The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

OUTSIDE the House of Assembly yesterday, more than a hundred people bore witness as the four Constitutional (Amendment) Bills on gender equality were passed.

Rawson Square saw pastors, professors, children, activists, union leaders and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community share the same space, each offering their own, sometimes divergent view about what the proposed referendum represents for this country.

Those who spoke to The Tribune seemed uncertain about the future of the vote, saying they expect that politics, concerns about a “gay agenda” and patriarchal society will be tough obstacles standing in the way of a “yes” vote.

Observer Erica Lang said it would be unacceptable for the referendum to fail.

“I’m here because my sister chose to get married rather than have children out of wedlock and she chose to get married to a foreigner,” she said. “I have nieces and nephews that have a lot to contribute to this country that are not citizens simply because by virtue of marriage they were considered foreign.”

Standing metres away from Ms Lang was former Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate Rodney Moncur, who proclaimed to be a “xenophobe” who wants to keep the status quo.

“I’m not going to compete with the foreign man for the woman,” he said, not being facetious. “The woman belongs to us. I might be ignorant but please protect my right to vote. I believe that woman should follow the man home.

“My wife is voting no. My children are voting no. And if my wife vote yes I will dispossess her and I get plenty things. If my children vote yes, I will give my things to my brothers. I lived in the period when the UBP brought foreign policeman to this country and they abused us.”

Turning to face Ms Lang, he said: “And fundamentally, this woman, whoever her husband is, she should be faithful, obedient and submissive to him. And if he’s a worthless man keeping sweetheart kick him and divorce him.”

Mr Moncur, wearing a Free National Movement (FNM) shirt and waving a sign urging a “no” vote at the referendum, predicted that FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis would resort to “dirty tricks”, eventually politicising the referendum out of fear that a “yes” vote would set Prime Minister Perry Christie and his party on course toward winning next year’s general election.

For some who cheered what yesterday’s vote represented, they offered full support despite believing the amendments do not go far enough to addressing gender inequities.

Dr Nicolette Bethel, a professor of sociology and anthropology at The College of The Bahamas, said the country’s Constitution discriminates against people in ways that have not yet been addressed by elected officials.

“First of all the Constitution is a badly written document,” Dr Bethel said. “It has a number of exclusions to citizenship that I don’t think most people even recognise because they’re hidden across various clauses. So for example, the idea that a man could pass on his citizenship is true unless he is not married to the mother of his child, in which case he is defined as being equal to a woman and then he can’t pass on his citizenship to his child.

“And there are a number of things that appear to be contradictory and that mollify the clauses and the amendments don’t recognise, don’t solve those problems ... I think the principle should be we have a Constitution that guarantees everyone’s equality. If you don’t like other people’s equality, deal with it because that’s what a democracy is.”

Some, like Anastasia Palacious and D’Sante Beneby, said they believe young people will be the force that makes the referendum a success.

“Thirteen hundred young people will be eligible to vote in the next election,” Mrs Palacious said. “Young people are this nation’s greatest resource and are the reason this country will move forward. It’s very important that we recognise this as the fight of our time. Our parents had independence. Before them, our grandparents had the general strike. There’s been all these movements throughout generations and this one is our own today to make sure our sons and daughters are equal.”

Once the bills are passed in the Senate, a constitutional referendum can take place.