The first-ever gay pride event in the Bahamas was canceled this weekend due to death threats. Via the
Nassau Guardian:
A gay pride event that started on Friday on Grand Bahama that was supposed to continue through tomorrow was cut short as members of the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community abandoned it out of fear of repercussions from irate members of the public even as police remained on high alert for any signs of trouble, Victor Rollins, one of the organizers of the event, told The Nassau Guardian yesterday. Rollins said he received death threats on his Facebook page after posting pictures of event attendees holding gay pride flags along with Bahamian flags on a beach yesterday. Rollins said the backlash came quickly starting Thursday after organizers issued a press release in support of the event, which was held at Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort. He said local talk shows were a particular source of vitriol, with many claiming God would judge The Bahamas for allowing a gay pride event to take place and some people wishing harm on those involved and members of the LGBT more generally. He said that no one from the Bahamian LGBT who said they would come to the event and even those who were to be honored at the event showed up.
The Bahamas decriminalized homosexuality in 1991, but anti-gay violence and discrimination remains common - as it does throughout much of the Caribbean.
Labels: Bahamas, Caribbean, gay Pride
