A shocking verdict in January 2009 has left the gay community in the country wondering whether justice can be served on their behalf as a jury unanimously decided that it was okay for a straight man to kill a gay man if the gay man propositions him. And if the gay man is HIV-positive as revealed in the case on the link below, it is quite justifiable (according to the defense attorney) to kill the gay person. All the straight man has to do is tell the jury: "He tried to rape me" and "I was protecting my manhood." Once the straight person sounds convincing and sheds a few tears, he can go scott free.
Though we are seemingly making light of the situation, it is not funny but utterly ridiculous. Yes, it actually happened and sets a dangerous precedent, further eroding the rights of GLBT citizens in the country. Using a gay panic defense is rather passe and the defense attorney should be ashamed of himself for saying the gay man's death was justified. See full story on link below.
A 17-year-old turned himself in to police on Monday July 21, 2008 for the murder of a gay Jamaican waiter living in Nassau. The 31-year-old victim was stabbed multiple times with a dagger in his apartment the previous month. He was one of four gay men murdered over a seven-month period in Nassau.
Of the four gay men killed, two of the homicides happened in November 2007 (the bodies found on Nov 16 and 18, 2007), the third murder occurred on May 26, 2008 and the fourth - the Jamaican man - on June 3, 2008.
In all cases, the victims were viciously stabbed multiple times and there were no signs of forced entry. Also, three of the victims lived within a few hundred yards of each other. The police have not linked any of the murders but neither have they ruled out the possibility of a link.
Another point worth noting: Five months following the first two murders, a prominent pastor said he received death threats from two individuals after he publicly urged police to give an update on the progress of their investigations into the seemingly cold cases. See links below for more details on these stories.
There was a police raid on a gay cruise party at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nassau on Oct 06, 2007. No arrests were made, as no crime was committed. The club's patrons all agreed that it was a case of the police harassing gays because all of the officers involved concealed their badges. Dozens of partygoers told RAB that the police were calling them anti-gay names and used a video camera to film them, identifying them as "sissy #1" and "sissy #2." See links below.
Not surprising, The Bahamas Christian council is once again demonstrating an unbelievable level of fascism in that members of that organisation clearly do not believe that adults should have freedom of choice when it comes to what they are allowed to watch on Cable TV. This same Council threw its full support behind the banning of “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006, and is now urging Cable Bahamas not to carry LOGO, a channel catering to the gay and lesbian community.
A member of the Rainbow Alliance asked Cable Bahamas to add LOGO to one of its premium-channel packages. The request is reportedly still being reviewed. But the Christian Council - which strangely had nothing to say when Cable Bahamas added ten pornographic channels to its pay-per-view line-up - is now in a frenzy over the possible inclusion of a channel offering non-pornographic gay-themed programming.
The Christian Community already has four channels on basic Cable and nobody forces non-Christians to watch these channels. The Alliance says if you don’t want to watch a channel, don't order it. Or if it comes in a package of channels, simply use the remote to change or block it... but don’t try to infringe on the rights of others who may want to see the channel by pressuring a cable company not to carry it.
And what is it about pro-gay opinions on television that seem to make the blood of so-called Christians boil more than anything else on Earth? People are killed in movies all the time and the violence is getting more and more gruesome yet the Council, with its twisted priorities, says nothing. In fact, the movie “Shoot em up” was warmly welcomed in The Bahamas during the week of Sep. 16 to 22, 2007. What did the Council say? You guessed it... nothing. Read some of the hypocritical and hysterical quotes from the Council members in the story that ran in the Nassau Guardian on Friday Sep. 21, 2007. Of course they always say we have an agenda because we are not shutting up and staying in a closet as they would like. Click link here.
Our spokesperson Erin Greene was interviewed by various media on the subject and this apparently further angered Council members. They are now saying that they would fight us. See story which appeared in The Bahama Journal on Sep. 26, 2007. The Council called a major meeting over the matter and formed a committee to specifically "tackle" the so-called gay agenda. And as expected, anti-gay pastor Lyall Bethel agreed to head the committee. The story was front page news in the Tribune on Sep. 27, 2007.
