla Persad-Bissessar)."

Asked about the victimisation of three young men who were kicked out of their homes after participating in last Thursday's gay rights rally outside the Halls of Justice, he lamented, "It is more than three now who have had to move, triggered by them trying to stand up for their rights." He opted to give no further details, saying he did not want the men to be re-victimised in the media.