| LGBT rights in Haiti | |
|---|---|
Haiti |
|
| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Legal since 1986 |
| Gender identity/expression | - |
| Recognition of relationships |
No recognition of same-sex couples |
| Adoption | - |
| Military service | - |
| Discrimination protections | None (see below) |
Haiti has experienced a high degree of political instability and most Haitians affiliate with the Catholic Church. These two issues, combined with widespread poverty, tend to govern most issues relating to LGBT people. While there are few criminal laws used against LGBT people specifically, there remains little visible support for LGBT rights.
Contents |
Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in private has been legal since 1986. The age of consent is eighteen.[1] It is unclear what the official legal status is for the Haitian military.
As of 2009, the Constitution of 1987 is still valid, while it does not explicitly mention sexual orientation or gender identity, it does contain certain legal provisions that may impact the human rights of this minority[2].;
No evidence exists as to whether or not LGBT people were specifically targeted during the Duvalier dictatorships. There are unconfirmed rumors (possible politically motivated) of male bisexuality among government officials or Duvalier family members, but nothing has been confirmed. Noted artist Richard Brisson was executed by the dictatorship, although it remains unclear whether or not his sexual orientation was a factor in his execution.
Since 1986, the political leadership and organizations which have arisen are largely hostile to LGBT rights due to their strong ties to the Catholic Church or fundamentalist Protestant sects. For example, former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was a Roman Catholic priest before entering politics.
More recently, Prime Minister nominee Michele Pierre-Louis was rumored to be a lesbian, thus promoting public condemnation by legislators that she was immoral and thus unfit to hold public office. She was allowed to hold the post, but only after reading a public statement declaring the rumors to be false and an insult to her good character.[3]
In 2007, the New York City-based Haitian Lesbian and Gay Alliance was created to provide social services to the Haitian LGBT minority as well as to campaign for their human rights [3].
In 2008, about a dozen Haitians took part in the nation's first gay rights demonstration.[4]
Fourteen Haitians were killed by the 2010 earthquake while attending a support group for gay and bisexual men.[5]
As of 2010, no national legislation exists or has been proposed to prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. None of the major or minor political parties have endorsed LGBT rights.
Haiti does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions or similar institutions. It is unclear if LGBT people may adopt or have custody of children. Homosexuality and cross-dressing are seen as taboo, if not also immoral by the largely Catholic Haitians.[3]
As of 2005, as many as sixty percent of Haitians lived in poverty, with roughly two percent of the population infected with HIV.[6][6] Today, the number of persons infected has risen to 4–6%, with rates increasing to 13% in certain rural neighborhoods.[7]
In 1997, Grasadis was created as an organization that specializes in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among the LGBT minority as well as working to educate the general public about this minority. Former first lady Mildred Aristide openly expressed support for Grasadis' work.
Most Haitians affiliate with the Catholic Church or some evangelical Protestant sect. Hence, homosexuality and cross-dressing are widely seen as signs of immorality. This impacts the social status and visibility of LGBT Haitians.
Noel Coward and his lover, Graham Payn, often stayed in Port-au-Prince's more lavish areas when they were on vacation from the British Isles. Today, no visible LGBT social life exists. The LGBT minority, as a result of income disparities in the country, is divided by economic class.
The educated, upper-middle class LGBT Haitians (many of whom are civil service, NGO or UN aid workers) tend to live in such areas as Pétionville and have private social gatherings. In contrast, many other LGBT Haitians are much poorer and live in rural communities or urban slums.
LGBT Haitians of every class and religion are generally in the closet, for fear of being targeted for discrimination or harassment. The major social exception is Voodoo which, as a spirituality, possesses little discrimination against gays.
In 2002 a documentary about gay Haitians was released titled "Of Men and Gods". The film examines the lives of several openly gay Haitian men and the discrimination that they face.[8]
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||