Reposted May 24th, 2013
Mora: How come the IRO so powerful?
By Kim Boodram
Congress of the People (COP), Dr Anna Maria Mora, said she is concerned
that religious bodies were able to dictate the formation of the National
Policy on Gender and Development.
This comes after a declaration last
week by Gender Affairs Minister Marlene Coudray that the policy will not
address rights for the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT)
community, as per the wishes of some religious groups, including the
Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) and Inter Religious
Organisation (IRO).
“How come the IRO is so powerful,”
Mora asked Wednesday during a lunchtime seminar under the theme, “What
does equal mean to you”, held by the Institute of Gender and Development
Studies of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at its St. Augustine
campus on Wednesday.
Mora said she will be taking the
issue to the COP. Similar expressions came out during the session, with
many saying that Trinidad and Tobago had opted to deal with the issue in
a way that was not modern or in keeping with the struggle for optimum
human rights.
Strong objections to any references
to gay rights in the policy, which is still in draft form after more
than a decade of conception, were voiced up to last week by several
religious groups.
At a recent consultation with
Coudray, the IRO, CCSJ, Lawyers for Jesus and a number of other
religious bodies said they will march against any attempts to foist on
the country rights for persons who identify with LGBT.
Colin Robinson, head of the Coalition
Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), said
Coudray has essentially told one group of people that it is “okay” to
take the rights of another group.
for–the right to equal treatment; to not be harassed and bullied; the
right to feel a sense of self-worth–are human rights issues. Though enshrined in the Constitution,
the fact is that the LGBT community, much like the elderly and the
disabled, have special needs and these rights must be more explicitly
defined in any national policy. It must be clear how the minister made
her decision and how the religious bodies were able to bring this
decision to the table, he said. “Is this how we form national policy?” Robinson asked during a telephone interview.