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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 39 - Sunday March 16, 2003 |
Gay Cruise Ship Visit to Dominica Courts Controversy by Thomson Fontaine
The arrival of the The Norwegian Sky a cruise ship carrying approximately two thousand gay tourists in Dominica on Thursday proved to be rather controversial. Days before the cruise ship arrived, Dominicans took to the airwaves to voice their opinions.
Many on the island greeted the fact that Dominica would allow such a ship to dock with horror. Leading the charge was President of the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches Peter R. Augustine who urged local authorities to use the laws of Dominica to prevent the visit. He was of the opinion that the bible and the country's laws make gay and lesbianism illegal.
On the other side of the debate, acting Prime Minister Charles Sevarin indicated that his government was in no position to stop the cruise since no laws of the island had been violated. In the end, the two thousand gay visitors piled into local taxis and visited the various sites on the island, leaving at the end of the day.
H H V Whitchurch, the tour operator indicated that all the packages to the nature sites were fully booked and local taxi operators were delighted with the brisk business given by the gay tourists.
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