The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) in St. Kitts and Nevis are attempting to form an association, spearheaded by the St. Kitts-Nevis Gay-Straight Alliance for Progress.
The St. Kitts/Nevis Gay-Straight Alliance for Progress (SKN-GAP) founded in 2014, describes itself on its Facebook page as “a high-impact NGO, bridging the GAP where Caribbean governments failed regional LGBT”.
LGBT individuals have been invited to the SKNGAP’s first monthly general meeting at 6pm today, Wednesday, January 13.
The location of the meeting was not revealed in a publicized announcement, however a phone number was provided for interested persons to call for further information.
While homosexual females are largely ‘accepted’ dressing in male clothing, the citizenry has for the most part expressed intolerance for the reversal- men wearing female clothing in public.
A few young gay men over recent years began dressing as women, including wearing makeup and weaves.
During the December carnival, some of these opted to wear brazen female bodysuits during J’ouvert, causing quite a stir in Basseterre.
Several persons, in speaking with The Observer, gave mixed opinions on the spectacle. Some decried the men donning the revealing outfits while others said they “saw nothing wrong it”.
“At least they are not pretending; they are not in the closet living double lives like a lot of men in St. Kitts and Nevis,” one female said.
A store-owner told this media house in December that she refused to sell such individuals female clothes when they were shopping for carnival outfits.
“Let them go by somebody else with their nastiness. What they are doing cannot be right,” she said.
For a number of years there has been sporadic debate on gay and lesbian rights in the Federation.
Former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas in 2013, had said the LGBT community had a right to express their identity and should not be condemned.
“Discuss the issue, stop the discrimination, stop the stigmatization and let us therefore discuss this matter in an open, mature and frank way…” he said.
LGBT communities across the world continue to advocate for equal rights; same-sex marriage is legal in approximately 16 countries, including the US as of June 2015.
Dr. Douglas had said same-sex marriage was an issue that would soon require national debate.
By LK Hewlett
Source: The St. Kitts And Nevis Observer
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