Wednesday, November 20, 2024
By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
A VIRAL voice note questioning the presence of WNBA champion Jonquel Jones’ fiancée during a school visit in Grand Bahama reignited national discussions on same-sex partnerships in The Bahamas, drawing contrasting responses yesterday from a leading LGBTQ+ advocate and the president of the Bahamas Christian Council.
The voice note, purportedly from a concerned parent, surfaced on social media soon after Ms Jones visited her hometown. The visit became a flashpoint after she was accused of introducing her fiancée to students, sparking debate over whether such interactions were appropriate in a school setting.
Transgender activist D’Marco strongly defended Ms Jones yesterday, asserting that LGBTQ+ individuals have the right to visibility and acceptance, while Bishop Delton Fernander urged organisers to focus public events on athletic achievements, particularly when minors are involved.
“Just like every other Bahamian, they have a right to express themselves, they have a right to share their experiences, they have a right to share their partners,” Ms D’Marco said, noting that it was “no secret” that Ms Jones was in a same-sex relationship.
Ms D’Marco further called for societal awareness and sensitivity, saying: “For us as a society, we need to begin to educate and sensitise our decision makers, our gatekeepers, our family members and our communities that we thrive in about vulnerable populations, including the LGBTI community of the Bahamas.”
She criticised the focus on children in the argument, asserting that “they’re using children as a scapegoat to continue homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, lesophobia, xenophobia”.
Bishop Fernander, while supportive of Ms Jones’ accomplishments, emphasised that the focus at public events should remain on her athletic achievements, particularly in settings involving minors.
“The platform was to celebrate the championship, not to talk about the lifestyle,” he said. “So if it is that the lifestyle was conversated with children in the primary school, the organisers, the teachers, the administrators, should have controlled that, because that’s not what the focus was as I understood it.”
The Tribune has seen no evidence that Ms Jones discussed her fiancée with the students.
Ms D’Marco highlighted the challenges many LGBTI people face when introducing partners to their families, noting that acceptance can vary widely.
“Some of our families embrace who we are as LGBTI people. Some of our families do not embrace who we are as LGBTI people, but for those whose family embrace who they are as LGBTI people, we must be cognizant that LGBTI people raise children here in the Bahamian society, LGBTI people are sometimes the breadwinners of their families and take care of the children that many persons have left behind,” she said.
Bishop Fernander, however, highlighted traditional values and the role of parental guidance in discussions of lifestyle or relationships in educational settings, noting that these are his personal views.
While expressing respect for individual rights, he said that “as a parent, trying to teach my principles to my children, I don’t subscribe to it.”
“The only thing is we are responsible for our children,” he said. “Nobody makes a decision to take a conversation there in front of children; the other stuff is for her and her God.”
Comments
hrysippus says...
Congratulations, WNBA champion Jonquel Jones. Wishing nothing but good things for you in all areas of your life.
Posted 20 November 2024, 11:45 a.m. Suggest removal
quavaduff says...
Good take downs. Congrats to a great Bahamian athlete!
Posted 20 November 2024, 12:58 p.m. Suggest removal
DillyTree says...
When will this ignornace and fear-mongering stop!?! Did this parent think "gayness" is contagious and his/her child would somehow be "infected". What utter idiocy. What are you so afraid of?
If you dont' like tomatoes, don't eat them! If you don't like swimming, don't swim. If you don't like drugs, don't use them. For God's sake, these so-called Christians need to learn some tolerance and how to make choices for themselves!
Congratulations, Ms. Jones! You and your fiancé deserve many years of happiness together. I apologize for some of our less enlightened countrymen and women. This shouldn't even be an "issue" for debate.
Posted 20 November 2024, 1:41 p.m. Suggest removal
quavaduff says...
Thank you, Dilly Tree this hateful nonsense needs to stop
Posted 20 November 2024, 4:23 p.m. Suggest removal
sheeprunner12 says...
