Panton urges respect for LGBTQs at Pride Parade

| 01/08/2022 | 62 Comments
  • Cayman News Service
  • Cayman News Service

(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton was at the forefront of Cayman’s second Pride Parade on Saturday, when the LGBTQ+ community and those who support equality came together for the annual celebration. Starting from Public Beach and making its way down the West Bay Road to the Festival Green at Camana Bay, the event had stirred controversy this year, not over the issues at stake for the community but because the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation charged people to enter the parade as well as the after-party.

However, the organisation’s founder, Noel Cayasso-Smith, justified the decision, saying it was a costly event to organise and the foundation wanted to begin fundraising in earnest for an LGBTQ+ support centre and shelter, especially for younger members of the community who feel ostracised.

In the end, hundreds of people joined in the event, which once again went off very peacefully and without any concerns regarding lewd behaviour. In a short speech to the crowd at the end of the march, Panton urged respect for all members of the community.

“It is my dream that one day everyone in our islands will be judged by the content of their character, not by the colour of their skin, not by their gender and certainly not their sexual orientation. Everybody deserves respect and the dignity to be who they are,” he said.

Acting Governor Franz Manderson also took part in the parade. Barbara Conolly, one of the very few MPs in the Cayman Islands who has openly supported the LGBTQ+ community, was also there for her second Pride Parade.


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Comments (62)

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  1. Geoff says:

    Live and let live, but why oh why did they need to block traffic all around the place? Why can’t they gather somewhere peacefully and not stop traffic? When is the straight pride march? That probably wouldn’t be allowed!

  2. Anonymous says:

    @1:07 By your own words you are being homophobic and disrespectful.

    I don’t think the Premier said anything about being respectful to the organization but to be respectful of people who choose to live LGBTQ lifestyle.

    I have a gay 19 year old son who only came out to me recently. This is my son. What should I do with him now? Send him to you to convert him into being heterosexual? Throw him out of my house because he is gay? Disrespect and disown him?

    I am a Christian, my whole family including my son grew up in the church and my son still attends church with us. Lately, however, though I have been questioning those that say they are Christians and believe in God but hate their neighbors and those that believe that they are without sin. The Bible says that let he without sin cast the first stone. If my son is a sinner, than what are you for hating and disrespecting him?

  3. Sam sam says:

    Let me say that i dont have a problem with people living their gay life .but i hope that they keep their hands to them selves and know who exactly they are dealing with .for me god has given me one option and i chose to abide by it .and thats by mating with a woman .it doesn’t make sense to ask god to forgive them .when since two men who are married can multiply the earth. When since two women having an affair can multiply .wake up people .for the gift that god has given this country from terrible disasters .its only now that he has changed his mind .

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  4. Anonymous says:

    I’m so tired of living in a society controlled by the church mafia. Where discrimination is ok as long as so-called “Christians” say it is. And yes, I’m Caymanian. By birth and heritage, not by paper. We’ve been so controlled and warped as a people by religious conservatism. Paying lip service to the churches has led to rampant hypocrisy. People are still “sinning” they just lie about it and cover it up. It’s way past time to separate church and state.

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  5. anonymous says:

    Hopefully I am not alone in being puzzled by Mr.Panton’s appeal for Caymanians to be “respectful” to this organization and its members. For he surely, intentionally or otherwise, implies that Caymanians are being disrespectful in some way, and I wonder where he gets this notion from. Could it be that he believes that there is a corollary between acceptance and respect? So that because the Caymanian people have exercised their democratic right to reject same-sex marriage and declined to enthusiastically embrace this organization’s lifestyle, that this is somehow failing to show respect? I think that Mr.Panton needs to explain exactly what he means when he talks to the public about the need for respect, if only to avoid being accused of lacking it towards them himself. I respect the will of the Caymanian people as exercised through the parliamentary process, and I do so regardless of my own beliefs and convictions and I would encourage all those we elect to public office, however high, to do likewise.

