Akilah Holder’s letter to the editor “No law to fix for LGBT community”, published in the Daily Express 13 Sept ’19, is so devoid of sense one can only wonder whether the author is an adult with any reasoning skills. There’s a certain irony that the author is comfortable with two opposing ideas residing simultaneously in her head – this is called doublethink and is different from cognitive dissonance.
The two opposing ideas are these: on the one hand she agrees with the Prime Minister (PM) that the LGBT people are entitled to the same protections under the law as ‘regular’ people. More on this later.
On the other hand, she welcomes the position of the ‘heads of the major religions’ who disapprove of “giving” rights to the LGBT community.
For the edification of Miss Holder and the others, no one has to “give” rights to the LGBT community. They acquired and possess all rights under the Constitution. The fact is that they are denied exercising those rights, which they already have, openly and without fear.
To return to the Prime Minister’s opinion that LGBT people have the same protections under the law, I fear I need to correct the misguided doctor. The Equal Opportunity Act (EOA) 2000 specifically omits “sexual preference or orientation” as a status. Compare this with the Constitution, the international agreements which Trinidad and Tobago have been signatories to, and various human rights instruments around the world, and you will see just how backward Trinidad and Tobago really is.
This is the reason for a judgment in favour of the LGBT community in the Jones case. Clearly, the misguided doctor failed to inform himself before speaking. I don’t know for others, but I expect the leader of any nation to be a bit more circumspect and informed before he opens his mouth.
A word of caution to Miss Holder – don’t let your militant Christianity blind you to common sense and basic reasoning skills.
