Gay Tourists Tied and Beaten in St. Lucia

Three men from Atlanta were vacationing together on The Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where they had rented a house on the beach. At home one evening, two of the men decided to shower together, which apparently was somehow noticed by several local men–who broke in, tied them up, beat them and told them to leave the island.

Once the attackers left, the victims freed themselves and ran to a neighbor’s for help, and departed the island soon thereafter.

There’s an op-ed in the St. Lucia Star about the ordeal; the police originally denied it was a hate crime, claiming it was merely a robbery: “We have no evidence suggesting that these people were robbed because of their sexual orientation,” the RSLPF PROfficer Trevor Constantine said yesterday. “Right now we are treating this as a robbery investigation and have no leads suggesting a hate crime.”

The St. Lucia government, however, offered an apology in support of the Americans, and let it be known they have suspects in custody already and are on the lookout for more. Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet said that tourism-dependent Caribbean country is typically peaceful and accepting. The attack was “unacceptable behavior and our destination will not tolerate it,” he said.

St. Lucia, as part of the British Crown, is widely regarded as a safe destination for visitors, and this is presumably an isolated incident. Violence can happen anywhere, of course. But this is a reminder to be vigilent about safety. Despite the laid-back reputation of The Caribbean, local customs can be anti-gay These islands have limited legal systems protecting visitors, who have a hard time pressing charges once they have gone home. And police may be reluctant to aid victims perceived to be gay, as homosexuality is illegal on many Caribbean islands, including St. Lucia.

This is also a reminder of the 2006 attack on Ryan Smith, a gay American tourist in St. Maarten critically injured by an attacker wielding a tire iron. Although the attackers were eventually convicted, it took the pressure of U.S. news outlets publishing stories (Smith works for ABC News in New York) before the St. Maarten government even acknowledged it was a hate crime worthy of prosecuting.

Photo by loimere

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