Sharing the call to action below in solidarity with the Carribean Feminist Network. I will urge you all to consider signing on to the call to action via the CODE RED for gender justice site
The CatchAFyah Caribbean Feminist Network* wants you to stand with us in calling on all CARICOM governments to join the Government of Haiti in collectively and publicly denouncing transphobic and homophobic violence such as that which claimed the lives of 17 year-old Dwayne Jones in Jamaica, two persons in Haiti and countless more before them.
This is, of course, not the first time that Haiti has shown revolutionary leadership in the region. We draw on our collective history of freedom struggle as we call on our elected leaders to make visible and concrete commitments to ensuring that the Caribbean’s future is one of justice and equity for all.
While our leaders have special responsibility, the work of transforming Caribbean societies is the responsibility of all of us. We call on all CARICOM citizens to stand with us in recognizing that each and every one of us has a right to be and a right to a life free of violence. We join other organisations such as:
CVC COIN, Jamaican’s For Justice, Quality of Citizenship Jamaica, CARIFLAGS, KOURAJ, Caribbean DAWN and SeroVie which have released statements denouncing the most recent acts of transphobic and homophobic violence in the region. We categorically reject discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
We invite women’s, men’s, feminist, LGBT and social justice organisations to commit to collectively doing one action on August 19, 2013 to honour lives lost to violence in the region (in all its forms) and to celebrate the lives of all Caribbean people as we continue to work toward transforming our societies.
Please sign on below:
*CatchAFyah Caribbean Feminist Network is a collective of young, passionate Caribbean activists and organisations. We span the Caribbean, representing such nations as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We are farmers, social workers, artists, social entrepreneurs, counsellors, researchers, teachers and students. We believe in everyone’s right to a good life and everyone’s right to be.
