As we first reported Friday, American national Aaron Chandler had a nasty run-in with an anti-gay copper on the Grand Cayman Island. Said copper disapproved of Chandler and his boyfriend’s same-sex dancing, so he had him dragged down to the police station. We spoke will Chandler today to offer congratulations on making international news, and he gave us a bit of an update: the LGBT Foreign Policy Project and the ILGA are lobbying the British government to get their Cayman territory in check. Meanwhile, police tell Chandler there may be no law banning gay public affection and the arresting office may simply have been blowing smoke.
Cayman Update
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JJH
Please send an email note to the Cayman Islands Tourist Board at:
http://www.caymanislands.ky/legal/contact.aspx
Tell them that you will tell your friends not to choose the Cayman Islands as a vacation destination if gays are subject to arbitrary arrest.
Z
yes! They should go to gay friendly places!
http://www.ilovezeren.com
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
“WHEN IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO!” If the Cayman Islands’ public and their Police Force do not accept gays, then you have a choice to go somewhere that is not homophobic. Simple as that. Cayman prides itself on having a Christian background, and the people pride themselves in their country’s heritage. Perhaps this gentleman (and others like him) should investigate places a bit further before going to such said destinations. He might also want to speak the TRUTH about the fact that the public asked them to stop KISSING before the officer did, it was making the PUBLIC uncomfortable. “The truth shall set you free”.
PS to JJH – what you mentioned above is considered BLACKMAIL…which is also illegal in the Cayman Islands. Anyhow that’s my two cents. Peace and love to all.
Rambo
Caymanian 2 di bone!! Bull-crap.
Boys and Girls support the the LGBT Foreign Policy Project and the ILGA in their lobbying to the British government, I know I will. Also you can bet our fighter for justice Peter Tatchell will be joining this fight. I’m sure of that.
Great Britan needs to put this place along many others in order when it comes to basic human rights. No one is forcing haters like Caymanian 2 di bone!! to accept us in their homes and hate filled churches but if they are going to be a territory of he UK then they need to behave in accordance with uk laws and not get away with harassing people just because they don’t approve of whom they love.
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
Don’t like the Caymanian way of thinking??
“SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT!!” Don’t understand that sentence? Then it shows you’re not as smart as you think you are.
I don’t come to your country and expect the same courtesies I get at home. You guys have to be realistic, and stop being so immature. You also should stop degrading people who have done nothing to you.
The entire Caymanian population is not homophobic, BUT we are all very proud of our land and will not tolerate outsiders talking bologna about our country, or it’s people, especially when what they are discussing is not factual.
JJH
Caymanian 2 di bone,
If you are telling gays not to come to your home unless they accept being treated like second class humans, then I have every right to spread that message to all potential tourists. It is not blackmail, it is the power of the market to use a boycott to promote justice.
Strangely, I doubt if you would have told tourists in the 80s to accept South African apartheid as a part of the “culture” and not argue for change.
And please don’t attempt to use Christianity to justify bigotry. The Afrikaners and the US Southern slave owners tried that for years, quoting passages like “slaves, obey your masters” (Ephesians 6:5).
The Gospels say nothing against gays but do indeed condemn greed and money changers. Isn’t a large part of the Cayman economy based on foreign tax evasion and money laundering?
Rambo
Boys and Girls if you care, join and support
http://www.ilga.org/
http://foreignpolicyproject.org/
If youre in the UK than much better, join one of the many human right groups there.
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
All of the money laundering that I have ever heard there was proof of was done by the American in AMERICA. Check your facts before you wreck yourself.
It is useless to speak to those who cannot understand what’s being said. My mother always told me not to argue with a fool, for the public will not know who is who. So on that note I will excuse myself and let you all condemn yourselves, sicne you are so good at it. PEACE!
An Other Greek
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
should renamed
Hatin’ 2 di bone!!
And he/she signs off with “Peace and love to all”!
Too rich!
So C2DB, you can, as a guest, come to this here queer blog and spew feces yet gay people may not show love and affection (the ultimate forms of expression) in the Caymans… Great! And then you dare speak of “courtesies” afforded to visitors in strange places… Further, your “concern” about the public is a laughable mask for your homophobia… We’ve heard these words before you know… what, you forgot these words?
