Dominican Educator believes buggery laws should be decriminalized

Interesting similarities to our local scenario on the HIV/MSM access to healthcare landscape.
A local family life educator in Dominica believes that the decriminalization of the island's buggery laws should be given consideration.Valda Bruno-Durand told a press conference organised by the Dominica Planned Parenthood Association recently that the issue should also be about accepting an individual.“It’s about accepting the choice an individual make. In terms of our laws, we know the laws against homosexuality. I think we should see it as an issue of development and an issue of health. It is now being seen as a moral and religious issue. People say things like our country will be damned; our society will become Sodom and Gomorrah.

As we see now Jamaica is not the only Caribbean territory struggling with this issue of MSM sex and HIV/AIDS intervention coupled with efforts from the religious community to chastise GLBT people by beating them with the Bible and condemnatory remarks and endorsing ecclesiastically tinged old colonial buggery laws to stifle personal freedoms. This educator like some of our local HIV experts have also spoken out to demand revision or decriminalization of the buggery laws or at least some considerations so we can deal with properly serving the MSM community in terms of treatment and education is often met with deafening silence or outright opposition from weak politicians and the religious bigots who pander to the so called popular sentiments to remain politically viable.

"You hear all these things and we seem to leave out the human aspect of it,” she said. Bruno-Durand, who is an outspoken human rights activist, also gave a religious spin on the matter. She said persons must also remember that God makes no mistake. "We use the bible as our weapon but we leave out certain aspects. No one is asking that you should become a homosexual. We are also not saying that homosexuals should be going around and encourage other individuals to become homosexuals. That is not what the issue is about.
It is about helping young persons progress,” she said.Meantime Bruno-Durand said men who have sex with men are not coming forward to get tested for HIV/AIDS. She said decriminalization of homosexuality could prompt gays to come forward and get tested.“In Dominica, in terms of our HIV statistics, we have more men than women who are testing positive.

The statistics is baffling because that is only a situation in Dominica. Everywhere else, the rates of infections are highest in women. Dominica has a very high MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) population and this is what is driving the epidemic,” he said.She said the matter should be looked at in a positive way.“We need to see how we can create a better society and not how we can pass judgment on the individuals. Too many times we tend to judge too quickly,” she added.
Buggery or homosexuality is illegal in Dominica.

Buggery in my estimation however is not homosexuality and is also practised by heterosexual couples although it is hard to quantify the levels here in Jamaica since it is a taboo issue.

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excerpts from Dominica online