Rebuilding the LGBTI Caribbean after Irma

Gay-friendly organizations are teaming up to help members of the LGBTI community in the Caribbean rebuild their lives in the wake of  Hurricane Irma.

U.S.-based online publisher/fundraiser Alturi wrote:

In the Caribbean, it can be extremely difficult to reach members of the LGBTI community, but in the wake of Irma’s destruction, reach them we must. Alturi is raising funds for CVC: Caribbean Vulnerable Communities. CVC has worked for 12 years to better the lives of the Caribbean’s most vulnerable communities who, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, are even more vulnerable than before.

Emergencies often exacerbate prejudices and make marginalized people more vulnerable. In the 2008 Haiti earthquake, CVC witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by gay men who were blamed for the disaster by fundamentalist religious groups, and were denied food and water aid due to a ration plan that excluded households without females.

CVC and The Rustin Fund are offering support through their Emergency Relief Fund to people who have suffered from hurricane Irma. This Fund will help CVC’s partner organizations provide desperately needed vital services that address immediate basic needs for people who suffer discrimination. Please donate today, your help will help those who most need it after the destruction of hurricane Irma.

CVC wrote:

In the Caribbean, disaster relief revolves around the family unit and is delivered primarily by the local authorities and the community, often spearheaded by Christian faith-based groups.  However, the way in which “family” and “community” are defined by current disaster management policies and procedures in the Caribbean means that the needs of the LGBTI community are likely to get overlooked. If your behaviour is criminalised and your community and family have shunned you, chances are your needs won’t be adequately met. Even when emergency management agencies don’t actively discriminate against LGBTI people, their needs are often invisible and not considered as different or needing of particular consideration.

CVC wants to advocate for policies and associated disaster plans that explicitly define concepts such as “community” and “family” to include LGBTI persons. But in the meantime, we are trying to ensure that LGBTI individuals and families get the support they need from networks of “supportive communities” that understand the issues. Your donation is critical as our supportive communities in the Caribbean are small and marginalized. CVC is committed to get the funding to the local grassroots LGBTI organisation that can make a difference on the ground, and to document in a published report how your donation has made a difference.

CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO DONATE

See Also

Sint Maarten’s first openly trans woman says attitudes are changing

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/cvc-lgbt-irma-assistance

CVC is a coalition of community leaders and non-governmental agencies that are advocates and service providers, working with and on behalf of Caribbean populations who are especially vulnerable to HIV infection or often forgotten in access to treatment and healthcare programmes.

These groups include men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs, orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV, migrant populations, persons in prison and ex-prisoners, and youth in especially difficult circumstances.

Related articles:

• Human Rights Day marks launch of Caribbean alliance  (December 2016, 76crimes.com)
• LGBTI rights: Important legal precedent in the Caribbean (June 2016, 76crimes.com)
• Caribbean nations inch their way toward LGBTI rights  (April 2016, 76crimes.com)
• Working toward a Caribbean that’s no longer anti-gay (July 2014, 76crimes.com)