By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Christian Council has used “trickery” and encouraged violence against the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community, instead of rejecting continued injustices toward the minority group as the organisation is mandated to do.

This assertion came from Alexus D’Marco, chair of the Bahamas Organisation of LGBTI Affairs, and an organiser of a pride parade slated for next year. BCC president Delton Fernander on Monday told reporters the organisation would not support the event, adding there were plans to host an opposing rally to make its position known.

He told the media that in the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Dorian, now is not the time to “play games with our faith”.

Further, he said, the church would be asking Bahamians to choose a side and likened the plans for the pride parade to a “Sodom and Gomorrah” moment.

The comments drew criticism from Ms D’Marco who said yesterday it opened the community to added violence and tensions at a time when it already faces these injustices.

She said the organisation’s requests to meet with the BCC had also been ignored.

“I think what it is the church and people need to recognise is that the church is a non-governmental organisation and they have a mandate to follow, which they follow the Judeo-Christian Bible and he’s exercising I guess his right as an NGO to speak on how he feels about LGBTI community or the event,” Ms D’Marco told The Tribune yesterday.

“The reality is the event is about the injustices the Bahamas LGBTI community faces as citizens living in their own country and if you are an NGO that believes that injustices to any person is wrong then you should be aligning yourself with the cause of LGBTI people of the Bahamas.”

She continued: “He’s using trickery. He’s using the Bible as an excuse for spiritual violence against a grouping of people.

“They don’t stand on the fence and say ‘Are you a fornicator stand on this side?’ They cherry pick and they use these things against the community, which is violence, which can incite extra violence for a community that’s already receiving violence.

“The interpretation of pride, they are basing it on what they see on TV or what they research on the internet. They have never actually seen a Bahamas LGBTI pride that will fit our context and our climate. Once they see that then they can make their assumptions.

“Don’t assume what you think pride is to us because that’s not what it is to us. Pride is about exposing, sensitising, educating about injustices that we see as a community, which is a grassroot activity.”

Ms D’Marco said requests were made for a meeting with the BCC to sensitise the organisation ahead of the announcement of the pride event, but nothing ever materialised.

“We have sent numerous communications, emails in regards to having this dialogue prior to Pride, so when Pride was announced they would have already been sensitised to what Pride was about or what the community faces. Not even about Pride but what our community faces on the whole.

“We sent e-mails repeatedly about having this dialogue.”

Pride Bahamas 2020’s theme is “The Rebirth of Pride Bahamas Centering LGBTIQA People in The Bahamas’ Future”.

In a statement posted on Facebook, organisers said the event signaled the beginning of a new start in the country.

“At the heart of this are discussions around what the Bahamas should look to as it seeks to respect, tolerate and include LGBTI Bahamians,” the statement read.

“At no point in the conversation should the domination of the church or religious groups materialise. We aim to bring religious LGBTI persons and allies together to celebrate their faith.

“As much as the Bahamas Christian Council may misrepresent the LGBTI community and the movement, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. While they are praising undisturbed, we will be celebrating Pride undisturbed. While they misinform the public about what we want, we share with the public the truth about what we want.

“We are coexisting and both the LGBTI movement and the church agree that this coexistence should be a non-violent one.

“Freedom of speech is alive and well and so is freedom of religion. Inequality and discrimination continues to be an issue for LGBTI and other marginalised communities and we hope that with the continued cooperation and partnership with our government, we can see this change for the betterment of all.”