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    • Anonymous says:

      @1:07 By your own words you are being homophobic and disrespectful.

      I don’t think the Premier said anything about being respectful to the organization but to be respectful of people who choose to live LGBTQ lifestyle.

      I have a gay 19 year old son who only came out to me recently. This is my son. What should I do with him now? Send him to you to convert him into being heterosexual? Throw him out of my house because he is gay? Disrespect and disown him?

      I am a Christian, my whole family including my son grew up in the church and my son still attends church with us. Lately, however, though I have been questioning those that say they are Christians and believe in God but hate their neighbors and those that believe that they are without sin. The Bible says that let he without sin cast the first stone. If my son is a sinner, than what are you for hating and disrespecting him?

  6. Anonymous says:

    So why aren’t people allowed to import and sell sex toys?

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  7. A regular Joe says:

    Interesting to see the “passionate” speeches about love and acceptance… while around the corner some “proud k-manians” still hate and abuse other nationalities, telling them to go back to their countries, whenever they feel like.
    About time to show that kind of care and respect not only for a minority but, to every human being.

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  8. Lo-cal says:

    The Gay agenda is in full swing.

    Same trolling comments. Same awkward justification. Same old results.

    Cayman does not give a hoot if you are gay or not. As you can see not many people attended and no one was harmed or disrespected. The fact is that gays have never been widely harassed or abused here. Now there are some gays who are more of the aggressors and see every issue through their lens and like to stir the pot, but in general, no one cares.

    Lets move on to ensuring everyone, gays and other included have access to fantastic education.

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    • anonymous says:

      I agree completely. This is a solution desperately looking for a problem to attach itself to in order to become at all relevant. Much Ado About Nothing, basically, and hardly newsworthy it is clear to see from the overall lack of public interest, a situation I cannot in all honesty see changing anytime soon. It’s all coming across as rather silly.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Love Is Love. Much respect to all.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Where was Sir Alden, Honorable Hew & Honorable leader of the opposition at? What about Honorable Julianna and Honorable Jon Jon? All missing in action!

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    • anonymous says:

      Good point. Why weren’t they in attendance? Surely it was their duty as duly elected representatives of the people to be doing just that i.e. representing the Caymanian people? No doubt they will pay dearly come election time. And if they do not, well that’ll be down to the voters being wrong, I guess. I’m a great believer in supporting a persons right to disagree. What kind of a world would we be living in if we surrendered the fundamental human right to disagree with each other? What a frightening place that would be.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Some of them voted down CPL knowing well it would create a constitutional crisis, expecting them to show up at the Pride would simply be too much to expect.

      • Sam sam says:

        Those that didn’t turn up are too much ashamed in the grace of god to intervain in such an event .

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe they were all looking for a donkey to ride on!

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    • Anonymous says:

      What about Kenny & Chris?

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  11. Anonymous says:

    ‘Respect’? How about equal rights, and legalize abortion while you’re at it. Cayman so stuck in the past

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    • Anonymous says:

      This rock is a microcosm of our Northern neighbour. Panton is Sleepy Joe Biden and McBeater is the Orange Man-Baby.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Yes respect! – also please respect me I enjoy my herb. NO weed No vote

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  13. Anonymous says:

    I am so proud of our Premier, acting Governor Manderson and MP Conolly.

    They demonstrated strong leadership and promoted equality. Where were all the MP’s.? Caymanians who are gay must be supported.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    what would jesus do?
    it should be the only question for the great ‘caymanian christian community’

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  15. Anonymous says:

    Lol this isn’t gonna end well.

    How about we legalize cannabis and stop wasting our prison space and police funds on destroying a plant? All the guns and violence and everything are just from this plant.

    Made all flags, shirts clothing with a marijuana leaf illegal to bring on the island!?

    What if they made it illegal for all pride flags and clothes? Let alone a march through the street putting hundreds of people in prison.