There have been a number of other stories relating to this issue. See links below.
Talk show host Rosie O'Donnell embarked on another gay cruise in early July 2007, but unlike 2004, she scrubbed Nassau as a port of call this time around. The ship stopped in The Bahamas but only at the remote Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the Berry Islands, owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Nassau was not on the itinerary because cruise organizers did not want to take the chance and have passengers confronted with placard-waving, anti-gay protestors, as was the case in July 2004 when the ship docked in the city. In fact, Nassau was the only destination on that earlier "Gay Family Values Cruise" where the approximately 1,600 tourists received an unfriendly, unchristian welcome. The same passengers were given the keys to the city of Key West when the ship docked there two days earlier.
On Feb. 26, 2007, The Nassau Guardian’s editor (and Freeport News editor) picked up the story and said the negative publicity The Bahamas received in an HBO documentary following the 2004 cruise, though difficult to measure, makes it more challenging today for the country to continue to be seen as a leading tourist destinations in the region.
We agree - the evidence is here - tourism numbers dropped for the first quarter of 2007, compared to the same period the year before. The wholesale rejection of gay tourists seems to be coming back to haunt us. It would be rather naďve for anyone to think that you can insult 1,600 gay visitors and expect there to be absolutely no effect on the tourist industry. These tourists have no doubt told thousands more about their experiences and the story was also posted online for millions to see. Furthermore, gay people are in every family and as a result, many heterosexual sympathizers may now have second thoughts about coming here. "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Martin Luther King Jr.
On March 14th 2007, Paulette Zonicle, a then senator in the now former Progressive Liberal Party government, said in the Upper Chamber that the new Domestic Violence and Protection Orders Bill was long overdue as it offered protection for couples in abusive non-marital relationships. The new legislation replaces the old Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act, which only recognized the existence of domestic violence in marital relationships.
However, when the then Opposition Free National Movement Senator Carl Bethel said the Bill should include protection for homosexuals in abusive relationships, Senator Zonicle strongly objected. Mr Bethel said, “Why can’t the law merely provide that where persons jointly own a dwelling house or have an equitable interest in a dwelling house, that you’re entitled to go and apply, and obtain a property adjustment order - some statement that in an abusive relationship, that abusing partner can be put out of the house. You don’t have to get into what people are doing in the privacy of their bedroom if you draft the Bill in an appropriate way.”
Mrs Zonicle interjected, “The Constitution of The Bahamas does not recognize same-sex relationships so you cannot create a Bill that, on one hand you’re saying I’m not recognizing this, and then on the same hand you’re creating a Bill that says it’s ok. You can’t do that!” Mrs Zonicle’s remarks were not questioned by other senators and the legislators passed the Bill without any protection for GLBT Bahamians.
Politics aside, what Mr Bethel said makes perfect sense, as it should not be the government business to investigate the private sex lives of citizens. Also, domestic violence can occur in a dwelling home among “partners” whether the individuals are sexually involved or not. So such wording is appropriate and would not be unconstitutional.
But since the constitution was Mrs Zonicle’s focus, she ought to have also known that our supreme law does not sanction common law relationships either, yet she touted the fact that people in such relationships are now protected under the new legislation. How convenient for her to point out that gay relationships are not recognized by the constitution and ignore the fact that “shacking up” between opposite sex couples is also not recognized or legitimized in the chief law. This is why children born in such relationships are referred to as “illegitimate.”
The hypocrisy and double standard in Mrs Zonicle’s utterances are indicative of homophobic sentiments expressed by many politicians here. Homophobia is an illogical fear and hatred of homosexuals. It becomes particularly hurtful to us when lawmakers allow this irrational fear to take hold of them, preventing them from discerning what is just. These politicians are the ones who have been empowered to create laws to protect all citizens – not just select groups.
The US 2006 Human Rights Report on The Bahamas - released on March 6th, 2007 - made reference to unjustices towards homosexuals and pointed out that the then government endorsed discrimination against gays in the country. In a summary of the events that took place that year, the report said under its "Other Societal Abuses and Discrimination" section that, “The government banned a film containing homosexual content, sponsored an anti-homosexual rally, and included anti-homosexual content in public schools.” The story appeared on the front page of the Tribune newspaper on March 7, 2007.
