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THE advice came earlier this year from Vice President of the BVI Christian Council, Rosemarie Flax, inset above, as the BVI—a British Overseas Territory—prepares to hold a vote to decide whether or not to legalise same-sex marriage.

She said:

It is always better to obey God over man. The Christian Council supports whoever God chooses to govern our territory. But our collective voices will be heard when necessary on any matter that affects God’s people and conflicts with the laws of God. Acts 5:29 implores us in these circumstances to obey God rather than men.

The referendum, the BVI’s first, was announced last December by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley. It was proposed because of an ongoing case involving a same-sex Virgin Islands couple who got married in the UK then mounted a challenge in the High Court to have their union legally recognised in the BVI.

Said Wheatley:

If they were to be successful, Section 13(1c) of the trimonial Proceedings and Property Act, which provides that marriage is void unless the parties are respectively male and female, would be declared unconstitutional and therefore be null and void. As a result, same-sex marriage would become legal in the Virgin Islands.

Update on the case

It was reported on July 4 that the BVI High Court had begun hearing the controversial same-sex marriage case that involves BVI residents Kinisha Forbes and Kirsten Lettsome, who were issued a marriage certificate in the Britain in 2013 but were denied one in the BVI.

The couple claim they were unjustly denied a marriage certificate because they are both women and are asking the court to declare their marriage valid under BVI law.

The Attorney General is representing the BVI government and are joined by the BVI Christian Council, which has been listed on the court documents as “an interested party.”

Wheatley opposes a change in the law

Image via YouTube

The Premier, above, said:

In response to this legal challenge, the Virgin Islands Government, who is the respondent in this case, through counsel with the Attorney General’s Chambers, is vigorously defending our laws which clearly provide that marriage should be between a man and woman.

Wheatley added said that he doesn’t believe that the issue, which has “religious and social implications”, should be decided by a court of law but by the people of the Virgin Islands. Hence the decision to hold a referndum.

This referendum will give all eligible persons the opportunity to defend what they believe to be socially and morally right. This referendum will also consider the question of whether new legislation should be introduced to provide persons in a domestic partnership with certain legal rights such as the ability to pass on one’s estate to their partner regardless of sex in intestacy.

Wiki says of the territory:

The British Virgin Islands is a conservative and religious society. Open displays of affection between same-sex partners may offend, and LGBT people generally keep their sexual orientation a secret and stay in the closet.

There are reports of same-sex couples and LGBT people being harassed and even physically attacked. Some of these violent attacks have been justified or excused by locals as simply ‘following the Bible’.

If you support the Pink Triangle Trust’s mission to promote humanism, fight bigotry and fund LGBT groups, you can make a donation below. If you wish to report any typos or errors, please email freethinkered@aol.com