    I have nothing against gay people, but this has been pushed by certain ‘gov’ people who are also gay.

    If gays have been shammed by churches for a hundred years in cayman and we can accept gays and pass laws within a year or two.

    I am calling out b.s, we don’t need to convert our public roads, spend police resources and funds for a display for the public.
    Pirates week was one thing years ago in the 90s, but the stuff that goes on now is just a big show for the foreigners. Next year we going to have more parades than ever before in Cayman history.

    Go private at a private venue not in public display. Batabanoo and carnival included.

    From yours truly the honest Born Caymanian

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    • Anonymous says:

      or you can stay home when the parades are on

      you sound like you make yourself more angry boo.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    As a supporter of LGBTQ+, respect needs to be urged for Caymanians as a whole also please. This message is amazing but I would love to see the same energy for your own people/society as a priority! No talking, DOING, just like you show up and advocate for this parade!

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    • Turtletird says:

      Self-pitting nativism is the route of the bigoted looking for someone to blame for their own mediocrity. Your post is not a cal for “respect” it is a call for discrimination.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Discrimination against Caymanians have been going on for years. When anyone speaks up, all of a sudden it is an issue and they are being a bigot??

        My people are suffering and you misconstrued my comment to fit your agenda. I’m far from mediocre boo but I’m not blind to what is sadly happening.

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  17. Hypocritical much? says:

    Wait, what? How is it that people are allowed to bump and grind up and down West Bay Road during CayMas and Batabano, but people should avoid “lewd behaviour” during the Pride Parade?

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    • Anonymous says:

      There is no such problem. Pictures indicate they acted like respectable people. Seldom see that these days.

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    • anonymous says:

      I reckon it’s because a society that overwhelmingly does not (let’s face it) presently accept this lifestyle readily differentiates between what it considers “normal” lewd behaviour – and which it does not consider to be at all right and decent i.e. a bunch of half-naked people wildly gyrating their way down the highway in an overtly sexually suggestive manner – and what it considers”abnormal” lewd behaviour, which could be same-sex couples holding hands and embracing as they stroll down the roadway. It all comes down to the public’s perception. I guess.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    I didn’t attend, but did see it wend its way by Camana Bay. I think the mark of success was the lack of idiots protesting it.

    Well done all. It went ahead, the sky didn’t fall, and some members of the community feel a lot better about themselves.

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    • anonymous says:

      12.27. be careful of what you use to measure “success”

      You seem to equate the absence of open protest by those you foolishly dismiss as “idiots” to some kind of a changed or gradual acceptance of this minority lifestyle by the general Caymanian public. I would interpret it as more of an obvious apathy and weary indifference on their part, and rather look to the absence of the MPs and others as a more valid indicator of how things went.

      When a goodly number of the elected representatives of the people (who wish to be reelected, mind you), accompanied by our church and civic leaders, take part, then and only then can anything reliable be concluded.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Nah. I stand by the idiots terminology. I’ve no time for people who actively go out of their way in matters that is of no concern to them.

        You’ll never get church leaders to give up the hatred

  19. Anonymous says:

    Looking good big guy!

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  20. Anonymous says:

    I’m glad that Panton is good in this sense, but if so, we need to pressure our MPs and get a same-sex marriage law passed. It’s completely unjust that a faction of our country is still prohibited from marrying a consenting adult for whom they love. And civil partnerships are great, but to me it’s only baking a cake without putting the icing, very halfway’ed.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I would like to marry multiple times. Not because I have a want doesn’t mean it’s right.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Go for it. Law does not stop you from marrying multiple times. And divorcing too. The world is yours.

      • anonymous says:

        You talking about polygamy (polygny and polyandry) being introduced into the Cayman Islands? An interesting thought, but speaking personally I’m not sure I could survive for very long having more than one wife!

