Story with a moral: 2 gay tourists, 1 anti-gay merchant

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Two tourists in Barbados come across a small protest against the country's buggery law. — Two tourists in Barbados come across a small protest against the country’s buggery law …

Two gay tourists arrived on a cruise in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Aug. 19 and decided to explore the beautiful capital. On their stroll they passed a shop at the same time as a group of local boys who, according to the tourists, looked gay.

The Barbadian shopkeeper hurled homophobic insults at the youngsters and then turned to the tourists and asked if they wanted to come in for a drink.

The visitors indignantly said, “Not from you!”

The shopkeeper was left dumbfounded and with a lot to think about.

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The gentlemen saw our little Stand for Equality and Inclusion in front of the Parliament mounted by the brave Barbadian trans* activist, Alexa D V. Strauss-Hoffmann. They decided to join us, and were shocked to learn that Barbados has up to life imprisonment for private consensual male same-gender intimacy.

The moral of the story for Caribbean business people: If you treat local LGBTI people with disrespect, you may be chasing away foreign guests, and business.