List of LGBTQ rights organisations in Belize

History

UNIBAM trace their origins to a 2005 multi-centre study of men who have sex with men, led by Paul Edwards of the Ministry of Health, and Chad Martin of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.^[6] The study prompted discussions, primarily in Orange Walk, Orange Walk, which lead to the founding of UNIBAM's predecessor organisation, UNIDAD 96, by Alex Avalos, Fernando Novelo, Caleb Orozco, William Smith, and Jerry Mendoza, "along with many other nameless colleagues".^[7][8][9] On 16 February 2006, in space provided by Arnulfo Kantun of the National Development Foundation in Belize City, UNIBAM was established by Caleb Orozco and "10 other persons from Belize City and Orange Walk".^[2][10] UNIBAM were registered as an NGO on 4 May 2006, and secured their first grant in October of that year from the Tides Foundation.^[11][12]

Notably, UNIBAM successfully challenged the long-standing (since 1888) statutory criminalisation of homosexuality in Belize in the 2010–2016 Orozco v Attorney General case.^[13]

Activities

UNIBAM aim "to reduce stigma and discrimination" against queer Belizeans.^[4] Their primary activities involve research and advocacy, including formal representation of the queer community before national and international bodies, and informal representation in mass media.^[5] As of 2008^[update], the primary bodies liaised with included the UN Human Rights Council; the UN Human Rights Committee; the Organisation of American States; the Caribbean Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (C-FLAG); the Alliance Against AIDS (in Belize); and the Belize Family Life Association (BFLA).^[5]

History

PETAL were established in 2011 by Marla Simone Hill, then vice president of UNIBAM, who had observed "that very little advocacy was being done for the women in the LGBT community".^[17] The following year, the organisation engaged the support of social activist Abigail McKay, and inaugurated Conversations, their hallmark programme, deemed "a critical component of PETAL's work".^[18][19][20] In 2015, they secured a six-month grant from UNIBAM, and registered as a not-for-profit NGO on 29 December 2015, with a pro tempore board consisting of Simone Hill, Ifáṣínà Efunyemi, Charrice Talbert, and Abigail McKay.^[21][22] Their inaugural general meeting was held in December 2018, by which time they counted an active membership of "over 60 women".^[21]

Activities

PETAL aim "to achieve social, economic and gender justice for all women in Belize ... through advocacy and empowerment", with especial focus on lesbian and bisexual women.^[23] Their "signature" programme is Conversations, "a safe and brave space in which women sit together in a circle to learn, share, listen and support each other", held since 2012.^{[24][18][25][26]} Other notable programmes include an annual conference during International Women's Day, a Valentine's Day gala, family programming during Mother's Day, monthly gender-based violence outreach, and various sensitisation and awareness workshops.^[27] By 2019, PETAL had an active membership of 75 women across the country, and were serving "more than 100 women and girls".^[28]

History

BYEC were registered as an NGO in 2013, by fellows and alumni of the Youth Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Environment Programme of GOBelize (a GOJoven International subsidiary).^[29][35] They spearheaded the annual celebration of queer pride in Belmopan, Cayo in 2015.^[36][34][37]

Activities

BYEC are a youth-led organisation which aim "to represent the voices and dreams of young Belizeans with a focus on LGBT youth and [their] empowerment".^[32][38][29] They have, in concert with other queer advocacy groups in the country, sought "to remove the stigma around Belize's LGBT community by holding open forums and debates".^[30] By 2017, their coalition had provided HIV/AIDS testing to 19,000 men, and held six workshops with "100 government officials [and] 25 members of BYEC" regarding queer and human rights, reproductive health, and human sexuality.^[39][40] By the following year, BYEC-led workshops in Belmopan and various villages had engaged over 490 youth.^[29]

History

Our Circle were established in October 2013 and registered as an NGO in February 2017.^[41] They were founded by Derricia Castillo-Salazar "with two other friends [who] felt upset because the LGBTI community was being portrayed [in Belize] as an underground orgy community that engaged in heavy drinking and reckless behaviour" (a queerphobic trope).^[42] Their early activities included social events and trips aimed at fostering a sense of community and eroding the aforementioned stereotype.^[42]

Notably, Our Circle served as co-chairs of the International Family Equality Day Network (IFED) from 2015 to March 2018, commemorated the first International Family Equality Day in Belize in May 2017, opened a brick-and-mortar community resource centre in August 2017, and successfully advocated for the use of inclusive language in the national census in December 2019.^[41] The last milestone, in particular, marked "the first time in Belizean history that LBTQ+ individuals [would] be accounted for officially [in official statistics]".^[49]

Activities

Our Circle aim "to advance legal and lived equality for diverse families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change".^[50] They have provided meeting and informal social space to locals at their offices or Community Centre since the latter's inauguration in August 2017.^[51] The centre has been described as "the only established safe space for the LGBT community and their families in the entire country of Belize".^[52] By 2017, Our Circle's work had "engaged approximately 200 members of the Belizean LGBT community".^[53] By 2020, their centre had provided a safe space or support services to "hundreds of people", while the organisation as a whole had expended more than $980,000 in providing said services, raising awareness, and advocating for the queer people.^[54]

History

TIA Belize were established and registered as an NGO in 2014 by Zahnia Canul and Mia Quetzal.^[59][57][60] They joined the regional Network of Trans People in Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as RED LACTRANS, in 2016, and helped to establish the Network's Centre for the Documentation of the Trans Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as CEDOSTALC.^[61]

Activities

TIA Belize, described in 2019 as "the first and only NGO by and for transgender persons living in Belize", are constituted as a group of members who seek to "promote respect for their human rights and dignity as transgender persons".^[62] Towards this end, they have served as liaison for various national and overseas organisations undertaking similar work in the country, including US Agency for International Development, the UN Development Fund, the National AIDS Commission, UNIBAM, and RED LACTRANS.^[62]