MoBay mayor welcomes Church’s backing in looming Pride lawsuit
WESTERN BUREAU:
MONTEGO BAY Mayor Homer Davis is expressing gratitude to the Church and some members of the public for their support as he prepares for his legal face-off against gay-rights group Montego Bay Pride, which is set to begin in the Supreme Court in Kingston on Monday.
Davis, who is also chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation, drew the ire of Montego Bay Pride when he decided last month to deny the group access to the Montego Bay Cultural Centre to host a series of gay-related events.
“We’re going through a challenging time, and it’s times like these that will test our resolve as city leaders,” Davis said as he addressed the corporation’s monthly meeting on Thursday. “I’ll ask the Church to continue to remember us and the city in their prayers. We are grateful to see the support from the church community, the wider community of Montego Bay and St James, and Jamaica, for the position we’ve taken.
“The matter was called up yesterday (Wednesday), so we’ll be preparing our case to go back to court on Monday. We will seek to represent, in the best way possible, not only for the municipality, but for the people of Montego Bay and St James,” added Davis.
In denying permission for Montego Bay Pride to host its activities at the cultural centre last month, Davis stated that it was necessary to preserve the “sacredness” of the space, which provides interactive and educational entertainment as a heritage location.
Maurice Tomlinson, the founder of Montego Bay Pride, filed a lawsuit against the municipal corporation in the Supreme Court on September 24 after being apprised of the decision the mayor had taken. Tomlinson is claiming that the mayor’s declaration was unconstitutional and discriminatory. Lawyers from Jamaicans for Justice are representing the gay-rights group in the suit.
Reverend Peter Burnett, the chairman of the St James Ministers’ Fraternal, is urging the municipal corporation to stand its ground and not bow to pressure.
“For standing up against those who would promote the gay-rights agenda, I want to commend you. If you don’t protect what belongs to you, when you’re dead and gone, somebody else will take what belongs to your children,” said Burnett as he conducted the devotions at the corporation’s meeting on Thursday.