Bermuda 2019 - Days 3 and 4

I never finished blogging about the remainder of our Bermuda trip due to the hectic day we had on Saturday and then or departure on Sunday which involved a lengthy wait in Philadelphia which ended our plan to be home early in the evening. To say the wedding was over the top would be an understatement, beginning with the ceremony on the beach officiated by a former Prime Minister of the island country, to a cocktail party on the stunning terrace of the Coral Beach and Tennis Club, to a amazing tented dinner and dancing on the club's lush grounds. 

cocktail party venue.

Us in "Bermuda formal"

Dinner venue

The first dance

I also cannot say enough positive things about our stay at the St. Helier guesthouse which can be booked through AirBnB or Bermuda Rentals.  The proprietors, Sallie and Scott are wonderful hosts and provide great breakfasts and hospitality, are a treasure trove of information and very LGBT friendly. The house and grounds are very nice.

Front of the house.

Beautiful pool area.

Bermuda 2019 - Day 2

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Our second day in Bermuda was wonderful.  After a lazy morning at the guesthouse - there a several other couples staying here, one from Norway - we had lunch at Coconuts, the restaurant at The Reefs. The weather was amazing and the view from the restaurant was beautiful, with the hotel perched along the top of the cliffs:

After lunch, we went into Hamilton and did some window shopping - and I bought a tie since I left mine at home - before taking the ferry across the harbor to return to the guesthouse and a snack and cocktail.  The highlight of the day was the welcome party for wedding guests at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on the Hamilton waterfront. The bride, although from Newport News, has lived in Boston for a number of years and the groom is a Boston, native, so the bulk of the guests attending are from the Boston area.  That said, about 15 of us from Hampton Roads are down for the event.  The party was great fun with drinks, food and a DJ who got the place dancing up a storm.  Today, Barry is doing hair for the bride and bridesmaids - his gift to the bride - while yours truly will be lounging at the guest house pool.  The wedding is this afternoon and we will be dressed in "Bermuda formal.:  More photos from the party, including Barry with the bride to be:

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Bermuda 2019 - Day 1

We traveled to Bermuda for the wedding of a young woman the husband has known since she was a child.  Amazingly, our flights on American Airlines were on time - the first leg we even arrived early.  There are a small number of folks from Hampton/Newport News - most of the guests are from Boston - so we will have our own group within the larger group. We are staying at a lovely B&B not far from the wedding venue at the Coral Beach Club.  Attire for the wedding for men will be "Bermuda formal": tuxedos except with Bermuda shorts (yes, I will post photos). The welcome dinner Friday evening will be at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

After settling in and having our first cocktail, we joined friends from Newport News for dinner at the Ocean Club at the Fairmont Southampton - shown in the photo above - one of the grander hotels on the island. Today, we plan on lunch at The Reefs - a fabulous hotel once owned by dear friends, the husband of the couple having passed away recently. The afternoon will likely involve a ferry ride into Hamilton and some shopping since I managed to leave part of my outfit for Friday evening at home. I will also try to get some beach or pool time in - the B&B has a gorgeous pool.

Blogging, it goes without saying, will be reduced during this trip.  A friend is staying at our home house/dog sitting while we are away.

Carnival Corporation Supporting Challenge to Bermuda Rescission of Gay Marriage

As regular readers know, I have not minced my words about Bermuda's recent rescission of same sex marriage.  Moreover, I have urged the LGBT community and our friends and families to boycott (i) Cunard Lines which has its ships registered in Bermuda for tax purposes, and (ii) cruises with destinations that include Bermuda.  Interestingly, tourism groups in Bermuda opposed the effort lead by right wing pastors aided by American Christofascists.   Their motivation?  The tourism industry groups saw the repeal of marriage equality as severe threat to Bermuda's tourism industry which remains lackluster compared to its glory days.  Now, Bermuda News is reporting that a second legal challenge to the repeal of marriage equality has been filed and apparently Carnival Cruise Lines, the parent corporation of Cunard Lines, is backing the legal challenge.  Here are article highlights:

OUTBermuda and Maryellen Jackson have filed legal action in the Bermuda Supreme Court seeking an order declaring that provisions that “have the effect of revoking same-sex marriage” are in contravention of the Bermuda Constitution, with the local legal action — which marks the second filed about the matter — being backed by the Carnival cruise line.

The legal action is by OUTBermuda and Ms. Jackson, who said they “are actively preparing evidence for submission this week and an application to join their case to the Ferguson v Attorney General case so both cases can be heard together.

“While marriage equality is just one issue facing the LGBTQ+ community, OUTBermuda believes it is well positioned to provide a legal voice on a topic that has recently been handled like a political football in Bermuda.

OUTBermuda and Ms. Jackson said they “strongly oppose any measure to revoke the right to marry” and “believe that the ruling originally handed down by the Supreme Court of Bermuda in May 2017 permitting same-sex marriage is good law.”

