Gay tourist issue explained by Tourism Minister

Tourism Minister, Ian Douglas
Dominica: Minister for Tourism in Dominica, Ian Douglas, has sought to clear the air on the Government’s stance on gay tourists coming to Dominica saying cruise passengers of any religious or sexual orientation should be made aware of and should abide by local laws, the Dominica News Online reported.

This follows the uproar that occurred on Wednesday after a cruise ship carrying gay men docked on the island, and the arrest of two passengers for allegedly engaging in indecent acts in public.

Douglas acknowledged that he had received news of the arrest of the men but said the tourists should have been made aware of local laws, the DNO report said.

“We do not own the cruise ships, the cruise ships are owned by the respective companies. The cruise ships, the captains, the shore excursion managers, etc on the boat have the responsibility to inform their guests about the various laws and various regulations in every port that they go to,” he said.

“There are laws governing every country, and it is expected that any time people come to a country, they will respect the laws of the country,” Douglas explained.

The DNO said that there is hot debate among some Dominicans about whether cruise ships carrying gay tourists should be allowed to come to Dominica, citing the conflict between homosexuality and their religious beliefs. However, Douglas contends that screening persons based on sexuality is not the job of his Ministry or the Government.

According to the Portsmouth parliamentary representative, Dominica is not targeting, and has never marketed the country as being a destination for, people of any particular orientation, the DNO report said.

The two men arrested on Wednesday are expected to appear in court today.