      • Yikesmike says:

        The clichéd pseudo-argument of the base right wing hack who want to tell everyone they are not homophobic when they are supporting homophobia.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    I’m sorry, but nobody should have to be instructed to respect religious right wing intolerance and/or CIG-sponsored obstruction of civil rights. Giving legitimacy (and legal aid funds) to targeted special interest hate is not something Caymanians should have to accept as justifiable. How disappointing that’s still the narrative, with Panton using event mic-time to leave the door open for more government-underwritten headwinds against our own people.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You cannot dictate what people think and feel. Although I favor LGB rights it is a dangerous path to start instructing others on how they should think and feel. The UK is currently facing problems with police turning up on people’s doorsteps to check the occupant’s “thinking”. Likewise misgendering someone can be classed as a hate crime. everyone deserves to live a happy healthy life but again you can’t force people to all think the same as you.

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      • anonymous says:

        Thanks for your very reasonable perspective. Yes, there have indeed been numerous instances where British coppers have been turning up on people’s doorsteps and questioning them about their beliefs, including (alarmingly) their religious beliefs (later to agree to a cash settlement, it should be noted). I reckon everyone is entitled to their own opinion and should be free to express it in a manner that is within the law. The freedom to disagree with others and insult them in some way and hurt their feelings in some way and disrespect them in some way is too precious a right to surrender, whatever the cause.

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        • Anonymous says:

          To those so prolifically racist, homophobic, and reliably intolerant, that UK police actually take notice of community complaints and show up on doorstep to caution…jail might be the appropriate intervention that’s really needed.

          • Anonymous says:

            12:37 Your average person in the UK cares more about the police actually dealing with serious crimes like the plethora of knife attacks, child grooming gangs, and car thefts, very few of which, actually get dealt with properly. The police shouldn’t turn up on someone’s doorstep over hurt feelings. What kind of totalitarian world do you want to live in!? This isn’t Orwell’s 1984…

          • anonymous says:

            Wow, what a dangerous suggestion, and a sure recipe for a repeat of some of the darkest times in human history. Clearly much work needs to be done to teach people to study history and to think about consequences from the past rather than simply reacting emotionally. Some would reference examples from the past like the NKVD/KGB and the gulags, and the Gestapo and concentration camps like Dachau set up to isolate people whose thoughts were unacceptable, but hopefully this will be not needed for the bulk of the CNS readership.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t consider my self right wing, left wing or chicken wing, or religious, but I do not support Homosexuality why do you have a problem with it? Why can’t my opinion be respected? What they all do in their private lives I do not care about, but why the need to prance around in the street and be proud of it, since most people really don’t care.

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      • Turtletird says:

        You could swap “mixed marriages” in for “homosexuality”. Shows why your homophobic discrimination is not simply “your business”.

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        • Anon says:

          Mix marriages has to do with skin color and race. Its not the same.

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        • Anonymous says:

          @1:01:
          What if @2:36 does not does not support “swapping in” bi-racial marriages. Perhaps he is simply asking for respect for his opinion. You could swap-in marriages to young minors or any other silly idea once you start with the “swap-in” merd and making false equivalencies. His opinion is his business. The problem with far too many gay activists is that they seek to persecute those who do not think like they do. Imagine hetero activists doing the same to pro-gays. (I think you might be getting the picture now…)
          You know, when the shoe was on the other foot…etc. Perhaps you need to back off from your noble indignity and simply agree to respectfully disagree. One of my dear gay friends deems that all of this LGBT…alphabet aggressiveness is just plain silly and getting way out of hand in Cayman. He has been out for years. Those of us who know him, love him. The hetero among us will pass on emulating his lifestyle, but we have mutual respect and acceptance of our divergent opinions.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yet you care enough to contribute a jerk/homophobic post.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    I would love to see someone complain about lewdness…then post a few videos from Batabano.
    I’m all for these events but I fail to see how people can complain about the likes of people like Foots and then turn their heads at Batabano behaviour.
    There seems to be a lot of Sunday only believers out there…

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