Homophobic lies go viral on Twitter in Haiti

Moïse Manoël-Florisse, is an African-Caribbean online journalist keeping an eye…

Haitian human rights group Héritage pour la Protection des Droits Humains (Heritage for the Protection of Human Rights) has issued a statement condemning a tweet by a high-profile lawyer detailing a false and defamatory story about a group of homosexuals being caught having sex in a national historical site that went viral last month. The organization, which advocates for LGBT people’s human rights in north-east Haiti, has called for a public apology to the LGBT community and for the tweet to be deleted.

This incident is the latest in a string of recent social media attacks on the queer community in the French-speaking Caribbean, after incidents in Martinique and Guadeloupe last month.

In a short press release printed below, Héritage pour la Protection des Droits Humains condemns the spread of viral homophobia.

PRESS RELEASE

On April 23, 2022 at 17:02, Mr. Lacks-Guvens Cadette, a Haitian lawyer, shared in Creole on Twitter the information that: “the commissioner, Renel Maxius, of the Cape Town Prosecutor’s Office, had just proceeded to the arrest of 4 homosexuals who were having sexual relations inside the Citadelle Laferrière.” [ED NOTE: The Citadelle Laferrière is a national historical site]

**The offending tweet from Lacks-Guvens Cadette**

When alerted, the Heritage Organization for the Protection of Human Rights (HPDH) quickly tried to better understand the circumstances of this arrest. When we contacted Mr. Cadette, he ended up admitting the deception, implicating another of his colleagues at the bar, Mr. Sandry, who would have been at the origin of this false rumor.

The sharing of false information is often used to denigrate, discriminate, ostracize and even harm the reputation of a person or group of individuals. Indeed, we are dismayed and wonder about the true motives of Me Lacks-Guvens Cadette.

Héritage pour la Protection des Droits Humains (HPDH) is an organization that advocates for the respect of human rights in the north and northeast of Haiti, with a particular focus on the LGBTI+ communities who are often the most marginalized.

We also condemn any attempt to discredit LGBTI+ people, through any digital or media channel. This malicious behavior, sharing infoxes, cannot be tolerated and is unspeakable.

To avoid and prevent the repetition of such an act, we demand:

– An apology to the LGBTI+ community
– The immediate withdrawal of the incriminated tweet, which incites to stigmatization

Finally, we denounce an information that also aims to depreciate the historical heritage of our region.

Done in Limonade, April 25, 2022
For Heritage (HPDH)

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Merlin JEAN
General Manager

Co-signatories : Autonome pour l’Inclusion et l’Emancipation Sociale, Union des Personnes Luttant Contre la Discrimination et la Stigmatisation, Safe SXM (Sxm Alliance for Equality).