Pride TT is calling on citizens not to be rooted in hate and discrimination against the books and the people to whom the books may matter to, especially with the celebration of Pride Month that begins on Friday.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) that lobbies for the rights of LGBTQ+ community said that it appreciated RIK Services Limited on its stance to have the books for sale on their shelves despite the calls by others to have it removed in a media release last Friday.
In a media release last Friday, it stated, “We are deeply saddened by the extent of misinformation and disinformation being promoted by individuals who have erroneously labelled these books as propaganda. We are also dismayed by the blatantly false recent statements made by various religious leaders on national television about the LGBTQ+ community.”
Pride TT also condemned the actions of the individuals who were seen harassing an employee at a bookstore in a video widely circulated on social media.
The public propaganda was meant to incite fear, violence and increased discrimination against LGBTQ+ citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, the organisation said.
The release stated, “PrideTT would like to urge the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to refrain from any action that may incite violence toward any citizen of T&T. We ask that citizens have informed opinions on these issues and particularly about why these books matter but also the consequences of their actions on our nation’s most vulnerable populations which includes children.”
PrideTT also said that it was willing to work with any individual and group to resolve the misinformation being propagated.
“As we are set to celebrate Pride Month in T&T, we hope this unfortunate incident will serve as a rallying cry to unite every citizen around actions that promote the inclusion and acceptance of all law-abiding people in our nation,” the release stated.
This year’s theme is “ONE Pride”.
Pride month runs from June 30 to July 30.
Pride TT said, “It is the collective responsibility of every citizen to ensure that we create a nation that is free and safe from all forms of discrimination and inequalities against all marginalized and vulnerable groups.
“Therefore, we must unite and speak out against incidents of this nature that are rooted in homophobia and discrimination and may result in unnecessary violence toward vulnerable groups.
“We hope that every citizen will stand against this level of hate and continue to champion the calls for greater diversity, equality, and inclusion across all aspects of our nation as we celebrate ONE Pride in our country, and in our multicultural identities.”