A frustrated gay man who said he was brutally beaten by a security guard and then by a group of police officers in 2006, told a local newspaper that his complaint against the police was being ignored. The man hired a lawyer and is now suing the police force as nothing came out of the “investigation” into the matter, filed at the Police Complaints and Corruption Unit in February 2006. The story appeared in the Nassau Guardian on Jan. 22, 2007. (Click here for details of the original story as reported to RAB.)
A group of 10 Anglican leaders from around the world met in Nassau between Jan. 15 and 19, 2007 to discuss contentious issues facing the church. The number one issue that has threatened to split the 77-million Anglican Communion into two groups is homosexuality.
In 2003, the issue put conservative Anglicans at odds with the liberal Episcopal Church in the US, which that year consecrated an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire. Tensions between the two sides grew stronger in 2006 after the Episcopal Church elected same-sex unions supporter Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop of the US arm of Anglicanism.
RAB spokesperson, Erin Greene told The Tribune newspaper (on Jan. 17, 2007) that she was hoping the church leaders would engage in an “honest discussion” about homosexuals and the relationship gays and lesbians play in the church. “I would like to ask the Anglican Church in The Bahamas to begin to be honest with its congregation,” said Ms Greene. “Particularly,” she continued, “to be honest with gay members about their participation with their church and how they will be allowed to participate in the Christian community in their country.”
Ms Greene also took issue with The Nassau Guardian’s editorial about the five-day meeting. The editorial was very negative towards gays, effectively promoting spiritual violence against our community and referring to us a cancer to the body of the Church. Another response to the editorial entitled, “The Promise of Transformation,” was written by Helen Klonaris, a longtime champion of equal rights. Ms Klonaris writes a column in The Guardian every Wednesday.
College of The Bahamas (COB) lecturers are contemplating taking legal action against The Bahamas Plays and Films Control Board. Senior lecturer of law and criminal justice at the College, Michael Stevenson, said lecturers from the School of Social Sciences and the School of English Studies had planned to show excerpts of the banned film Brokeback Mountain on Monday (June 19, 2006) to an adult audience, but their application for permission was rejected by the Board.
According to Mr Stevenson, he and other lecturers organized a free public study session to examine the topic: "Church, State and Human Rights: The Politics of Censorship." He explained that at the study session, excerpts of the banned film and similar films that were approved by the Plays and Films Control Board, would have been viewed by an adult audience, to show how inconsistent the Board has been in its decisions to show some films and ban others.
"Some of the organizers are contemplating whether in fact we should bring legal action against the Board for infringing on the freedom of expression here (at COB). They are infringing on the academic freedom of the college lecturers. I actually think they are infringing on the academic freedom of the institution," Mr Stevenson said. "What is interesting in this regard is that the Ministry of National Security has already conceded that it would be perfectly acceptable for the College to show the same film to our students, some of whom are below the age of 18." The story appeared in The Nassau Guardian on June 23, 2006 (See contemplating taking legal action link in first paragraph).
The Bahamas Plays and Films Control Board banned "Brokeback Mountain," an award-winning film about two cowboys in the American west who fall in love.
The film was scheduled to open in theatres on March 24, 2006 but when moviegoers went to the cinema, they were told that it was banned. This came as a shock to many residents including Liz Roberts, a Bahamian with an extensive background in film direction and production, and Philip Burrows, an actor and veteran director of plays.
There were some people including three outspoken anti-gay clergymen (pastors Lyall Bethel Cedric Moss and Allan Lee) who agreed with the ban, describing The Bahamas as a “Christian nation" though such a description is not accurate in law. The phrase “Christian nation" is often used loosely, meaning Christianity is the majority religion in the country. But The Bahamas is not a theocracy or religious state, such as the United Arab Emirates, where the film was also banned. The Bahamas is a democratic country whose constitution says there is an “abiding respect” for Christian values; values which themselves are open to interpretation.
