Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Group Think Tank and Watchdog Group (MCG)

The Mahogany Coconut Group supports the stand taken by Didi Winston against the PriceSmart Supermarket employee, who displayed extremely unprofessional behavior while in contact with Ms. Winston, who was a customer on June 10^th 2014. To our understanding, the employee’s attitude toward Ms. Winston was clearly discriminatory because she is a transgender citizen.

We therefore welcome the efforts of the top management at Pricesmart in meeting with her and treating the issue with the seriousness it deserves. We realize that Barbadians and other Caribbean citizens accepting our LGBT community will be slow in coming. The MCG respects those who oppose the gay lifestyle but we have cautioned that if the heterosexual community expects respect from our LGBT community, they must in turn reciprocate.

On the other hand, we urge the LGBT community to avoid being seen as forcing its lifestyle on other citizens. A recent report in the Barbados press revealed that there are gays who are enticing young citizens to embrace their lifestyle. The report identified members of the lesbian community as the more prominent enablers in this regard.

We will continue to monitor anti-gay trends in our region. We are therefore heartened by a recent CADRES poll which showed that we are becoming more tolerant and accepting of our gay brothers and sisters. Our region must continue on this path and must not allow religious fanatics and hypocritical politicians to deter us from this progressive position.

As always we remind our gay brothers and sisters to remember the exhortation of Martin Luther King, who instructed the oppressed to never become the oppressor when they overcome the transgressions against them.

All power to you, Didi Winston, for your dignity and valour in demanding that you be treated as we all expect and deserve to be treated.