May seventh to the tenth in the courtroom of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is reserved for what's known as the UNIBAM Case, Caleb Orozco. The Attorney General of Belize which is the gay rights group challenge to section 53 of Belize's criminal code. That section of the law says, "every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for ten years." UNIBAM says that denies gay men their constitutional right to privacy. That's the broad outline of a case which has triggered Belize's first culture war: between those Christians who say that homosexuality is an abomination and the gay rights group which says consenting adults should be free to do as they wish in their private lives.
The case has drawn a constellation of local and international legal luminaries, and today, aware that the court of public opinion is as important as the court of law, Orozco's group held a pre-trial press conference at the University of the West Indies, Open Campus. Westmin James and Caleb Orozco took questions on the nature of the case, and whether the impetus for it came from international agencies pushing a gay rights lobby.
Caleb Orozco - Executive President, UNIBAM
"For far too long the state has ignored it's LGB's citizens fundamental right and freedom in other lower level lots. It may have immediately removed to individual citizens' prejudices immediately but it's certainly a heck of a debate and a journey to get there."
Westmin James - Lecturer, Faculty of Law, UWI, Cave Hill
"The case is simply what consenting adults can do in the privacy of their bedroom. We petitioned the court to amend section 53 so as to exclude consenting adults from the preview of section 53. It is about Belizean people and the process that it affects and the rights of Belizeans. This is not about anybody else but about Belizeans."
Caleb Orozco
"The same person who accuses us of a foreign agenda just needs to look in the mirror and see what color he is or where is from. I believe he is from Waco, Texas. If you look at the all the evangelical groups at the University of Belize - there are a lot of US Americans who lead evangelical groups so if they want to accuse us of a foreign agenda they just need to look at themselves. It's a pot calling the kettle black. Let me tell you - the US Government and the British Government is not forcing anybody to the supreme court - I am, let's make that very clear. I am forcing the issue to the supreme court. My followers respect the right of it's religious opponent to be 'nutty' on the street and nutty on TV. We have no need to prove that we have more right than our religious opponents. Why? Because we respect the right of our religious opponents to say what they have to say."
Westmin James
"If it is that you discriminate and it is alright to discriminate against LGBT community why is it not alright to discriminate against persons who are overweight or discriminate against persons that have red hair. It's all the same rationale goes on. You cannot determine rights by the majority - we all area entitled to rights, it doesn't matter who you are, race, ethnicity, where you come from, or sexual orientation."
Caleb Orozco
"In 1981, it was Belizeans who approved those fundamental rights and freedom, not Britain, not the US- it was the Belizeans. And as such we decided that all citizens have fundamental rights and freedom. Not except homosexuals, not except fat people, not except disable people and as such we need to recognize that the process is dynamic enough and it allows me to have my say as a minority group. All I'm saying is that it is my right to bring the issue to the court and let's treat the issue fairly - not with the prejudice that it's perceived the discussion deserves."
Orozco is represented by a Belizean, Caribbean and British attorneys, working pro bono. They are led by Trinidadian Senior Counsel, Christopher Hamel-Smith.
Email
Print