On Saturday, June 29, St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality (SAFE SxM) will, for the first time, host a Pride walk and community concentration on the boardwalk in Great Bay – starting at 5:00pm at Walter Plantz square, and ending at Taloula Mango’s.
SAFE SxM explained via press release, that on Friday, June 7, the organisation had informed Justice Minister Lyndon Lewis and the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM of its intentions to hold the event. SAFE SxM sent related correspondence to authorities and later met with the police representatives to discuss the nature of the public demonstration and its safety plan.
SAFE SxM says that it continues to wait for a public demonstration permit, following this meeting.
The last time that SAFE SxM held a walk was in 2016, to honour the fallen victims of the Pulse, Orlando, shooting, in which a gunman killed 50 people and injured 53 in a massacre at a gay nightclub in the tourist hub of Orlando, Florida. It was the second deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
This walk and memorial occurred without incident. SAFE SxM said that this year’s walk aims to visibilise the LGBTQIA+ communities on the island, celebrate sexual diversity and combat increasing anti-gay sentiments and homophobia.
SAFE SxM Founder Lysanne Charles: “This event is important to our island’s LGBTQIA+ communities and our allies and this can be seen from the outpouring of support we have received over the last weeks and days.
“LGBTQIA+ people can be found in all segments of our society and the desire to live fully free lives protected by our governments and without concern for our safety is both a right for us and an ethical and constitutional obligation for them. On the French side, these protections are much more concretised and it is high time that the government of the Dutch side does the same.”
The organisation says that meanwhile, it has taken note of the unfortunate intentions of certain sectors to hold a counter-protest against the planned demonstration. A social media post announcing the counter-event was distributed with an aggressive note to “stop and shut down” the Pride event, with the hashtag #WarOnLGBTQAgenda.
The actual poster called the planned counter-demonstration a “March to Protect our Children”; insinuating that LGBTQIA+ community has an “agenda” to “convert” children into non-heterosexuals, or that homosexuals were paedophiles. SAFE SxM condemns both the language of the poster and the decision of the individuals behind the counter-event to hold the protest.
“First, paedophilia is not a trait inherent to LGBTQIA+ persons – in fact, heterosexual men are more likely to offend than any other group and this can also be seen by the slew of arrests and convictions in our media in recent years. This is not to say that there are no LGBTQIA+ offenders, because this segment of the population is as human as any other, and offenders here must be dealt with just the same,” Charles said.
“The point here is that paedophilia should not be twisted in with LGBTQIA+ people and used as a means to fear-monger against us. We want all St. Martin children fully protected and allowed to live their fullest lives, including those suspected of being LGBTQIA+. All children deserve to grow up knowing that they are welcomed and safe within their communities.
“Second, while we support the rights of all people to protest, we do wonder why our event is singled out, when there are so many pressing issues which warrant solidarity and protest. Lastly, pushing this idea of a gay agenda is nonsensical. The only agenda that gay people have is to be able to enjoy their lives with all of the legal privileges and security that heterosexual citizens enjoy.”
SAFE SxM expressed dismay at the harmful postures that are increasingly being taken with respect to the LGBTQIA+ community, and the sense of intolerance that is being normalised across (social) media. At the same time, the organisation recognises the outpouring of pushback against this by LGBTQIA+ persons and allies.
“Over the years, we have taken note of an increase in anti-gay sentimentalities on St. Maarten and more than that, that these have been allowed to flourish by both the silence of our governments on this issue,” said Antonio Carmona Baez, SAFE SxM representative.
“This trend is harmful and discriminatory to LGBTQIA+ folks, but also to our wider society. It indicates that we are a society of intolerance and in worst case scenario, outright aggression. This is why SAFE SxM continues to champion inclusion, acceptance and respect for all people and why we remain motivated to work on behalf of LGBTQIA+ people and other marginalised groups.”
SAFE SxM said that it was the expectation that Justice Minister Lewis and the Police Force KPSM would protect the rights of the Pride demonstrators, so that the event can be executed without incident.
Cu1: Pictured: A snapshot of the 2016 SAFE SxM walk for the victims of the Pulse, Orlando, shooting.