Using the so-called “Christian nation" argument alone, there is a beautiful thing about Christianity in that it allows all individuals free will and choices. Democracies such as Jamaica and Singapore, where homosexuality is illegal, chose not to ban the movie, fully respecting this free will. Notably, The Bahamas Constitution (Protection of fundamental rights and freedoms - article 22) also guarantees all individuals religious freedom, freedom from religion and freedom of opinions.
Love 97 FM radio addressed the ban of Brokeback Mountain on its talk show on March 28, 2006. Lashawn Knowles, a Nassau resident, wrote in to the show saying, "The banning of this movie proves to me that this is not a democratic country where people can make their own decisions. If the movie is excluding children from viewing fine, but how is it that excluding adults is appropriate in a democratic society?"
On Feb. 19, 2006, a gay man said he was brutally beaten by a security guard in a restaurant and later by police officers while in their custody.
The Rainbow Alliance was informed that a security guard started a fight with the man in the restaurant, after shouting anti-gay epithets at him. The guard, reportedly in jest, told the man to stop talking to a girl he was with and to “find a man” because he was gay. The gay man said he did not find the comments amusing and exchanged words with the more heavy-set guard who attacked him, reportedly punching him several times in the face. The police were called and both men were taken to a station downtown for questioning.
However, while the police allowed the security officer to go, they kept the gay man at the station for about six hours where they reportedly beat him as well. In the ordeal, he said four police officers called him anti-gay names while taking turns beating him – two female officers reportedly threw urine in his face. The man, who was severely bruised, was treated in hospital and required 10 stitches to close a wound at the back of his head.
LOCAL GLBT NEWS FROM 2005:
Other recent cases of blatant discrimination and mistreatment of gays in The Bahamas further demonstrate the level of homophobia and gay paranoia that exist in the country. These cases include the Miss Teen Bahamas (MTB) fiasco and the “gay shoes” incident where school girls were disciplined for wearing unisex footwear.
On Sep. 7, 2005, MTB Committeestripped its 18-year-old beauty queen of her crown because she admitted to being a lesbian. The teen queen made the revelation after it was rumored that she had a girlfriend. She also said the Pageant Committee failed to award her prizes that she had been owed. Though MTB only had an oral contract with the beauty queen, some people including local pastors, a morning radio personality and a newspaper editor, praised the committee for its action. The beauty queen later took legal action against MTB.
MTB, now under new management, said at a press conference on March 1, 2006, that it would allow gays to enter its pageants. However, the Committee in a new contract indicated that if a queen reveals her sexual orientation, whether publicly or privately, she would be stripped of her crown. It is doubtful whether a new teen queen would be de-crowned if she expresses a desire to get married to a man during her reign. This would clearly be revealing a heterosexual orientation.
In the so-called gay shoes incident, on Sep. 9, 2005, it was reported that about 50 girls at a public high school in southern New Providence were made to stand in the hot sun as punishment for wearing what were described as “gay shoes.” Apparently, the girls were being reviewed by a senior teacher for possible uniform irregularities when they were told that their shoes were “gay shoes” and should not be worn females. The students indicated that the shoes were the broad-mouth Clarke’s unisex brand. Despite complaints from concerned and angry parents, two more girls were reportedly disciplined in the same manner the following day. Then on Feb. 1, 2006, deputy director of government school security for the Northern Bahamas, Stephen Plakaris, told The Freeport News that there was a "problem with lesbianism" in Grand Bahama's high schools.
LOCAL GLBT NEWS FROM 2004:
Meantime, the United States 2005 Country Report on Human Rights, criticized The Bahamas’ treatment of homosexuals. The report’s “Societal Abuses and Discrimination” section was published in the local newspapers on March 9, 2006. Based in part on incidents in 2004 (Bishop Sam Greene’s comments and the gay cruise protest), the report said religious-based homophobia was widespread in The Bahamas and that the then government was promoting opposition to homosexuality. The United States Embassy was especially concerned about the level of anti-gay hysteria here in 2004 when the Rosie O'Donnell Gay Family Values Cruise visited Nassau. In a July 15, 2004 statement, the day before the cruise docked, the Embassy said it was “interested in the protection and welfare of U.S. citizens living and visiting The Bahamas.”
