By Aminata Phidelia Allie
A group of activists, committed to promoting human rights and ending minority discrimination across the country, has been trained to monitor, promote and report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) issues.
The two-day training was held at the National Stadium’s Presidential Lounge in Freetown.
Formerly known as “Why Can’t We Get Married”, Pride Equality, which conducted the training, operates as a non-governmental, non-religious, non-partisan and a non-profit making organisation “that promotes peace, equality, understanding and respect for all human rights across the country.”
It also seeks to provide services on reproductive health for LGBTI people in the country.
Speaking on the human rights approach to addressing gay rights a representative of the UN, Peter Tumuhekyi, said the state had a role to play in addressing gay rights, adding that every individual had the right to dress, speak, think, or pray as they pleased.
“Everybody has a right to feel the way he wants to feel and act in a way he thinks is best to him. These human rights are backed by international standards and anyone who violates these rights has violated the international standards by which they are backed”, Tumuhekyi warned.
He went on that every individual was entitled to an ideology which should not be frowned at by anyone, and that “if someone wants to be gay, he should be respected for that, not discriminated against.” He pleaded with journalists to take the training seriously and use what they had learned to change public perception against LGBTI persons.
