The Save Our Bahamas organization is throwing its support behind Dame Joan Sawyer after she said she would be voting no to all of the Gender Equality referendum questions and called it “a waste of time”.

Since the former Court of Appeal president made her statement, she has received mounting backlash.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson said the referendum is an “historic opportunity” to grant everyone equal rights.

Save The Bahamas, which is a proponent of the Vote No campaign, said like most Bahamians, it appreciates the retired justice’s right to express her opinion on the upcoming referendum.

“We believe that she has earned the respect of her country and the right as a Bahamian to speak on any national issue without being demonized simply because she does not agree with the position of the government and the Vote Yes Campaign,” Save Our Bahamas said in a press statement.

“After all, we believe that Dame Sawyer is eminently qualified to interpret the Constitution of The Bahamas having served as the first Bahamian female Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the first Bahamian female President of the Court of Appeal. Save Our Bahamas Vote No Committee would like to remind the government as well as members of the Vote Yes Campaign that The Bahamas is a democratic nation and as such the views of all citizens should be heard and respected.”

Dame Joan has admitted that she had not read the questions in its entirety, but relied solely on what has been reported in the local media.

Bill one stated that a married Bahamian woman will have the same rights as a married Bahamian man to pass her the citizenship on to child; next bill two proposes that the foreign spouse of a Bahamian woman will have the same rights as the spouse of a Bahamians man to become a Bahamians citizen; then bill three proposes that an unmarried Bahamian man will have the same rights as an unmarried Bahamian woman to pass his citizenship on to his child; lastly bill four proposes that discrimination be removed from the constitution on the basis of sex.