Weekend of celebration for LGBT community in Saint Lucia

This weekend is a big one for the LGBTQ community in Saint Lucia (an island nation located on an island of the same name in the windward Islands of the West Indies). On Saturday the group host a knowledge and health fair in the William Peter Boulevard, an event supported by other civic-minded groups.

The first gay pride included activities aimed at educating and sensitising the general public, as well as nurturing the dignity of LGBT people on Saint Lucia, a public activities and the Family Day and Health Fair, which included health talks and screenings, congratulatory speeches, performances and giveaways.

Topics such as “why are you so antagonistic about a person whose sexuality is different from the norm” and “what you feel is so wrong in society as an LGBTQ person,” among many other topics was used to engage Saint Lucians to talk openly about that group of people who are said to be marginalised in the country.

Maria Fontenelle, a member of Saint Lucia Pride Committee, said the movement towards equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people in Saint Lucia has been resilient, rich and uniquely immersed in the diverse complexities of LGBTQ culture and local culture.“Over several decades Saint Lucia has experienced a growth in LGBTQ realisation and visibility,” she added.

There has been opposition on the island to activities organized by the LGBTQ community particularly from religious groups on the island. While people living in Saint Lucia face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT members of the population. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal, however the law is not enforced.

But despite the fact that the church was against LGBTQ, the head of the Catholic Church in Saint Lucia, Archbishop Robert Rivas finally said: “The church is not against gays or lesbians — the church is maybe against the activity where there is a moral issue, but in terms of the person, the church will always love the person and care for the person as Jesus did.”