Carnival Corporation said they are “actively supporting OUTBermuda” which includes providing “financial, civic and public relations support, as well as involvement by our company,” with the cruise line also confirming that they will be “filing an affidavit supporting the legal action.

Carnival’s Statement

The lawsuit by a Bermuda LGBTQ charity and a Bermudian, and has the support of the Carnival Corporation, which said, “Carnival Corporation believes our employees, guests and the public at large deserve equal dignity and respect.

“Our ongoing efforts have been recognized over several years by various organizations, such as the Human Rights Campaign, as one of the top companies to work for LGBTQ equality, including perfect scores in 2017 and 2016 in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, which rates U.S. companies on their treatment of LGBTQ consumers, investors and employees. As such, we believe that marriage equality should be lawful in Bermuda.

“We applauded the May 2017 ruling in Bermuda’s Supreme Court allowing and recognizing same-sex marriages on the island. Longstanding law and custom allowed ships registered in Bermuda to conduct opposite-sex wedding ceremonies at sea, and the 2017 court decision enabled cruise companies to also begin offering same-sex wedding packages.

“Beginning in summer 2017, we began booking onboard wedding packages for same-sex couples looking for the unique experience of being wed at sea, with the same equal legal recognition as opposite-sex couples.

“As a company committed to equality, inclusion and diversity, we were disheartened by Bermuda’s subsequent reversal of the May 2017 ruling.

“We support marriage equality and we have been actively engaged in supporting efforts by OUTBermuda – a registered charity that promotes and supports the wellbeing, health, dignity, security, safety and protection of the LGBTQ community in Bermuda — to legally challenge the action to again allow same-sex marriages on the island.

“In fact, Carnival Corporation is actively supporting OUTBermuda, along with another plaintiff, Maryellen Jackson, who have jointly submitted an Originating Summons to the Supreme Court of Bermuda for that court to issue an order declaring that Section 53 of the Domestic Partnership Act 2017 and all other provisions in the act that deal with and give effect to that provision or have the effect of revoking same-sex marriage or making same-sex marriages void, are in contravention of the Bermuda Constitution 1968.

“Our engagement includes providing OUTBermuda with financial, civic and public relations support, as well as involvement by our company. In addition, we will be filing an affidavit supporting the legal action submitted by OUTBermuda and Ms. Jackson.

“We are sensitive as to why some travelers may consider avoiding Bermuda while this ban is in place. While we always abide by the laws of the countries we sail to and from, we believe travel and tourism brings people and cultures together in powerful ways. As a result, we believe it is important to stand by the LGBTQ community in Bermuda and its many allies to oppose any actions that restrict travel and tourism.

“In addition, we have had ongoing meetings with LGBTQ community organizations based in Bermuda and they have shared their own concerns that both the existing law and any potential reduction of travel to Bermuda will have a negative impact on the local economy and locals who depend on tourism for their livelihood.

“At their urging, we believe it is best to align our actions with the LGBTQ community and others who live and work in Bermuda and depend on tourism for their living.

“For those reasons, we believe we can have the most significant impact through direct action. This is why we are working closely with local groups in Bermuda to support their efforts to use the legal process to challenge the decision. As part of this effort, we are actively seeking out and supporting local community organizations working for positive change.”

Hate Group Role in Bermuda Marriage Repeal; Options to Boycott Bermuda and Cruise Lines

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is among the ships registered in Bermuda.

One of the often unnoticed efforts of American Christofascists is to export their hate and fear based religious beliefs to less developed nations, especially in Africa where a less educated populace is susceptible to their lies and propaganda. Having lost the war against same sex marriage - at least for now - in America, their focus is on maintaining hate and prejudice abroad.  The Southern Poverty Law Center - the same organization that tracks Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups - tracts the activities of anti-LGBT groups that disseminate deliberate lies and false propaganda and where appropriate certifies these groups as hate groups.  Among those who have earned the hate group designation is a veritable who's who of "family values" groups to which the Republican Party routinely prostitutes itself (we saw this on Thursday in Virginia in the House of Delegates).  One such hate group is the secretive National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") that has never revealed its principal sources of funding. Now, NOM - always big into self promotion - is claiming responsibility for the propaganda campaign that saw Bermuda rescind same sex marriage.  Here's part of the press release:

NOM played a significant behind-the-scenes role in the tremendous victory in Bermuda. Our team advised pro-marriage supporters there on strategies to preserve marriage and I travelled there twice to meet with activists from Preserve Marriage Bermuda to discuss potential strategies. In 2016, Bermuda conducted a national referendum to advise the Parliament on whether gay ‘marriage’ should be allowed, with 68% of voters resoundingly rejecting same-sex ‘marriage.’

