Social activist and spokesperson for the LGBTI community in The Bahamas Erin Greene says she and the community at large are troubled by the commentary surrounding the recent pulse night club shooting in Orlando, Florida this past Sunday.
The incident described as the worst mass shooting in American history, claimed the lives of 50 people, including the assailant.
Ms.Greene suggests that an incident of this magnitude happening in The Bahamas is not that farfetched.
“The LGBTI Community is very concerned that the responses and commentary by Bahamians surrounding the Orlando incident suggests that type of incident could happen in The Bahamas as well.
“We have politicians, members of government, religious leaders who are creating an environment through their speech and their actions that make an event like this possible,” said Ms. Greene.
With one of the underlying notions surrounding the overwhelming rejection of the four proposed bills in the most recent referendum, was the alleged push of a homosexual agenda and that persons in the LGBTI community should not participate in the process, something Ms. Greene says that is completely ridiculous.
“Generally the community is concerned about the level of vitriol, violence and anger directed towards the community and for a number of reasons it’s ridiculous to think that LGBTI Bahamians would not participate in a legal exercise that impacts their lives.
“It is ridiculous for Bahamians to think that persons in the LGBTI community would not participate in a legal exercise that requires the entire citizenry inclusive of the electorate and the voting population. It is ridiculous to think that the LGBTI community would silence themselves and not offer their opinions on a process that affects the entire country,” Ms. Greene said.
Greene added that Bahamians are not truly informed about the true elements of a democracy, which entitles rights to all citizens.
“The negative responses; the hate speech; the threats of death; threats of violence suggest that Bahamians are generally unaware of the principles that created the country – they’re unaware of what a democracy means, what citizenship means, what are the obligations and responsibilities of the citizens.
“It also suggests that Bahamians live in an illusion that The Bahamas is a theocratic state and that our rules are based on Christian doctrine,” Ms. Greene said.
There have been calls recently from local activists namely Paco Nunez of the GBHRA for parliamentarians to fast track hate-crime legislation within the country
