The scene at Craft last night was one to remember.
From all over the island, people gathered in droves, filling the space with cheers and laughter in celebration of the historic court ruling delivered yesterday morning, legalising same-sex marriage for the Cayman Islands. A personal victory for the petitioners and lesbian partners Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden Bush to be sure, but also a significant one for the entire nation. And an especially significant victory for our LGBT people.
The moment we received the good news, I was bombarded by calls and messages from many who, once afraid and disheartened, were suddenly overjoyed. Already, there’s talk of potential gay newlyweds finally realising their beach wedding fantasies.
For the first time in our nation’s history, same-sex couples ready for marriage will be seen as equal in the eyes of the law, affording them the same rights and privileges as any other legally married couple. No longer will our Caymanian people need to pack up and settle down elsewhere in the world just for their partnership to be recognised and respected, or worse, spend their days in their own home country being treated as second-class citizens.
But freedom doesn’t come for free. It took bravery and hard work for us to get here. And while we have many a fight still to come, the importance and impact of yesterday’s big win for LGBT people, across Cayman and the world over, cannot be overstated.
So, on behalf of Colours Cayman and the entire Colours Collective, I would like to extend a proud and colourful congratulations to both Chantelle and Vickie as well as to their impressive supporting legal team. Thank you, ladies, for your courage. You fought the battle for yourselves but you won it for us all. And I am prouder Caymanian for it.