There was a church-led demonstration against the cruise and many of the estimated 100 protestors confronted disembarking passengers. The protestors were fired up by a prominent pastor who later appeared on a radio show and then wrote a newspaper article about why people "choose" to be attracted to members of the same sex. He described it all in the context of the so-called "gay agenda" - a phrase obviously used to vilify us because of our opinions. Our agenda/plan/desire is to continue to fight for the same rights with respect to our relationships as heterosexuals.
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas is a support and advocacy group for persons in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.”
We formed in May 1999. And although we have about 12 full-time members, based on positive feedback from the public through phone calls, e-mails as well as newspaper and blogcommentaries, we know that the number of people (heterosexuals included) who support our quest for equality is in the hundreds.
It was out of a need to stand against discrimination and homophobia in The Bahamas. Even in 2009, gays and lesbians are losing their jobs based on their sexuality alone. Some of us have been boldly told that our sexuality was the reason for our termination. Unfortunately, the Employment Bill of 2001, which had a clause barring discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, was passed with that clause removed.
There is no legislation in The Bahamas that addresses basic human rights concerns of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender (GLBT or LGBT) people. In fact, discrimination is written into existing laws regarding our relationships. These unjust laws, mentioned below, have given us reason for being.
Homosexual relations between consenting adults have been legal in The Bahamas since July 1991, but the age of consent is two years higher than that for heterosexuals – 18 vs. 16. Adult heterosexual men can legally engage in sexual activity with 16 year-old girls, though these teens are considered minors. Homosexual men however, have been charged before the courts for having consensual sex with 16 and 17 year-old males. Apart from this disparity, unlike many other countries that promote equality regardless of sexual orientation, homosexuals here face another form of discrimination in Section 16 of our Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act.
This Act says any adult found engaging in sexual activity in a public place with another adult of the same sex is committing an offence, subject to prosecution with prison sentences of up to 20 years. Discrimination against us here could not be any more blatant as this law does not apply to opposite-sex couples. Heterosexuals found having sex in public places are not singled out for prosecution, as they are not committing an offence by default. They are only seen to be breaking the law if in the rare instance; someone makes a complaint, deeming their act offensive. Also, the language of the Act, borrowed from our colonial masters, is inherently biased against gays and lesbians. Based on a heterosexist value judgment, the legislation refers to sexual activity between members of the same sex as an “unnatural crime.”
Unfortunately, successive governments have shown no political will in correcting these injustices or enacting any anti-gay discrimination legislation. The last Speech from the Throne, read by Governor General Arthur D. Hanna in 2008, included a broad statement of the government’s interest in protecting the most vulnerable in society and respecting human rights. However, the Throne Speech the previous year, read by Mr Hanna included similar progressive-sounding language. Still, no anti-gay discrimination legislation was introduced.
In addition, the Constitutional Reform Commission, which had been reviewing the country’s unamended 1973 Supreme law for three years, failed to consider a person’s sexual orientation as an attribute deserving of protection from discrimination. The Commission presented a preliminary report to the previous government on March 21, 2006. It indicated that equal treatment be afforded to all citizens regardless of sex and gender but a prominent lawyer noted that there was still inequity between the sexes in the report regarding heterosexual marriage. He criticized the Commission, which did not seek to recommend changes.
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas is committed to affirming the dignity, diversity and human rights of all human beings.”
We believe strongly in fairness and justice for all; the right of every human being to dignity, to equal protection under the law, the right to live without discrimination and victimization regardless of political affiliation, religion, nationality, physical disability, age, race, creed, gender, sex and sexual orientation.
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas, through education and advocacy, will create support mechanisms to empower the GLBT community and raise public awareness with a view to ending discrimination in all its dehumanizing forms.”
The Bahamas, which is signatory to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, is obligated to ensure that fundamental rights and the protection from discrimination are afforded to all of its citizens. However, because there is no law here protecting sexual minorities from discrimination, many of us still live deep in the closet. Though a life in the closet is one of deception, lies and open to blackmail, many of us feel safer there than to be honest about ourselves and be a target for discrimination, victimization as well as verbal and physical abuse.
