Mather urges lawmakers to take action on
Opposition legislator and Deputy Speaker Stacey 'Buddha' Mather. Legislators must stop avoiding the issue of same-sex marriage and make a clear decision, Territorial At-Large Representative Stacy ...
Opposition legislator and Deputy Speaker Stacey 'Buddha' Mather. Legislators must stop avoiding the issue of same-sex marriage and make a clear decision, Territorial At-Large Representative Stacy ‘Buddha’ Mather has urged. Speaking during the House of Assembly debate on the Constitutional Review Commission report, Mather argued that the territory could no longer sidestep the matter. “Recommendation 38.
Now, the commission says that they recommended the definition of marriage in the Virgin Islands be between a man and a woman, of opposite sex. I don’t know if others are apprehensive, but it’s fine. The Virgin Islands population, in my opinion, largely agree or would agree with what was there, especially based on what was said with the commission.
But I encourage my colleagues to finally come to a decision on this because it is not going to go away,” Mather insisted. He added that same-sex couples in the territory want to have rights that allow them to pass on valuable items to others in their life. “Give them a way. I am not here to judge it,” he argued. “I agree with what the commission has, but I also say that we need to address this.” The question of marriage equality has been simmering in the BVI for years.
In 2019, the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee recommended that London set deadlines for overseas territories to legalise same-sex marriage or face intervention through an Order in Council. While some territories, such as the Cayman Islands, have seen their courts step in, the BVI has not yet acted on the matter.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, responding to questions on the possibility of a referendum, noted that the current referendum law only allows paper ballots. “Honourable Mather has inquired on a number of times about the same-sex referendum that I had promised. What has held that up is the fact that the referendum law is old, and you can’t even do electronic balloting with that referendum act.
It’s paper ballots,” he explained. “And also, it would be very expensive, and the question is whether you should just do the referendum at the time of the election. Put some questions on the election ballot. And I’m in support of that,” the Premier added. He added that placing referendum questions on the 2027 general election ballot would allow the public to have their say without additional cost to the territory.
The debate comes as the BVI continues its constitutional discussions with the United Kingdom. With mounting pressure from international bodies and growing calls at home for clarity, the issue of marriage equality remains a test of lawmakers’ willingness to confront divisive social questions.
Primary source: BVI News