By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FOR many LGBT+ Bahamians, living openly still means navigating suffocating scrutiny, social stigma, and laws that stop short of protecting their rights.

“People say we have all our rights here, but that’s not true,” said Alex, a queer Bahamian who has lived on New Providence his entire life. “We can’t marry the people we love. We’re not protected from discrimination. And when we speak up, we’re told we’re pushing an agenda.” Alex, like several others interviewed for this story, used a pseudonym. They spoke after a leading local LGBT+ organisation marked October as Pride month.

Although Parliament decriminalised same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in 1991, The Bahamas still does not recognise same-sex unions or explicitly protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Public debate remains dominated by religious leaders who insist LGBT+ Bahamians already enjoy enough rights and that calls for reform amount to demands for “special rights.” Activists counter that they are fighting for the same legal protections as everyone else.

The divide was highlighted on Saturday after religious groups protested the country’s second LGBT Pride parade. During the demonstration, some pastors described queer Bahamians as “demonic,” fuelling outrage and exposing persistent prejudice.

Layla, a 25-year-old queer woman who also requested a pseudonym, described her experience as “having a secret everyone knows but no one talks about out loud as a way of not acknowledging your sexuality.” She said she often feels safe but not always comfortable, pointing to the “stares and faces of confusion” she encounters in public.

She believes allies must play a stronger role in pushing back against misinformation and said she hopes political leaders will one day act on issues such as marriage equality and adoption rights.

Darius, another Bahamian who used a pseudonym, said being gay in The Bahamas means constantly proving yourself in personal and professional spaces. “Due to the ignorance of Bahamian people, being in the community, you will always be looked down upon or people think you’re less than,” he said. He called for more education and empathy to dismantle harmful stereotypes. He said while some find safe spaces and mental health resources, hate crimes and microaggressions are real threats.

Still, some say change is happening. Long-time intersex advocate Madame Pearl said the social landscape has shifted dramatically since her youth. “When I was growing up, when gays came out, they were shunned, but now gays have the better jobs,” she said. “They in big positions, they live, buy homes, have families, drive cars.”

LGBT+ activist McTair Farrington said he feels safer walking the streets today than earlier generations did. “Pride is about creating community, creating a safe space, and also sensitising other people or our allies,” he said, adding that many misconceptions arise from pastors who project foreign narratives about Pride activities onto local realities.

Legal scholars have long pointed to ambiguities in Bahamian law that could invite future challenges on same-sex marriage. During the eighth annual Eugene Dupuch Distinguished Lecture in 2016, Court of Appeal President Dame Anita Allen observed that neither the Marriage Act nor the Matrimonial Causes Act explicitly defines marriage as between a man and a woman. She said that while parts of the law allow a marriage to be declared void on the grounds that the parties are not male and female, those sections apply only after a marriage has occurred and are designed to protect an innocent spouse from misrepresentation.

Without a clear statutory definition, Dame Anita said, a same-sex marriage could arguably be valid unless or until a court declares otherwise. She suggested Parliament may need to clarify the law, though any move to define marriage strictly as heterosexual could face constitutional challenges.

For LGBTQ+ Bahamians like Alex, such legal debates are deeply personal. “We’re not trying to change anyone’s religion,” they said. “We just want to live and love in the country we call home, without feeling like second-class citizens.”