Fortunately today, RAB has come to the forefront, standing against these vices and for the basic civil rights of everyone, which includes gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
RAB is actually made up of members of older GLBT groups that were active in the 1990s, BGLAD (Bahamian Gays and Lesbians Against Discrimination) and Hope TEA (Hope Through Education and Awareness). Those groups eventually merged into one and are now known as RAB.
We also have a close link with international GLBT supportive organizations such as IFGE (International Federation for Gender Education) and IGLHRC (International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission).
Instead of having a traditional 'top down' structure, headed by a president, we have an egalitarian system. It is a circle where every person is equally as important as the next, and as responsible to the group as the next. An egalitarian structure requires everyone to be present, powerful, responsible, thoughtful; to have a say. We operate by consensus, which means that everyone present has to come to an agreement that everyone can live with.
We also take turns on who will host or facilitate our meetings. However, the facilitator’s responsibility is merely to “steer” the meeting; her/his ideas are no more or less important than any other person seated in the circle. Everyone in the circle is the center of the circle and everyone is as responsible to the group as the person sitting next to him/her. That is the power of an egalitarian structure.
International callers sometimes ask this question and so we’ve put together a pie chart (on the left) based on information we have gathered over several years. We know for a fact that there are thousands of homosexuals in The Bahamas; the overwhelming majority of whom are in the closet. We know this because there are at least one thousand gays and lesbians who are into the club scene (the regulars). Another one thousand or so go out far less frequently, while more closeted homosexuals avoid going to public places where gays are known to hang out, mainly out of fear of being identified. Instead they reach out to us on the phone because it gives them some degree of anonymity.
The most closeted homosexuals of them all here are company executives and high-ranking church and government officials who, because of their job title, would be shunned by society if they were to become openly gay. These homosexuals keep an extremely low profile and often enter arranged heterosexual marriages for cover.
There is an even larger group (perhaps 25 to 30 percent of the population) who identify as bisexual or “On the DL” (down low). Interestingly, bisexual or down low men often admit to us that their sexual attraction for members of the same sex is much greater than for the opposite sex. However, because of stigma associated with being gay, they adopt a heterosexual persona and often pretend to be anti-gay around their female partners and straight men.
From a national perspective, the population of The Bahamas according to the 2000 census was 303,611. If 5 to 10 percent of a country’s population is believed to be homosexual then 15,000 Bahamians (using the more conservative 5 percent estimate) make up the gay and lesbian community. The bisexual community is estimated to be about a quarter of the population while heterosexuals make up about two-thirds. These numbers are obviously not scientifically correct but they give you a general idea.
For general queries about our group feel free to call our hotline in Nassau at: 242-455-7242 or our U.S. number (redirected to Nassau):404-592-2664 E-mail: bahamianglad@yahoo.com or 3genders@coralwave.com We are a non-profit organization and donations are accepted.
If you wish to join, you'd find that the process is easy - we do not request any special requirements of you. As long as you are of legal age and a supporter of equal rights for all human beings, you qualify to become a member. You can also instantly join our Yahoo Group for lively discussions, opinion pieces, or just to keep up to date with our plans.
10. I'm doing research on gay rights in The Bahamas, can you suggest some sites where I can find information?
Actually, you are at the right place. Our site is the most comprehensive when it comes to information on gay rights/struggles/news in The Bahamas. The information on this page is also supported by a number of external links that give you even more details. We frequently search the Internet for GLBT information relevant to The Bahamas and link the information to our page to make it easy for you to find. The following are other links that may prove useful:
Homosexuality is a human sexual orientation in which a woman or man is attracted emotionally, sexually and spiritually to a person of the same sex. It is a normal orientation that exists in every culture and has existed since recorded time. It appears within approximately 10 percent of the population, according to surveys within the last 30 years. How societies relate to homosexuality depends on those societies' understanding of sexuality, God/the Sacred, and difference.
2. In 2004, Baptist Bishop Sam Greene threatened to blow up parliament if the government had legalized gay marriage. What was your reaction?
