Gay cruises draw protests in Caribbean

[Meeker Morgan]

Gay cruises draw protests in Caribbean (AP Yahoo)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20061110/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_dominica_gay_cruises

ROSEAU, Dominica - Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Thursday he will meet with evangelicals in Dominica seeking restrictions on gay cruises, which have drawn some protests elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Dominica has no restrictions on the tours, but Skerrit told The Associated Press that he will meet soon with the Evangelical Association to outline the government's position on gay cruises stopping in the island.

"I will make a statement on the issue after my meeting with the members of the Evangelical Association," he said.

Bill Daniel, the group's president, said Skerrit had not contacted him to schedule a meeting — which the association had demanded.

"We want the government to ensure that gay tourists do not come to the island and conduct themselves in any immoral way," he said, adding that he did not want Dominica portrayed "as a gay tourist destination."

-- SNIP --

:mad:

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. A new job for Rick Santorum!

:evilgrin:

[IntravenousDemilo]

6. You mean Santorum could have another job besides being

"the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex"? How ever will he find the time for both?

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Don't give our nutcases any ideas!

[The Sushi Bandit]

3. How many Pages has he done???

[keepCAblue]

4. "conduct themselves in any immoral way"....Hello, RUSH LIMPBALLS!

Someone please remind Bill "holier-than-thou" Daniel that RUSH LIMPBALLS was recently detained on his return trip from the Dominican Republic for having a huge illegal stash of VIAGRA. If they're going to discuss banning Gays and Lesbians for potentially conducting "themselves in any immoral way" then they had better discuss banning RUSH LIMPBALLS as well.

Hypocritical, homophobic bastards.

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. Dominica doesn't sound like much fun.

Kind of dull, really. I thought it was pretty well understood that if you want a really good time, you have to go where the gay people go.

[Vorta]

7. That's it! I am never going to Hispaniola again.

Of course I have never been there at all, and can't really imagine why anyone in his right mind would with Puerto Rico right around the corner.

[mitchtv]

8. not Dominican Republic!

Dominica smaller island in the Lesser Antilles(UK) cap: Roseau

[Vorta]

13. Well in that case, I say we invade it. (Thanks for the correction)

[mitchtv]

9. always good to know

where not to spend your money.

[Catherine Vincent]

10. I have to say this...

"We want the government to ensure that gay tourists do not come to the island and conduct themselves in any immoral way,"

What in the hell is he talking about? Does he say the same about heteros? This is PURE BULLSHIT! All gay cruises should halt cruises to Dominica immediately after their pm said crap like that. As poor as that island is you would think they wouldn't complain about any cruise ship. Crap like this really pisses me off!

[mitchtv]

14. don't worry about that

word travels quickly. There are never any Gay cruises to that hell hole Cayman Islands,nor Jamaica, now added Dominica. I love Costa Rica

[Catherine Vincent]

15. I've taken only four cruises the past three years and

on a seven day cruise one of the ports was Cayman Island. I really enjoyed the beautiful island but I did get the impression their people appeared to be more conservative than other caribbean islands. It's like, in some of their gift shops, their attitudes were "I don't care if you purchase anything here or not, just do it and get out". I told my bf that the people there were stuck up. :) Months later on DU, I found out they disrespect the gay cruises and it didn't surprise me. I wanted to go back to the Cayman's since it's such a beautiful island but not anymore. I'll take Cozumel or Montego Bay anytime.

[Tyo]

16. Had the same experience in the Caymans

Of course we were holding hands off an on, which I suppose constituted immoral behavior. Didn't seem to bother any of our straight fellow cruisers but the locals didn't seem to like it much. And even worse the prices were not all that good. We like Cabo, never been to Montego Bay :7

[PretzelzRule]

11. crap like this

is exactly why my guy and I will never spend one thin dime in nor ever visit the Caribbean.

[NMMNG]

12. Pffft

"We want the government to ensure that gay tourists do not come to the island and conduct themselves in any immoral way,"



Yeah, because straight tourists never conduct themselves in any immoral way. :eyes:

[donco6]

17. I go to the Caribbean every year.

Generally speaking, the western Carribbean is more homophobic than eastern. This Dominica development is news to me - I've dived there before and never noticed anything amiss. But the islands are being more and more overrun by religious fundamentalists - especially Charismatics. We've never had any trouble, but we never go on cruises and never travel in huge groups like that.

But the hypocrisy is stunning - you should see the "immorality" going on when a hetero cruise dumps off! Ha!

[sui generis]

18. Vegetarian Cruises Draw Protests in the Canary Islands

just wanted to see what that headline looked like.

Yeah, there is a reason those places are third world countries that has very little to do with economics and resources. I know that's an insensitive thing to say, but I do believe that culturally inherited cultural stupidity reinforces crap like this.

I have one thing to say to any of those banana republic fascists:

Your fucking morality ends where my underwear begins.

Stay out of my bedroom, my cruise cabin, my living room, my life, my wallet, my choices. And don't worry about Dominica EVER being portrayed as a gay tourist destination. We prefer things a bit more sophisticated and a bit less economically underdeveloped and socially backwards.

[Vorta]

19. Yeah.

If I'm going to deal with official homophobia on vacation- I'm at least going to do ti where the men are good looking. Cuba!

[kevinbgoode]

20. Why would they be concerned about immoral activity

when clearly evangelicals have quite the checkered history of rape, pillage, incest, child abuse, pornography and soliciting gay prostitutes for massages and drugs.

Maybe they should ban American evangelical cruises from making port in Dominica.

[Obamarama]

21. Fine...let them wallow in their third-world poverty then.

I have plenty of places to throw my gay dollars, namely those who welcome me or have no care about who I am and how I love.