Religious leaders in Barbados to respond to IACHR position

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (CMC): Evangelical church leaders are due to meet to formulate an official response to changes being requested by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding the country’s Sexual Offences Act.

Several evangelical church leaders are urging the Mia Mottley government not to make changes to the legislation despite a human-rights challenge to those laws filed by trans woman Alexa Hoffmann, and two other Barbadians.

The IACHR, which reviewed the issue in the last year, has given Barbados three months to respond to the challenge.

Former senator, Pastor David Durant, has told the online publication that the religious community is strongly opposed to any change to the law.

He said while sexuality was about choice, the Church has a duty to steer persons towards the “right one”, suggesting that current anti-gay laws are differentiating markers between right and wrong.