With all due respect (in other words…), you are a victim of the divide-and-conquer strategy of your masters and you don’t even know it. Emancipate yourself from mental slavery… A part of the problem, or a part of the solution, your choice.
Oh, and by the way, since you bring up your strong pride for your country, won’t you kindly educate me as to what about your country you are so proud of?
——————————————————————————–
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
Oh yeah and PS – The tax evasion and money laundering that you all speak of was just questioned the other day by **YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT**, and guess what they came up with DIDDLY SQUAT! NADA! ZILCH! NOTHING! Google it if you don’t believe me. There is nothing that indicates money laundering went on here in these islands. Just because you Americans chose to talk bologna about us in movies doesn’t make it so. LMAO!!! What a TRULY PATHETIC response. But now that I think about it – maybe that’s where you get these bogus ideas from?? Too much TV! LOL!!!
Good night and may God Bless you all.
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
An Other Greek,
You are yet another person who seems to misunderstand everything I have said. I never once threw verbal feces at anyone, after all I am NOT homophobic. I do have many gay friends/family here and abroad. My problem is this – do not come here and DEMAND anything. You are a visitor, you have no right to demand any changes to our way of life or laws, or lack there of.
also FYI we hate being called “the caymans” it’s the CAYMAN ISLANDS – get it right, if it’s not too hard.
Lastly, why don’t you yourself come here (not looking for trouble) and see for yourself what I am so proud of. Once you have done that, then you and I can be on a semi-level playing field and open for discussion. Till then *PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU ALL*
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
AOG,
PS it’s also so funny that you should quote the words of legendary Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” – “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery…None but ourselves can free our minds…” So true isn’t it.
(SIGH) And so funny, Bob Marley was a Jamaican rasta man, which if he were still alive I am 99.9999999999% sure would have made him COMPLETELY & DOUBLEY homophobic! Use your webtool – Google – and search rastafarism and see what their beliefs are…LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you all for your time! Have a blessed night! **PEACE AND GOD’s RICHEST BLESSINGS TO YOU ALLI*
Dan
Caymanian, dahlink…
There are plenty of local ‘customs’ that do not deserve respect from anybody, anywhere. By your logic, we should’ve left Mr. Botha and his racist crowd in South Africa alone… out of respect to their local custom of apartheid.
Rambo
An Other Greek
Ignore this homophobe,he’s just desperate. Just remember,
THE CAYMAN ISLANDS ARE A BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY
unlike its equally homophobic neighboor jamaica. Therefor let’s deal with the real accomplices, the british.
if you care, join and support
http://www.ilga.org/
http://foreignpolicyproject.org/
UK brother’s and sisters contact groups like,
http://www.petertatchell.net/
Caymanian 2 di bone!!
The point is this – You are NOT God, you do not rule the world. Your beliefs are not everyone’s beliefs, and vice versa. You cannot FORCE anyone to do anything. People need to stop trying to play God, and live their own lives. Being gay and in Cayman is not the problem, it’s being disrespectful to the country you’re that is the problem.
EG) We drive on the left here. Suppose I purposely came to the States and drove on the left just because that’s what I am allowed/supposed to do at home. I’d be:
a) looking for trouble/disaster at the very least.
b) trying to force my country’s ways on yours etc. Then after driving on the wrong side of the road, I going an blog to the world about it, and twist the story to my likings. That is not acceptable.
Suppose I went to Japan and refused to take off my shoes as I went in their homes? OR dressed in drag and went on a trip to Jamaica?
Understand now? it is NOT OK for me to enforce my beliefs/laws on you just as it is not OK for you to try to force yours on me.
Anyhow I really don’t have anymore time for this, I have said what I think needed to be said. If you all misunderstand it, that’s on you. I don’t HATE anybody because of their sexual preferances, I just don’t wish for your beliefs to be forced on anyone else who doesn’t chose to believe in what you believe in.
Dan
The sun really does bake the sense out those poor little bastards, doesn’t it?
Rambo
An Other Greek and all other intelligent lifeforms,
Ignore this homophobe, he’s desperate.
