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On behalf of our entire organisation, I would like to extend our deepest apologies and support to the same-sex couple that was assaulted last week on the basis of their sexual orientation. Although the Cayman Islands, regrettably, lacks any formal legislation specifying which criminal acts would be considered “hate crime,” that is clearly what this incident should be observed as and no one in our LGBTQIA+ community should ever have to be subjected to it.

I sincerely wish both of the victims a fast recovery and warmly invite them to reach out to our organisation should they require any additional assistance or resources. We are here for you.

Colours Caribbean has been working hard for years now on reviewing and revising legislation affecting our LGBTQIA+ community alongside policymakers and other stakeholders, surrounding a number of SOGIESC issues related to bullying, discrimination, stalking, etc. and we will continue to do so at every given opportunity. We have taken our educational workshops on gender and sexuality to both government and schools in an effort to mitigate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia against our most vulnerable individuals. We also coordinated and conducted the first ever cultural sensitivity training for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Red Cross to educate our law enforcers on the many risks and threats facing our community and how best to navigate them. We have even met with Premier Wayne Panton recently, who spoke with members of our Colours Youth Programme to directly address their concerns on issues facing our LGBTQIA+ youth.

Our organisation has always strived to foster a safe and comfortable social environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and others outside of the gender binary in the Cayman Islands. We champion a message of being “visibly strong” in the face of the many dangerous beliefs that permeate our nation.

Unfortunately, despite all of the progress we’ve made, it is painfully evident that there is still much work to be done. There are still many who do not feel comfortable displaying acts of affection with their partners in public for fear of assault or harassment. Worse yet, many do not even feel comfortable reporting acts of assault or harassment to the police or other persons of authority when they do happen for fear of being ignored or facing further abuse and stigma. Those identifying as LGBTQIA+ often have no choice but to remain silent, else risk creating an unsafe environment at their place of work or losing their employment entirely. This is why we must step up and take action.

We will be following up with the Premier, the RCIPS and the Governor’s Office this week to discuss what more our government and our political leaders as well as our organisation can do to reduce discrimination and harm towards our LGBTQIA+ community as much as possible. We are also pushing for the UK Government to take action against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia across the region by instituting proper legal protections that are long overdue.

Meanwhile, I implore anyone who has more information on the incident of assault against the same-sex couple to go directly to the RCIPS or communicate with Colours Caribbean confidentially.

Lastly, I’d like to encourage anyone who feels they or someone they know is at risk or unsafe because of their gender identity or sexual orientation to contact me or our organisation for support. We are ready and willing to help and more than likely can provide you with the resources you need.