Dear Editor,

I refer to a Sunday Observer article of April 19, 2015 written by H G Helps which bore the subhead, ‘US President expresses concern that island moving too slow in protecting LGBT community’. The article stated that President Obama, in his discussions with our prime minister, “politely conveyed his Administration’s ‘dismay’ that Jamaica had not moved fast enough in ensuring that the rights of the LGBT community were being respected and even protected”.

I hope that the prime minister assured the president that LGBT people currently enjoy the very same fundamental human rights as everyone else, and that she then conveyed how appalled she is at the regressive policies and legislation which have resulted in loss of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience in America once known as the country of the free.

The prime minister could have discussed the case of Kelvin Cochran, who lost his job as fire chief in Atlanta because he dared to say uncomplimentary things about homosexuality in a book. Or she could have mentioned Brendan Eich, who lost his job as CEO Mozilla Firefox because he had given the sum of US$1,000.00 to the campaign for true marriage in California some years ago. The prime minister could also have mentioned business owners who have been fined or sued because of their refusal to provide goods or services for same-sex ceremonies. One can think of photographer Elaine Hugenim of New Mexico; Jack Phillips, baker, of Colorado; along with Barronelle Stutzman, florist, of Washington.

These are serious issues which the prime minister and Caricom leaders, generally, need to discuss with their US, British and Canadian counterparts as it would appear that, in these countries, freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are swiftly disappearing from those critical of the LGBT lifestyle. One, therefore, hopes that our prime minister was confident in responding to President Obama’s concern, assuring him that in this country, we place great value on our fundamental freedoms and that from what we have seen of his country LGBT “rights” and rights to freedom of expression and freedom of conscience are irreconcilable.

S Richards

Cecelio Avenue, St Andrew

sprichards@cwjamaica.com