LGBTI Community Observes 2nd Annual Pride Week
UNIBAM and its partner LGBT groups are observing Pride Week in Belize from August fourth to the twelfth. It is the second time the LGBT community is observing the week to celebrate and highlight the work and achievements. But Caleb Orosco says that this time around they are being more open to the public with their Pride Week. They want the wider public to be a part of the activities.
Simone Hill, Coordinator, PETAL
Simone Hill
“Such a momentous time. This is the second time we are celebrating Pride. All the organizations came together and agreed to do something and we chose this week of the fourth of august to the twelfth. It ties in with the tenth of august when the judgment was given in 2016. For many LGBTI persons in this country, they have been looking forward to something like this and to actually have organizations doing things like this around this time.”
Caleb Orosco
Caleb Orosco, President, UNIBAM
“There is almost no safe spaces where LGBTI people can be themselves. The events are not just to party. It is also to show that we have allies and those allies I would describe two to one. They are voters, people who provide support to LGBTI persons across this country. And in that process it is our way of honoring their support they have provided over the many generations. It is our process of showing that liberation is possible for to our community but that our community has to act. For us, it is not an issue of bringing heat. It is an issue of showing that entertainment and camaraderie are valued by all people in this country. But more importantly, when we talk of respect and fairness are not values of LGBTI. Those are values we share in this culture and as such the events are about giving life to those values and if we can use those events to amplify those values in a very good way then we would have succeeded in delivering the message that the events are welcoming to everybody.”
Pride Week will feature an art show highlighting the work of lesbian artists, as well as a panel discussion to discuss section fifty-three.