I was outraged, spiritually and morally offended. While the Bishop (the then President of The Bahamas Christian Council) has every right to his opinions and feelings, to express a will to violence because of his anger at the existence of lesbians and gay men was, and remains to me, unacceptable. It is unacceptable to me as a Christian who believes in Jesus' message of love thy neighbor and his message of compassion and mercy and non-violence.
His behavior was a rejection of Jesus' core teachings and I find that hypocritical of one who calls himself Christian and a leader in that religion. Secondly, his statements are unacceptable to me as a man who is attracted to other men. Lesbians and gay men are a normal part of every society and are deserving of dignity and freedom from cruel and inhumane treatment. We have a right to be here. (Click here for RAB’s response to media sensationalism over the issue.)
3. How do you think homosexuality will impact the family?
You have asked this question as if homosexuality just appeared days ago. It hasn't. As I said previously, homosexuals have been a part of society since recorded time. They have been part of families since that time. They impact their families in many of the same ways that non-homosexuals do. They love their parents, they stand up for their sisters and brothers, they have arguments, they laugh, they help support the family, they help prepare meals and clean up afterwards... but here's a difference, they also teach their families about respecting differences; they help teach their families about acceptance and compassion; they teach their families how to love in a cruel world when so many are cultivating hatred.
The real question, as I see it, is "How does homophobia impact the family?" It is homophobia - the fear of intimacy between persons of the same sex - that divides loved ones from each other. It is homophobia that causes parents to throw away their children, forces young people to grow up with devastatingly low self-esteem, attempt suicide, and often succeed. Homophobia robs us of each other.
4. How do you think homosexuality will impact the Bahamian society?
Homosexuals have long been a part of Bahamian society since its inception. And homosexuals have already contributed to every aspect of Bahamian society, from the legal to the religious; from the arts to sports and beyond. Bahamian gays and lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people have helped to create a Bahamas that is rich culturally, intellectually and spiritually. Homophobia on the other hand, has rendered so many of us invisible, robbing this community of the knowledge of our true stories and contributions, which is the reason you were able to ask this question at all.
My experiences have shaped my views. I consider my attraction to and love for a man as sacred. I have experienced the love and friendship and strength and courage within the gay community very powerfully. It is my experience of these relationships, which tells me the truth about who we are and allows me to recognize the lies which are told by those who embrace hatred and homophobia.
Secondly, it is my experience of God and my experience of Jesus that tells me I am right to be who I am, and that I am a sacred being. This is central to my understanding of myself and of other human beings and life in general. My experience of how Christianity is taught, especially in The Bahamas, is in opposition to my religious experiences. This Christianity has taught me to be ashamed of my body and of my sexuality (regardless of whom I am attracted). But my direct experience of the Sacred is complete acceptance of myself as a sacred creation, connected to all of life.
6. Do you feel openly gay priests/pastors should be allowed or accepted within the Church or the community?
Absolutely. I personally cannot accept any church that forces its members and leaders to hide a central part of their humanity. To do so is to build the church upon lies and secrets, which can only erupt eventually, causing great harm to all of us. Our sexuality is connected to our spirituality, whether we are heterosexual or homosexual or bisexual. To pretend it does not exist is to suppress a powerful force within us, which could teach us so much about being human, being in sacred relationship with other human beings. Again, we rob our community of so much when we have to hide fundamental parts of our humanity.
The problem is not sexual orientation or homosexuality, the problem is that we have learned to disconnect our sexuality from the Sacred, and therefore our perceptions of sexuality in general are negative. There are negative ways of behaving sexually, which any person is capable of, but sexuality, as an aspect of being human, is sacred.
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas is a support and advocacy group for persons in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.”
It was out of a need to stand against discrimination and homophobia in The Bahamas. Even in 2009, gays and lesbians are losing their jobs based on their sexuality alone. Some of us have been boldly told that our sexuality was the reason for our termination. Unfortunately, the Employment Bill of 2001, which had a clause barring discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, was passed with that clause removed.
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas is committed to affirming the dignity, diversity and human rights of all human beings.”
