Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jun 13, 2025

'Let the people decide' on same-sex marriage issue- Talk show hosts

'Let the people decide' on same-sex marriage issue- Talk show hosts

A conversation on same-sex marriage saw various views being expressed during the Talking Points show aired on ZBVI 780 AM and live-streamed on Facebook on May 8, 2023.

The conversation was centred around the recent announcement by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who noted that a referendum on same-sex marriage will soon be carried out in the [British] Virgin Islands prior to a court case involving a same-sex couple seeking to have their marriage recognised in the Territory.

Referendum 'is a good thing'- Violet Thomas-Gaul

Co-host of the show Mrs Violet Thomas- Gaul, like many Virgin Islanders, said she supports the referendum but is concerned about United Kingdom (UK) interference.

“There’s also the fact that the UK is looking at it, and should they put anything through with the Territories they’re going to try and force whatever they put through down everybody’s throat whether you like it or not. This is a good thing he’s [Premier] doing. Let the people decide,” she stated.

Local businesswoman Maris Hodge- Wright who was a guest on the show said she does not agree with the church marrying LGBT persons but as citizens who pay taxes they should be allowed to be married under any governmental agency licenced to do so.

“I am a Christian but I’m also a citizen. I believe in a separation of church and state. As a Christian, my beliefs are supposed to be that the church cannot marry or should not marry because it goes against their precepts. As a citizen, I don’t think that it’s fair that people pay taxes and don’t have equal rights…I think that as Christians we are to defend the laws of a country, we are supposed to live under our Christian precepts but we cannot enforce and tell the law that you can pay taxes but you can’t have the same rights as I do,” she said.
A referendum regarding the matter of same-sex marriages is likely to be executed for the first time in the [British] Virgin Islands (VI) ahead of June 2023.



It's a 'human rights issue'- Damion C. Grange

Meanwhile, co-host Damion C. Grange said while he too is a ‘believer’ in the church, he is also believer in human rights.

“I think it’s a human rights issue…If we legalise alcohol and the church also believes that the abuse of it is just as wrong and they’re other things that are legal in the country that the church does not agree with, I think that the same principle should apply to same-sex marriage. If it’s not for you then it’s not for you. Why are you worried about it?” Grange said.

Referendum is good- Elvin Grant

Co-host Elvin Grant also agreed that the referendum is good since he noted it will inform on what should be acceptable and what the majority of the population deems acceptable.

Mr Grange then interjected that while he agrees with having the referendum, his issue with it is if it is really needed for this particular issue, since it should be considered a human rights issue and Government has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of every citizen is recognised.

He; however, said the church should not be forced to do anything.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pentagon Initiates Review of AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Pact
Meta to Invest $15 Billion in Scale AI to Advance AGI Goals
Rare Cancer Cases Triple Among Millennials, Alarming Doctors
G7 Finance Ministers Convene in Canada with Focus on Ukraine and Trade Tariffs
UK Spending Review Prioritizes Health and Defence Amid Budget Constraints
US Raises Security Concerns Over Proposed Chinese Embassy in London
Defined Benefit Pension Reforms Expected to Unlock Limited Investment
UK Industrial Strategy Launch Delayed Amid Budget Negotiations
Crick Institute Seeks Additional Funding to Attract International Scientists
Zia Yusuf Returns to Reform UK in New Role After Brief Resignation
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Scientist Returns Royal Society Prize in Protest Over Elon Musk's Fellowship
Chancellor Proposes 'Housing Bank' and £25 Billion Social Housing Boost
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows in May Amid Consumer Caution
Home Secretary Directed to Find Budget Savings to Protect Police Funding
Rolls-Royce Secures Government Backing for UK's First Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
Domestic Buyers Capitalize on London Property Market as Non-Doms Retreat
Nvidia CEO Criticizes UK's Digital Infrastructure Amid £1 Billion AI Investment Pledge
UK Commits Additional £11.5 Billion to Sizewell C Nuclear Project
UK Unemployment Reaches Near Four-Year High as Wage Growth Slows
Chancellor Reinstates Winter Fuel Payments for Majority of Pensioners
Simone Biles and Riley Gaines Clash Over Transgender Athletes in Women's Sports
California Governor Disputes National Guard Deployment Amid Rising Tensions
Protests Erupt in Los Angeles with Symbolic Flag Burning
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
US and China Engage in Trade Discussions in London Amid Ongoing Tensions
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
Germany's Merz Signals Continued U.S. Reliance After Meeting with Trump
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
Sam Altman's Eye-Scanning Digital ID Project Launches in UK
Qualcomm to Acquire UK's Alphawave in $2.4 Billion Deal
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Trump Administration Issues New Travel Ban Targeting 12 Countries
Man Group Mandates Full-Time Office Return for Quantitative Analysts
JPMorgan Warns Analysts Against Accepting Future-Dated Job Offers
Builder.ai Faces Legal Scrutiny Amid Financial Misreporting Allegations
Japan Grapples with Rice Shortage Amid Soaring Prices
Goldman Sachs Reduces Risk Exposure Amid Market Volatility
×