What is the Commonwealth doing to stop member states persecuting LGBTQ people?
I'm a 12-year-old drag queen - but I started when I was 8I quit football for 14 years after homophobia stopped me playing‘Inspirational’ Dame Kelly Holmes applauded for coming out as gay aged 52‘I come from a reasonably liberal milieu, but when I came out some 12 years ago, my parents were not happy.‘If someone then told me that down the line that nine years later I would take my dad to a gay film festival and that my mum would join me at Pride, I would have thought it would be impossible.
This just proves that people do and can change.While some progress has been made in Maritius, such as banning workplace discrimination based on sexuality, the Section 250 colonial-era law still criminalises consensual same-sex activity.
There have been cases of parents putting their children in mental health institutions upon learning they are LGBTQ+ and some young people are harrassed and beaten up by family members over their sexuality. ‘While Britain had a considerable role in exporting homophobia, it is essential to note that since 1968, Mauritius has been independent.
Successive governments have failed to amend that piece of legislation,’ said Pliny. Pliny has since seen an ‘increasing number of people happy to be out’ on the island and a ‘growing level of tolerance’, but it’s still not entirely accepted, and 2018’s Pride rally was cancelled due to violent threats.
