IDAHO: International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, May 17th

Today, May 17th, is International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO). 

The day will be commemorated in over 100 countries around the world and will highlight the horrific consequences of homophobia and transphobia on gender and sexual minorities. The horrible consequences of homophobia don't simply affect LGBT's; it has a disastrous effect on all people.

Below is a video from the UN human rights office:

Belize has seen its share of  homophobic intolerance and was especially brought to the forefront on May 6th, 2013, when human rights activist, Caleb Orozco from the organization UNIBAM brought a case against the Attorney General of Belize for  Section 53 of the Belize Constitution that states,  “Every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for ten years.”
    

Caleb Orozco and one of his attorneys, Lisa Shoman

Below is Belize’s first lady, Kim Simplis-Barrow shares the following message in support of equality:

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia! I hope you all can spread the word for equality to all humankind to at least one person today!

Belize National Coastguard Graduation: Trained By US Navy Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen

Members of Belize Coastguard and Anti Drugs Unit Graduate from Special Warfare Operations Course Supervised by the US Navy

Belize's first Navy SEAL team.

Photos via R. Nunez

Mayan Nohmul Pyramid In Belize Destroyed By Bulldozer: GOB Condemns Destruction

Hon. Gasper Vega, Minister of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Deputy Prime Minister

Belize: Noh Mul Maya Temple Destroyed And Used For Road Fill

Today we learned that a major Mayan Monument had been bulldozed for roadfill aggregate. 7news went to Orange Walk District, near the northern district boundary to find out that Noh Mul – or at least a large part of it – is no more. It’s a stunning development – and Jules Vasquez reports.

Jules Vasquez reporting
Noh Mul. it’s name means the Big Hill but it’s not so big any more, this once towering and stout ceremonial center in San Jose/San Pablo has been whittled down to a narrow core by excavators and bulldozers. Whodunnit? Contractors who’re using the rich gravel and limestone content to fill roads in nearby Douglas Village.

Now, this was the main temple, the ceremonial center for Noh Mul, at about 20 metres among the tallest buildings in Northern Belize - and it’s not centuries old, it’s millennial, thousands of years old and the thought that it’s rich limestone bricks cut with stone tools in the BC era, the thought that this could be used for road fill is a manifest outrage and a particularly painful one for these Archeologists who were called out to the area today. We were there when they first arrived and got their initial emotional reaction:

READ MORE HERE: http://www.7newsbelize.com/index.php#story1

The Belize LGBT Anti-Sodomy Law Trial - Caleb Orozco v The Attorney General of Belize

I am speechless!!...This statement is coming from an agent of the Attorney General of Belize. 

"There is no fundamental right to dignity or privacy in Belize!" - Deputy Solicitor General Nigel Hawke representing the Attorney General in Caleb Orozco v The Attorney General of Belize, May 9, 2013. 

Is this the end of freedom?!

The Belize LGBT Anti-Sodomy Law Trial Day - 2

Belize Supreme Court

It’s Day 2 of the constitutional challenge against the Belize sodomy law, Section 53, brought by Caleb Orozco, leader of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM). 

By Asa DeMatteo, Ph. D

I entered to an empty court room, now cool and quiet on a beautiful Belize morning.  A beautiful woman comes in alone, sits down in the audience section, clasps her rosary between her two hands and prays silently.  A few minutes later, a priest (I presume; he is wearing a dog collar) then enters and moves toward the the woman.  They embrace. It is clear that this case touches deeply held beliefs on both sides.  But this scene also tells us that there are also deeply held emotions.

Continue Here:http://asadematteo.tumblr.com/post/49936296569/the-belize-lgbt-anti-sodomy-law-trial-day-two

Asa DeMatteo, a clinical psychologist living with his same-sex spouse in San Francisco, is blogging from the courtroom in Belize.

Cashew Festival 2013- Crooked Tree Village, Belize

Somewhere spectacular: Crooked Tree Village. Something delicious: cashew products. What to see: Like minded and interesting people. All of this you can be sure of when attending the annual Cashew Festival.

There is sure to be something for everyone, for all you city slickers and country bumpkins all over Belize...Music, food and exciting events for the kids.

For the full weekend line up of events, please listen to LoveFM Belize or KREM Radio, Belize 

Dates: May 17-19, 2013

Activities:

• A Dance
• Greasy Pole
• Cultural displays
• Cashew Roasting & Wine Demonstrations
• Children Games: Tambola, Mechanical Rides & more!

Entertainment:

• The Cashew Queen Pageant
• Competitions: Cashew Eating, Cashew Wine Drinking & more!
• Musical Performances by: Supa G, Blue Steel Sounds, & Sweet Pain Band

The Belize LGBT Anti-Sodomy Law Trial Day-1

The Justice Arrives By Asa DeMatteo, Ph. D

How formal and elegant everyone looks, especially the Chief Justice.  We all rise and bow to the grandeur of the law.

The advocates on both sides are now introducing themselves to the court.  I am disappointed that they have dispensed with the powdered wigs of the English courts, but it is still an extremely handsome group of men and women.

Some minor procedural matters are the first agendum to be discussed.  Some evidentiary documents have not yet been submitted and there is a question of whether they can be obtained before the trial is concluded this week.

On the tables of advocates are stacked with over 20 volumes of documents.

Continue Here:http://asadematteo.tumblr.com/post/49863052760/the-justice-arrives