PHILIPSBURG:--- The fourth annual convention of the Pink Orange Alliance will take place from Thursday, November 13 – Saturday, November 15, 2014 on St. Maarten.
The Pink Orange Alliance is a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex (lgbti) network, consisting of representatives from all of the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, including Aruba, and also The Netherlands. The various representative organizations have been meeting for the last three years on various islands in order to come to a more cohesive alignment of overarching goals.
In November, 2010, lgbti rights activists from all islands of the Dutch Caribbean, except St. Eustatius, and also a representative of COC in The Netherlands, signed the Pink Orange Accord, which laid the foundation for further and future cooperation. This document acknowledges the stigmas still often associated with lgbti lives in the Dutch Caribbean, which can lead to structural imbalances and inequality, but also notes that equal treatment, non-exclusion and non-discrimination are rights afford to all citizens of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. It is based on the latter that the Pink Orange Alliance pledges to tackle the former.
"Considering that our plight is seldom heard by our own political and social leadership, that the present statuses of the Dutch Caribbean islands limit the possibilities of support for international redress, it is without prejudice that the Kingdom and its institutions will become evident subjects to reclaim our rights, and that to achieve this we will seek cooperation and alliances with partner organizations in the European part of the Kingdom," is stated in the 2010 document.
In the document it is also written that, "All islands in the Dutch Caribbean need a center or other physical point of reference for the provision of emotional, physical and spiritual health services, psycho-social and legal support to the LGBTI community, we will promote the visibility of our LGBTI communities in all their diversity, present positive role models and fight stereotyping, we will create opportunities to report instances of exclusion, discrimination, bullying, violence and other rights violations and develop strategies to address misinformation and defamation in our media, we will promote an environment in our schools that is more inclusive of LGBTI sexual diversity, health and rights issues."
The various organizations have spent the years since 2010 working individually and collectively towards these goals and there have been successes over the years. In 2013 St. Maarten's first LGBTI organization (St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality or SAFE SXM) was established on December 10 (International Human Rights Day). In 2014 Born This Way was established on St. Eustatius. Surveys have been undertaken across many of the islands and will continue on others in order to better understand the dynamics and needs of the LGBTI communities on the various islands.
During this year's conference the delegates will chart the way forward for the next four years; looking at the psycho-social health of the various communities and also drafting a regional strategic approach.
As part of the conference there will also be an LGBTI production called "Don't Be Afraid Of Rainbows," produced by SAFE SXM and directed by Clara Reyes. For more information about this production please contact SAFE SXM at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
President of St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality, Lysanne Charles – Arrindell said that St. Maarten was pleased to host this year's event.
"Last year's event was held on Bonaire and we really had a great experience discussing common challenges and approaches as LGBTI activists. So this year we are excited about the conference coming here to St. Maarten so that together we can further our work in the best interest of LGBTI people, particularly on the various islands," Charles – Arrindell said.
Charles – Arrindell said that looked forward to many, many more years of great work and good experiences within the Pink Orange Alliance.
"As an LGBTI organization, SAFE SXM is well aware of its obligations to the local community, but we are also aware of the facts that there is strength in numbers and that knowledge something that is best shared. So we can learn from others who have more experience and they can also learn best practices from us and this way we can all see that we are not in this struggle alone. There is still a lot of work to be done to 1) alleviate the misinformation that people have about LGBTI individuals, 2) eradicate the prejudices that people come with whether they are religious or culturally based, 3) prevent self-stigma and self-hatred amongst LGBTI people. We cannot do it all alone and therefore we are thankful that we have our partners in the Pink Orange Alliance to work with as we tackle these complex issues," Charles Arrindell said.