Jonquell might as well face it ............... she will never be accepted as a homosexual in this country.
People (especially self-serving politicians) will say all manner of nice things about her and to her, but she is "radioactive"
Posted 20 November 2024, 3:19 p.m. Suggest removal
IslandWarrior says...
"I would wholly embrace the lil demon’s 'don’t bring me around' decree and gladly oblige—and take your degenerate filth and corruption with you. While the 'Gay LGBTQ creatures' may clamor endlessly for an excess of rights, one thing remains absolutely certain: you will never be, nor feel, genuinely welcomed in the Bahamas, regardless."
Posted 20 November 2024, 3:45 p.m. Suggest removal
quavaduff says...
It must be very difficult being you ...SMH
Posted 20 November 2024, 4:25 p.m. Suggest removal
IslandWarrior says...
"It’s not difficult at all being myself; in fact, it’s a privilege. Standing firm in my convictions, grounded in principles, and unashamed to express the truth as I see it—this is the essence of my being. You may shake your head all you like, but it neither shakes my resolve nor diminishes the clarity with which I view the world."
Posted 20 November 2024, 6:27 p.m. Suggest removal
birdiestrachan says...
Miss Jones can not make any body children gay , or anything else, parents you are the example for your children your home is the first church, out of the homes come murders thieves mean spirits , eveny and evil those are the things that affect the Bahamas most,
Posted 20 November 2024, 5:19 p.m. Suggest removal
newcitizen says...
Well put Birdie
Posted 20 November 2024, 8:23 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Oh Comrade GoatRunner of 12, where still is thou in the year of 2024 -- discussing about -- “Homosexuals” -- which is as an outdated term considered derogatory and offensive to many sex opposite popoulaces'. -- 'Tis like using "N-word." -- Yes?
Posted 20 November 2024, 5:27 p.m. Suggest removal
IslandWarrior says...
> This is precisely why we reject and
> condemn sick, decadent behavior within
> our society and among our children.
> Such dark spirits do not exist in
> isolation; they perpetuate and breed
> further darkness, spreading their
> corruption and destruction like a
> plague.
Miss 12-year-old Adriel Moxey found dead.
Wow. So sad… we are here again at this point where sick souls are desecrating the innocence of our little boys and girls—our children.
This vile, reprehensible act against 12-year-old Adriel Moxey shakes the very core of our humanity. Her body, found discarded like trash on a dirt road off Faith Avenue, with only her top on and a cloth tied around her neck, is a brutal reminder of the depths to which some will sink.
This is more than just another tragedy; it is an atrocity against our community, our children, and our very sense of decency. I am outraged—furious that these monsters still lurk among us, preying on our most vulnerable.
To the perpetrator: you are the lowest form of existence. You do not deserve another moment of freedom. Rest assured, the Bahamian people, our law enforcement, and everyone with a shred of humanity will hunt you down. We will not rest, and we will not let up until justice is served—swiftly and severely.
Prime Minister Philip Davis has already declared that "We are going to turn this country upside down to find the criminal who did this and bring him to justice." Commissioner Clayton Fernander has promised that no stone will be left unturned in this investigation.
As a community, we must act now. We must stand united against these predators, demand justice for Adriel, and ensure the safety of every child in this country. Let this be the last time we mourn the loss of a child to such depravity.
To Adriel’s family: we grieve with you, we stand with you, and we will fight for justice in her name.
Enough is enough.
Posted 20 November 2024, 8:10 p.m. Suggest removal
DiverBelow says...
Lets not forget, to "we reject and condemn sick, decadent behavior within our society and among our children" , particularly those in the Catholic Church industrial complex? Oh yeah, did'nt we recently hear similar charges against the Anglican Church industrial complex?
'Gayness' has been around since man first walked the earth, probably while he was still in trees.
Let everyone enjoy the love, trials, tribulations, joys, anguish & divorce, as the rest of us do.
God is Love.
Posted 21 November 2024, 1:06 p.m. Suggest removal
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