THE CAYMAN ISLANDS ARE A BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY unlike equally homophobic jamaica.
That means that the real accomplice is The UK.
Besides the previous links on my other message
if your in the UK contact,
http://www.petertatchell.net/
or other groups over there
The UK has one of the most progressive laws when it comes to protecting us. It seems only logical that they started to enforce it.
montrealsimon
I’m sure that there are good people in the Cayman Islands…and it is beautiful. But a country that arrests people for kissing is a backward bigoted place. I can understand if a couple was making out in public…I wouldn’t like that either. But a KISS? C’mon.
But let the tourists decide. In Canada we’ve starting a tourist boycott of Jamaica for its murderous homophobia. We hand out pamphlets outside travel agencies warning travellers about what a dangerous bigoted crime ridden place it is. The Cayman Islands is not Jamaica. But if the good Cayman people can’t drag that place into the 21st Century…remember that differences should be tolerated …or that according to their religion Jesus is love not hate…I’m afraid we’re going to have to start handing out pamphlets to gay AND straight couples that read something like this:
WARNING:
Couples in the Cayman Islands may be ARRESTED if they are caught kissing in public.
Do you really want to risk spending your DREAM vacation ….or your hot honeymoon…in a jail cell?
Yup. That should do it. On my blog I use Zombies to illustrate the homophobes of Jamaica. But for the bigots of the Cayman Islands I think I’ll just use DUMMIES….
scott
DON’T PATRONIZE PLACES THAT ARE NOT GAY-FRIENDLY.
I wish there was a list of gay friendly places that should get hard-earned, affluent gay dollars. In the meanwhile, I have pretty much boycotted all of the Caribbean because I think almost all of the Caribbean if not all is NOT gay-friendly and thus is not a place I want to give money too or be on vacation at. I think most other Homosexuals should the same as well. IMHO.
Andy
If no people, gay or straight, are allowed to kiss in the Cayman Islands, then I would agree that Aaron Chandler behaved inappropriately for that culture (though I would have some serious questions about the culture). But if straights are allowed to kiss, and gays aren’t, then gays are being treated as second-class citizens.
Driving on the left or right side of the road is a matter of convention, as are customs of politeness. Showing affection in public, and generally being allowed to do what straights are allowed to do, is a matter of human rights. These are two very different categories.
C2dB hasn’t addressed the point, made by two other posters, that in South Africa it was the custom, until 14 years ago, that blacks and whites remain separate, and blacks be denied many rights that whits had (good education, access to better cinemas and theatres, access to certain parks, libraries, etc.) By C2dB’s arguemnt, there should never have been any cultural boycott of South Africa — people should just have respected the local custom. I’d be interested to hear why he/she doesn’t think this is a valid analogy.
Aaron Chandler
I have read several comments on here which have said things about me varying from what I did being a set-up planned by me; to saying the incident was my fault since I did not stop after being asked by the RCIPF officer to stop; to saying I was insensitive to the officer and to the other patrons of the Royal Palms.
My response to those comments:
1) Regarding it being a set-up — it was absolutely not a set-up; I was behaving the same way I would have been behaving in the U.S. I was also behaving considerably less suggestively or “offensively” than many folks in the Batabano parade. To date, to my knowledge, no one has ever been arrested as a result of that parade.
2) Regarding it being my fault that I did not stop after the officer told me to and me being insensitive to the officer — the officer MADE UP A LAW that does not exist anymore simply to detain me because of his own bigoted ideas of what is appropriate and what is not; the cop ILLEGALLY made up a law and lied to me. Who was being insensitive?
3) Regarding me being insensitive to the other patrons — it seemed as if the vast majority of the patrons were either okay with or actively supported what my boyfriend, Kevin, and I were doing. In fact, about two dozen people cheered and applauded at the courage — some would call it machismo — we displayed as we kissed one last time.
If the Morals Police want to return to the practice of criminalizing something as innocent as kissing and dancing (with all clothing on, mind you), what’s up next for criminalization? Two men or two women holding hands? Two men or two women giving each other a quick peck on the cheek? Two men or two women simply being around each other? Please.