Valerie Woods Panel on LGBT Belizeans and Women at Victory Fund Conference
December 8th, 2018 Women in Belize continue to experience violence, discrimination, unequal treatment and disrespect. Our LGBT sisters and brothers experience these challenges and much worse. Just as women rights are human rights, so too are LGBT rights. It really is not about special treatment. It is about fair treatment and appreciating that our LGBT sisters and brothers are citizens of Belize too. If our laws don’t protect some of us and if our laws discriminate against some of us then our laws are not working for all of us. Religious beliefs can sometimes cause people to turn a blind eye to some difficult issues that need to be addressed. No one is asking parliamentarians to go against their religious beliefs. However, a parliamentarian’s religious belief should never supersede another person’s constitutional right. Everyone is entitled to human rights and these rights should not always have to be fought for and secured through litigation. It is important that ele