Dear Editor,
Montego Bay Pride was barred from using the publicly owned Cultural Centre to host our events because the city’s mayor said that our presence would violate the “sacredness” of this secular space.
This bizarre allegation was made because, among other things, we intended to host a public forum under the theme: “Is Jamaica ready for same-sex marriage?”
When we sued the mayor for violating our constitutional rights to freedom of expression, etc., his lawyer claimed that we were not able to use the space primarily because we did not have a permit. This new assertion by the mayor is disingenuous at best and patently false at worst.
These are the facts:
- The website of the Montego Bay Cultural Centre makes it clear that all applications to use the venue must be made directly to the Centre, not the city. We followed this procedure and had confirmed bookings for our events. We have used the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on multiple occasions and were never advised that we needed to apply for permit from the city.
- Even so, the regulations for a city permit seem to suggest that an application cannot be made more than a month before an event. But, the mayor’s statement banning us from the Cultural Centre was made more than a month before Pride, so we had no chance to apply for the permit.
- When we contacted the Cultural Centre’s management they told us that, based on a meeting that they had with the mayor we could no longer use the venue.
- On Oct. 14 we won a court injunction allowing us to host our events at the Centre and then immediately applied for the city permit because we had an event scheduled for Oct. 16.
- It appears that a permit can be processed in one day for an urgent gathering, similar to the impromptu concert for Kanye West at Emancipation Park last weekend. However, before our permit could be issued the Court of Appeal stayed or halted the interim order and it was subsequently overturned.
It was therefore prejudice not permits why the mayor of Montego Bay banned us from using the Cultural Centre. He should have the guts to own his bigotry.
We were denied our Constitutional rights, including freedom of expression, on a technicality. However, we will now reapply to use the Centre using the process that the mayor now insists upon. Hopefully this time we will be treated fairly.
Maurice Tomlinson
Founder and Development Coordinator – Montego Bay Pride
