GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS, 12 April 2019:
With all the news surrounding our LGBT community in recent weeks, it has been a trying time for our small organisation. As such, regrettably, we have not had the opportunity to properly address many of these events and would like to share some of our thoughts and feelings in this short message.

Firstly, we are deeply disappointed in the Court of Appeal’s decision on 10 April 2019 to stay, effectively nullifying Chief Justice Anthony Smellie’s historic ruling that would have promised marriage equality for all same-sex couples across the Cayman Islands. We are especially disheartened that Ms Day and Ms Bodden-Bush, who, with a stellar legal team behind them, both fought long and hard for this monumental victory, only to ultimately be forced to postpone their long-awaited ceremony and endure a barrage of attacks from the public as well as prominent members of government. It is telling that our elected officials would go to such extremes, condemning and essentially advocating for violence against the very people they’ve vowed to represent and serve.

However, we have every confidence in Ms Day and Ms Bodden-Bush to keep on fighting, no matter the cost. And they should be assured that they are by no means alone in this fight, having the full support of a strong and vocal community to empower their efforts.

That said, Colours Cayman would also like to extend our thanks to those who attended and to those who helped organise last Sunday’s “Out Of Our Shells” celebration, which was a phenomenal success. We were truly touched to witness so many willing to take to the streets and be visible, whether for themselves or on behalf of the many disenfranchised in our marginalised community. We sincerely hope that such a vibrant display of support encourages those who are still fearful to stay strong and demonstrates just how accepting and loving the people of our islands really are, be they Caymanian, American, British or of any other nationality.

We also would like to express our gratitude to Governor Martyn Roper for publicly voicing his support of the ruling and for taking a clear stance on the issue of marriage equality.

And finally, as a reminder to all, and to opponents of same-sex marriage in particular, Colours Cayman as an organisation has no quarrel with our local religious community. We do not promote nor condone any anti-religious rhetoric and believe that everyone should have the right to practise their faith as they so please, provided it does not infringe on the rights of others. We advocate for LGBT rights as human rights and promote the inclusion and equality of LGBT persons in the Cayman Islands and throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, and rest assured, we will continue to strive to encourage dialogue, provide education to and promote visibility of our diverse and underserved community.

About Colours Cayman

Colours Cayman is a locally operated non-profit that aims to foster a safe and comfortable social environment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community of the Cayman Islands by building a network of local businesses and public venues free of discrimination and harassment towards anyone on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights as Human Rights and promote the inclusion and equality of LGBTQIA+ persons in the Cayman Islands and throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.