Gay couples throng to Dutch Caribbean isle
Source: Agencies |
December 16, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A SPECK of an island in the Dutch Caribbean has become increasingly popular with gay couples after legislators legalized same-sex marriages in a region still openly hostile to gays and lesbians.
Two men were recently married in Saba, marking the first ceremony of its kind in the region and setting off a frenzy of calls from gay couples in other Dutch Caribbean islands seeking to marry, said Julietta Woods with Saba's Civil Registry office. "People keep calling me every second," she said by telephone this week.
As part of the Netherlands Kingdom, the islands of Saba, Bonaire and St. Eustatius have to recognize same-sex marriages. While Bonaire and St. Eustatius have balked at the idea of legalizing such unions, it's been embraced in Saba, long considered a gay-friendly destination.
"We've seen it as a human rights issue," said Saba council member Carl Buncamper, who is openly gay. "It is important to give the partners equal rights when it comes to inheritance and other benefits."
Dozens of gay couples cheered Saba's unprecedented step, noting that gays often face taunts, threats and even death elsewhere in the Caribbean, with many islands enforcing so-called buggery laws implemented in colonial times.
While Saba currently stands alone in approving same-sex marriages, Bonaire and St. Eustatius are expected to follow.
The Netherlands, in 2001, became the first country in the world to approve same-sex marriages.
Two men were recently married in Saba, marking the first ceremony of its kind in the region and setting off a frenzy of calls from gay couples in other Dutch Caribbean islands seeking to marry, said Julietta Woods with Saba's Civil Registry office. "People keep calling me every second," she said by telephone this week.
As part of the Netherlands Kingdom, the islands of Saba, Bonaire and St. Eustatius have to recognize same-sex marriages. While Bonaire and St. Eustatius have balked at the idea of legalizing such unions, it's been embraced in Saba, long considered a gay-friendly destination.
"We've seen it as a human rights issue," said Saba council member Carl Buncamper, who is openly gay. "It is important to give the partners equal rights when it comes to inheritance and other benefits."
Dozens of gay couples cheered Saba's unprecedented step, noting that gays often face taunts, threats and even death elsewhere in the Caribbean, with many islands enforcing so-called buggery laws implemented in colonial times.
While Saba currently stands alone in approving same-sex marriages, Bonaire and St. Eustatius are expected to follow.
The Netherlands, in 2001, became the first country in the world to approve same-sex marriages.
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