Support for the Equal Opportunities Bill

So, following those three presentations, as well as remarks from Enrique Romero Executive Director of the National AIDS Commission, the public had the opportunity to make comments and give feedback on the Equal Opportunities Bill. There was a mixed crowd – with support from the bill coming from a wide cross section of society. Here’s a few of the comments in support of the bill.

Attendee #1

“While a lot of us are privileged to be here, some LGBT people cannot get out of their house because they face violence and hate in their neighborhoods. LGBT people that get laughed at by authorities and even violated and hurt by authorities and have no redress at all. LGBT people that have been killed for being who they are and not messing with anyone and nobody. Even people living with HIV that face hate on a daily basis. So, yes, I agree with this law because it is not too much to ask as Belizean citizens to have some protection under the law of our own country.”

Attendee #2

“I am a catholic. I pray every night and I pray every morning for the country of Belize. But fifteen percent of our population is non-religious and about eleven percent as of 2000 doesn’t identify as Christian, and that is ok. So for those in our country – and that number may have risen we are doing another census – for those in our country who don’t identify as Christians we can’t expect to hold them up to the same principles we hold ourselves. We just have to treat everybody with respect. So, I am in full support of this bill. Thank you all very much for laying out your arguments clearly and speaking from reason instead of fear. I pray to God that everybody’s hearts can be open so that we don’t speak from fear anymore.”

Attendee #3

“There is a part of the catechism of the Catholic Church that speaks to wanting to basically, if you can control legislation that is a plus. And that is something scary for me as a gay man.  The point that I want to make is that everything that I heard – hold on, let me finish, let me finish – everything that I heard tonight in regards to the legislation protects every Christian, every Muslim, every Buddhist to believe what they want. You have the freedom of religion, but I also have the freedom from religion.”

Attendee #4

“A lot of what I am hearing is that people are agreeing for the LGBT people to not be a part of this bill. Most of what they are saying is about Christianity and God, about marriages between the LGBTQ. But what they are missing is what the LGBTQ will be excluded from; other than things correlating with Christianity. By excluding them from the bill, you are excluding them from jobs; from rights they are born to have as human beings and civilians. You will be discriminating against them and as Christians it is wrong to discriminate and as far as I know, God is the only one that can judge.”