(CMR) Governor Martyn Roper met with Noel Cayasso of the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation and DC Patricia Sevik the RCIPS LGBT Liaison Officer to discuss their concerns about hate crime and tolerance in Cayman after a recent violent assault on two members of the community.
Cayasso is campaigning for Cayman to adopt hate crime legislation that would protect members of the LGBTQ community. He shared that he is also meeting with Premier Panton to see if legislators could further the position. Cayasso noted that the discussions are needed:
“to ensure that a hate crime law is put in place as soon as possible, to ensure that this type of behavior is not condoned by the community and will result in punishment of any offenders.”
Governor Roper noted the incident was being investigated by the police and he was confident that will bring those responsible to justice and that this was an important issue to raise to ensure everyone feels safe in the community.
The governor further shared:
“I welcome the Police Commissioner’s strong commitment to ensure that RCIPS serve all members of our community. I am exploring ways of supporting him to deliver that more effectively, including through the provision of training.”
He also shared that the LGBTQ Foundation is urging Cayman to consider introducing broad reach legislation on hate crime. By comparison, the UK recognizes such crimes on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity and there is currently a private member Bill looking to add misogyny to that list.
He noted ended with encouragement and shared, “I urge everyone in our community to treat others with courtesy, dignity and tolerance at all times.”
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