The rainbow cruise
Last Tuesday, 3,200 gay cruisers landed on Grand Cayman.
To greet the visitors in a variety of ways were hundreds of residents who lined the city of George Town streets. They were vocal in one of three ways – “welcome”, “not welcome” and “welcome but…”…The protesters outnumbered the welcome party and their jeers drowned the friendly “hello” from some residents.
It appears that the arrival of the ship also prompted a lot of unhappy letters to the editor of Cayman Net News. In response, Bermudian Ed Richardson wrote a letter of his own, criticising the hate mail. “I am disappointed in your country,” he said.
If Mr. Richardson is disappointed with the attitude of the Cayman Islands, goodness knows how he feels about Bermuda. I can’t imagine a gay cruise ever docking here. Moreover, Cayman Net News reported that the Cayman government had to publicly defend the cruise “on the grounds of human rights and international acceptance of gays”. Somehow I can’t imagine Bermuda’s government doing the same.
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Nor can I - neither can I imagine Bermuda's government having the guts to act in accordance with someone like the truly great Coretta Scott-King whom they rightly praised for her steadfast courage.
Her integrity extended to saying and doing things that she believed in despite their unpopularity. This included acknowledging that gay and lesbian civil rights are linked inextricably with other struggles for dignity and freedom - including those struggles endured by black people. See http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/coretta.html
If only more of my fellow Christians shared her vision and integrity.
Posted by Stephen on 08.02.06 at 09:17
3200 cruisers would be $64,000 of gov revenue each day here, plus whatever they spent onshore. Welcome.
Posted by Prag on 08.02.06 at 21:10