Two organizations representing members of the gay community are crying shame on the culprits who hurled stones and homophobic slurs at a flag person during Grand Kadooment, with the head of one group calling on the authorities to acknowledge that hate crimes do exist in Barbados.
Police public relations officer Inspector David Welch confirmed that lawmen had received a report that Justin Poleon, the flag person for the Youth Explosion band, was struck with stones as he passed along Green Hill, St Michael.
Barbados Gays, Lesbians And All-Sexuals Against Discrimination (B-GLAD) said yesterday that it was “extremely saddened that people in our country are still of this backward and ignorant mindset, to hate, hurt and despise what they don’t agree with or understand”.
Joining in condemning the actions, the president and founder of the United Gays and Lesbians against AIDS Barbados (UGLAB), Darcy Dear, told the MIDWEEK NATION that it was time for the powers that be and the church to open their eyes to the fact that gays are targeted.
“Usually when there is anything like this, the church and others say that it is not a group doing these things, that it is a person that didn’t have anything better to do.
“They don’t take it seriously . . . . Until such persons and institutions start to take it seriously that people do go out of their way to harm people that they think are different, then I think we all have our work cut out,” he said, adding that decriminalizing buggery would be a step in the right direction.
