Homosexuality in the Trinidad and Tobago: Government minister fired over her Pro Gay Stance
December 7, 2012 
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A former government minister in Trinidad and Tobago, Verna St Rose Greaves has been fired because of her position on pro-gay rights.
Another government minister, Anil Roberts, said that Greaves was fired because of her pro gay, pro abortion stance with respect to the national Gender policy.
According to reports:
Roberts held a news conference yesterday outside the Office of the Prime Minister, in Trinidad, where he launched a scathing attack on St Rose Greaves, former minister of Gender, Child and Youth Development.
“If you remember when she (St Rose Greaves) was a minister before the consultation occurred (on the gender policy) she gave her opinion on two sensitive matters, on abortion and on gay marriage. You cannot put the cart before the horse if we are going for consultation,” said Roberts.
“You cannot first of all state your opinion and then pretend to go and consult, that’s what Verna St Rose Greaves, former minister, attempted to do
Roberts continued,
“The Prime Minister has been under attack from so many people and she stays quiet, calm and classy that I decided this time that one went too far,”.
St Rose Greaves, in another television interview, also claimed that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago was not in charge and was being blackmailed.
Homosexuality is currently illegal in Trinidad and Tobago. It is estimated that are over 300,000 gay people in Trinidad. For an island of 1.3 million people, that’s quite alot; but attitudes towards gender development, religion, family ties and general opinion, has led led gays in Trinidad and Tobago, to remain in the closet
Outlish magazine recently spoke to several people in the island suffering in silence by widespread homophobia. There seems to be a problem in governance where gender equality and sexual orientation is concerned.
According to Sections 13 and 16 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Sexual Offences Act, homosexuality by proxy is a crime. Paragraph 8 (1) (e) of the Immigration Act makes entry for LGBTQ individuals into T&T illegal. Recent reports from the island show that these laws can be used to bring about terrible and draconian treatments of LGBTQ persons should the state choose to do so. On the other hand the Immigration Act can legally bar from entry some very powerful and important persons including the vice chancellor and foreign affairs minister of Germany (2010) who is gay, a plethora of US Democratic Congress members and British MPs as well as many others. This piece of legislation was also used by the Anglican Church (Church of England) in 2007 when they sought to have openly gay Elton John barred from entering the country to perform at the Tobago Jazz Festival.
These laws are a holdover from the colonial era and have all been struck down in the UK, the very country that wrote them. They were based on extremely conservative and homophobic views that characterised the Victorian era and were formulated based on Judeo/Christian views on what was right and moral, views that once authorised slavery amongst real abominations. Since then recognising that these laws are unfair, groundless, discriminatory and plain wrong they have been repealed by legislatures and courts around the world.
Trinidad and Tobago is yet to drag themselves out of the colonial pit from 1962..
