The Curtains Always fall in Advancing LGBT Rights in Belize, but...

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 11th September, 2020

"History despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." Maya Angelou. In filling section 53 with the leadership of The University of West Indies Rights Advocacy Project was history making in the region. It generated 300 plus interviews over a decade, nationally and numerous references in the international press.   

I was on the world stage meeting diplomats, parliamentarians, prime ministers, Lords and Baroness, often, making interventions about strategy and resources that led to five years of grants. We were the first case that helped launch The Human Dignity Trust global mandate to decriminalize same sex intimacy around the world.  The case triggered, constitutional march protest, a menacing message from an old classmate and  threats from evangelical believers in Belize. But this is not about, threats or legal launches or the high level relationships.There were global decriminalization  meetings in Namibian and South Africa with Barbados being the last, with lots of panel discussions. The excitement of action in the CARICOM region led to, reservation and with Trinidad and Tobago pulling its legal curtain down to decriminalize and eastern Caribbean states filing 5 cases to their regional Court.  This is about the soul sucking nature of the work that  generated praises and demanded personal sacrifice. This is about the emotional curtain that have not been lifted because the work is never ending, ungrateful in its expectations, isolating in its journey and unsecured act that demanded a leap of faith.


At the national level, we won at the Supreme Court on August 10th, 2016 and won again at the Court of Appeals on 30th December, 2020. The case remain foundational in the acknowledgement of case law the L.G.B.T. Belizeans have fundamental rights. It did nothing to dismantle systemic violence that is perpetrated by exclusionary laws, economic discrimination and inadequate budget allocation. It did nothing to strengthen a victim framework that was inclusive, accessible and helpful in the enforcement of the civil rights of the population. Whether an intentional global design or unintentional, demand for doing more has not diminished, but secure support has changed in scope and focus.    

While a  couple new donor came, the old donor disappeared as Belize met its long term outcome of decriminalization. The donor curtain fell, right along with the international and national media curtain as well. While its not an unexpected surprise in the cycle of institutional relationships it is clear that priorities shift over time along with resources in the theory of change. On any issue, non-governmental organization have, but limited time, to advance the theory of change with a donor, ensuring that new donors are found. Though change occurred, the structural barriers  were left untouched at the national level by anyone donor. 

For Belize, law reform in hate crime, family law, The Equal Opportunities Bill, developing enforcement and investigative frameworks that support victims, and navigating the state justice services are life long matters that demand civil society monitoring. The curtains may have fell, but the quality of life issues remain, the inequity in our justice system and the need for drivers, advocate to support victims of violence in our system.



The evolution of civil rights work demands that we build on reputation generated at the national and international level, it demands a fierceness in visible advocacy and a bureaucratizing of interventions.  When we started, there was no Financial Intelligent Unit, now there is one. There was only one LGBT organization, now there is four.There was no progress on anti-discrimination legislation, now it goes to standing committee for parliament on Wednesday.

The curtain may have fallen, but a new one has been put up to dismantle systemic violence across national and international systems. As we develop systems that matter to our LGBT population that offer lessons to affect all social groups. Maya Angelou, was right, history, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived by the individual. While courage is demanded from the individuals, vigilance is demanded for organizations and marginalize populations to ensure that pain informs the community to build systems of support and raise their voices in public. The pain need not be lived again, but the caveat, is, if we are lucky. With the Holocaust, it was," never again" then we had Cambodia,  Sudan, Libya and Rwanda. Are we going to be lucky, to see an evolution in our history. I don't know! What I do know is that the lessons are raising the bar of advocacy action, now. Natasha Bedingfield, once said, " the rest is still unwritten." Now we wait and work with great patience or impatience! I am guilt of the latter.


Source:

No to Gender Policy goes to Dangriga  

Minister Alamilla appalled by Hanging UniBAM Effigy

Court of Appeals Upholds Chief Justice decision on section 53


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