“The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas, through education and advocacy, will create support mechanisms to empower the GLBT community and raise public awareness with a view to ending discrimination in all its dehumanizing forms.”
RAB is actually made up of members of older GLBT groups that were active in the 1990s, BGLAD (Bahamian Gays and Lesbians Against Discrimination) and Hope TEA (Hope Through Education and Awareness). Those groups eventually merged into one and are now known as RAB.
Instead of having a traditional 'top down' structure, headed by a president, we have an egalitarian system. It is a circle where every person is equally as important as the next, and as responsible to the group as the next. An egalitarian structure requires everyone to be present, powerful, responsible, thoughtful; to have a say. We operate by consensus, which means that everyone present has to come to an agreement that everyone can live with.
International callers sometimes ask this question and so we’ve put together a pie chart (on the left) based on information we have gathered over several years. We know for a fact that there are thousands of homosexuals in The Bahamas; the overwhelming majority of whom are in the closet. We know this because there are at least one thousand gays and lesbians who are into the club scene (the regulars). Another one thousand or so go out far less frequently, while more closeted homosexuals avoid going to public places where gays are known to hang out, mainly out of fear of being identified. Instead they reach out to us on the phone because it gives them some degree of anonymity.
There is an even larger group (perhaps 25 to 30 percent of the population) who identify as bisexual or “On the DL” (down low). Interestingly, bisexual or down low men often admit to us that their sexual attraction for members of the same sex is much greater than for the opposite sex. However, because of stigma associated with being gay, they adopt a heterosexual persona and often pretend to be anti-gay around their female partners and straight men.
For general queries about our group feel free to call our hotline in Nassau at: 242-455-7242 or our U.S. number (redirected to Nassau):404-592-2664
Actually, you are at the right place. Our site is the most comprehensive when it comes to information on gay rights/struggles/news in The Bahamas. The information on this page is also supported by a number of external links that give you even more details. We frequently search the Internet for GLBT information relevant to The Bahamas and link the information to our page to make it easy for you to find. The following are other links that may prove useful:
Homosexuality is a human sexual orientation in which a woman or man is attracted emotionally, sexually and spiritually to a person of the same sex. It is a normal orientation that exists in every culture and has existed since recorded time. It appears within approximately 10 percent of the population, according to surveys within the last 30 years. How societies relate to homosexuality depends on those societies' understanding of sexuality, God/the Sacred, and difference.
I was outraged, spiritually and morally offended. While the Bishop (the then President of The Bahamas Christian Council) has every right to 
You have asked this question as if homosexuality just appeared days ago. It hasn't. As I said previously, homosexuals have been a part of society since recorded time. They have been part of families since that time. They impact their families in many of the same ways that non-homosexuals do. They love their parents, they stand up for their sisters and brothers, they have arguments, they laugh, they help support the family, they help prepare meals and clean up afterwards... but here's a difference, they also teach their families about respecting differences; they help teach their families about acceptance and compassion; they teach their families how to love in a cruel world when so many are cultivating hatred.
Homosexuals have long been a part of Bahamian society since its inception. And homosexuals have already contributed to every aspect of Bahamian society, from the legal to the religious; from the arts to sports and beyond. Bahamian gays and lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people have helped to create a Bahamas that is rich culturally, intellectually and spiritually. Homophobia on the other hand, has rendered so many of us invisible, robbing this community of the knowledge of our true stories and contributions, which is the reason you were able to ask this question at all.
My experiences have shaped my views. I consider my attraction to and love for a man as sacred. I have experienced the love and friendship and strength and courage within the gay community very powerfully. It is my experience of these relationships, which tells me the truth about who we are and allows me to recognize the lies which are told by those who embrace hatred and homophobia.
Absolutely. I personally cannot accept any church that forces its members and leaders to hide a central part of their humanity. To do so is to build the church upon lies and secrets, which can only erupt eventually, causing great harm to all of us. Our sexuality is connected to our spirituality, whether we are heterosexual or homosexual or bisexual. To pretend it does not exist is to suppress a powerful force within us, which could teach us so much about being human, being in sacred relationship with other human beings. Again, we rob our community of so much when we have to hide fundamental parts of our humanity.