To the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,

The issue of sexuality has been brought up in the public domain many times. Despite the division on issues like gay marriage and abolition of anti-gay laws, I believe one thing we can form a consensus on is that people should not be discriminated based on their sexual orientation. In fact, a UNAIDS survey found that 78% of our population believes that it is wrong to discriminate against homosexuals.

Nonetheless, this should not be left up to a consultation. It is the duty of the Government to ensure equality in the provision of education, employment, accommodation, goods, and services (especially when we have laws on our books that legitimize homophobia).

What consenting adults do in their private lives should never be grounds to treat them with hostility or prejudice. This is a sentiment that has been echoed by the Equal Opportunity Commission itself.

Due to the fact that there is currently no avenue of recourse for members of the LGBT community who face discrimination in this country, whether they are citizens or foreign nationals who work, conduct business, or vacation on our shores, we call on the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to expediently amend the Equal Opportunity Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.