Referendum on same sex unions coming very soon
The much-talked-about referendum on same-sex marriage within the territory is likely to be put forward to the public within the next weeks, Premier Dr Wheatley has confirmed.
Premier Wheatley made the statement yesterday May 2, during his first press engagement after winning re-election.
Dr Wheatley has remained adamant over the past few months that no High Court judge should be left in charge of charting the territory’s course on same-sex unions.
“We want to [introduce the referendum] actually very soon,” Premier Wheatley said in response to a question from the media about the referendum that was promised at the end of last year.
In an earlier statement, Dr Wheatley explained that this will be the first referendum in the history of the Virgin Islands. “This referendum will give all eligible persons the opportunity to defend what they believe to be socially and morally right,” the Premier said at the time.
He also commented that the referendum is expected to also consider the question of whether new legislation should be introduced to provide persons in a domestic partnership with certain legal rights such as the ability to pass on one’s estate to their partner regardless of sex in intestacy.
Referendum before court case
In the meantime, Premier Wheatley alluded to a pending trial that likely prompted the referendum. “As you know, we would be having… I think there’s a case which is slated for June. So we wanted to be able to have the referendum ahead of that. So that’s one thing, of course, that is [a matter] persons are going to be hearing about very very soon.”
The court case in reference concerns the validity of the marriage between two women — Kinisha Forbes and Kirsten Lettsome – and whether any prohibition against same-sex marriage in the BVI is contrary to the constitution of the Virgin Islands.
The premier noted previously that, if the couple was to be successful, Section 13(1c) of the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, which provides that marriage is void unless the parties are respectively male and female, would be declared unconstitutional and therefore be null and void. As a result of this, same-sex marriage would then become legal in the Virgin Islands.
Same-sex marriage has remained a highly controversial issue in the territory and the issue has seen a resurgence of late with a recent Private Member’s bill being laid in the House of Lords in the United Kingdom.
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It will happen because it is on the thing-to-do UK list
GET FROM HERE WID DAH THING…WE DONT WANT IT HERE
Can we also have a referendum on restoring the death penalty please.
No death penalty here please. Too many innocents being wrongfully executed
Let people live their lives. You do not have to accept it! We have murderers and thieves. They commit the crime and they do the time. Let God deal with it and keep out people business.
You are a sick being so you want LGBTQ and death penalty go ahead give the slave masters the legal right to kill us one way or the other. You are no different to the gunmen. Stupid and evil if you ask me. People like you are the most dangerous.
My thing is if you gonna argue against it purely based on religious dogma then remove all legal significance from marriage then and let it just be a religious practice that doesn’t have any impact on anything other than how it makes you feel in your head. Once marriage is going to have relevance in legal or medical affairs or whatever then it is no longer just a religious something its a right that you denying to a specific set of people and hiding behind of religion to justify the discrimination and its not right.
Have one on independence too … hopefully that’ll shut you up on that subject as well.
I don’t know wah ayo a$$ing up ayo self fah ! Bvi have them a lot too man and woman! Mehson please check on ayo man
This is not what the legal case is about. They are not asking to be married in the BVI but to be treated the same as any other married couple as far as property, finances etc are concerned. This premier continues with his smoke and mirrors.
THATS A NO …A GIANT NO! THEY THINK THE WORLD WAS POPULATED BY TWO SAME SEX PPL? GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT NONSENSE!
Adam and Eve…YES!
ADAM and Steve…NO!
fiya bun batty bwoy
Shoot yourself in foot again!
This is not a problem in the BVI. Why you have to piss off the rest of the world!?
Disney not going to buy this!!
A good for a ya. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Imagine knowing the law then suing when in contravention of the law. You could hear foolishness!
The same people who promoting this are the same ones who want to call God’s name in their mouth saying they’re saved, Christians, and that they love God.
People we have to respect God’s Laws. You respect your parents, your relationship, your employer, try not to break certain laws BUT want to completely ignore what the Word of God says then play that played-out song There’s a Place Up There for People Like You at their service when you fully-well know some people were far from God living like they run the world.
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 1:32
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:27
In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Leviticus 18:22-24
22 Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
23 Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Leviticus 20:13
If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Don’t even come talk about judging because Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Romans 15:14
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
To be treated as a married couple when you are NOT legally married here is no different than trying to open the door to gay marriage.
Eve was created from Adam’s rib in the Christion myth origin story. They then procreated with each other and then the human race was borne (as their descendants had incestuous intercourse with each other).
I find that story frankly abhorrent and insulting as a woman. But each to their own. Some people seem to find the idea of two adults being in love and wishing to cherish each other through a lifelong commitment equally abhorrent.
I’ll eat some lobster dressed in clothes made from two fabrics because I appreciate that Leviticus a lot of nonsense written 2,000 years ago. I’ll respect your right of opinion to follow Leviticus especially the part about loving thy neighbours as thyself.
bvi ppl. I love y’all. science thinks 8%+- of population is born gay. news tells us gays are 2x better educated and 2x disposable income than avg in US. if y’all vote to deny the right to respect and treatment for gay marriage like straight marriage, it send bad message to world’s gays to stay away. that is dumb. the gay sailor thing is $millions that week for bvi, and many wealthy gays have been coming . they are very likely buyers of property too, from all a we. we worship iphone. the guy running apple is guy-took it to 2bill. so , bvi ppl don’t like ppl telling them how to be. how you gonna say who man/woman can be with, then?
Botty bwoy …
Mark 8:36 – 38 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.
As these things go, for politicians, this is the coward’s way out of having to deal with human rights.
SHAME
A waste of paper. That is what a referendum is. This is a non issue distraction. Churches are free to marry or not marry who they want. What folks do in their homes or who they chose to live with is no concern of anybody else. Churches need to keep their beliefs systems to their memberships and stay out of law and civil matters.
Not what you said when we met in bathroom
God is not the law of man. Quote the Bible all you want but we as humans change
How about those passages of slavery? Change much?
God is not the law of man. Quote the Bible all you want but we as humans change
How about those passages of slavery? Change much?
We’ve been hosting the gay armada for decades. Guess we should ban that….
Oh wait we lose hundreds of thousands of dollars? The gays can stay.
Belongers be hypocrites
Given what you stated I hope that you also know that Law and civil matters burnt cities in the time before Christ’s birth. Putting that out there.
The premier looks as if he turned funny before election.
stfu with white man words published by slave masters and feudal lords in europe.
onelove
live and let live
people should be free to love who they want
respect all
common sense.
there are 7 billion people on earth. billions more than it can sustain at the rate we suck it dry. butt make no babies so enjoy reduced reproduction and less competition for jobs and resources, dmbfks.
or listen to ur conmen preachers. the world roles its eyes at such ignorance.bvi ppl about appearances
try not to look stupid.
How many people in the BVI does this affect seriously, that the Government has to have a referendum on it?
What about a referendum on banning loud music with disgusting words blaring out and the loud music after midnight. And weedwhackers at 5am in the morning? And what about enforcing the speeding laws for cars and the putting in of speed bumps in Waterfront Drive near republic Bank before somone is killed – the cars go so fast and dont stop at the crossing.
Opening up for satan to rule the country. Save yourselves by accepting morals and values guided by our creator JEHOVAH.
The price you will pay for SIN is too costly.SAVE YOURSELVES !!
Why not let people vote on your life. Black, white, Christian, Rasta. Oh wait they did that and see how it turned out. Let people live their life. Mind your own business