Despite the overwhelming voter rejection of redefining marriage, in 2017 the Bermuda Supreme Court imposed gay ‘marriage’ on the nation. This proved to be a short-lived ruling as the Preserve Marriage Bermuda coalition rallied supporters to demand that marriage be restored.

NOM heartily congratulates the people of Bermuda and the leadership of Preserve Marriage Bermuda. Their efforts are a powerful proof point that the “inevitability” of same-sex ‘marriage is a lie and that the fight for marriage can be won, even when the judicial elite think they can impose their will on a country, as tragically occurred here in the U.S. 

Meanwhile, CNBC is reporting that Bermuda's embrace of bigotry will prove costly to both Bermuda and cruise lines registered in Bermuda - Cunard, P&O, Princess Cruises, etc., - which no find themselves tied to an anti-gay country and susceptible to possible boycotts.  One can only hope that these cruise lines will change their country of registry to one less hostile to LGBT tourists.  Personally, I have always wanted to do a Cunard cruise, but that will not happen as long as Cunard's vessels are registered in an anti-gay country such as Bermuda.  Here are excerpts from the CNBC article:

The decision has put Bermuda tourism and some major cruise lines in a difficult spot. Carnival subsidiaries Cunard and P&O Cruises are both registered in Bermuda. Regardless of where the ships are in the world, they will no longer be allowed to host same-sex marriages. Princess Cruises, also part of Carnival, has ships registered in Bermuda as well. In August, the three Carnival cruise lines said they had started taking bookings for same-sex marriages at sea.

Bermuda hosted 693,000 tourists in 2017, and these visitors spent $431 million. The same-sex marriage ban will force many couples to rethink their travel plans. Bermuda's cruise ship economy grew last year. Bermuda received 161 cruise ship calls, bringing 416,049 passengers, an increase of 4.6 percent, and the government was forecasting more growth this year based on the 2017 numbers.

"Bermuda will have a backlash," Justin Nelson, the president and co-founder of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, wrote in an email. "Countries and travels brands know that LGBT inclusive tourism is big business — and Bermuda is going to suffer painful economic losses because of its decision to turn back the clock on same-sex marriages."

Nelson says more than 80 percent of the American LGBT population has passports, compared to about 40 percent for the rest of the population. He estimates the economic impact of LGBT travel worldwide at more than $100 billion. "Our communities make conscientious decisions based upon who has demonstrated policies that have our backs," Nelson wrote.

The Bermuda Tourism Authority wrote a letter to the Senate in December urging the lawmakers not to pass the repeal. "Same-sex marriage is already the law of our island and to roll that back for what will be seen as a less equal union will cause us serious reputational damage," the letter reads. "It's not only LGBT travelers that care about equal rights based on sexual orientation. Our research indicates many companies, consumers and travelers, including the overwhelming majority of the younger visitors powering Bermuda's growth, care about this issue."

P&O Cruises and Cunard must now grapple with how to appeal to same-sex couples who can no longer get married on their ships. . . . . As long as Bermuda's same-sex marriage ban remains, Bennington and his husband — and likely many other couples like them — said they will travel elsewhere.

Also of note, for those seeking a tropical island vacation but without the bigotry of Bermuda, Rex Wockner's blog provides alternatives where same sex marriage is legal.  Here are excerpts:

Bonaire » Caribbean Sea
Guadeloupe » Caribbean Sea

Martinique » Caribbean Sea
Puerto Rico » Caribbean Sea
Saba » Caribbean Sea
Saint Barthélemy » Caribbean Sea
Saint-Martin » Caribbean Sea
Sint Eustatius » Caribbean Sea
 U.S. Virgin Islands » Caribbean Sea

Bermuda Rescinds Same Sex Marriage; Let the Boycott Begin

Bermuda Parliament - home of hate, bigotry and the embrace of ignorance.

I have a love/hate feeling towards Bermuda.  Two very dear friends used to own a hotel in Bermuda - they were the only Americans to ever own have a 100% ownership without Bermudian co-ownership - and the husband and I traveled to Bermuda on a cruise out of Norfolk with these friends and a number of others a couple of years ago.  Bermuda is physical beautiful, but unfortunately, deep seated hate and bigotry is alive and well there as evidenced by the Parliamentary vote to repeal same sex marriage in the aftermath of a court ruling that found Bermuda's ban on same sex marriage violated the island nation's constitution.  With much of the local populace whipped into a frenzy by American Christofascists, in particular Alliance Defending Freedom, a certified hate group, members of the Bermuda Parliament showed their cowardice and passed a bill to rescind marriage equality and replace it with a separate but not equal domestic partnerships.  Sadly, Governor General John Rankin showed similar spinelessness and today gave his assent to the bigotry inspired bill.  Having traveled to Jamaica several times in my days a in-house counsel for an oil company, I have kept my vow to boycott the country until such time as gays have equal rights and are not criminalized.  Now Bermuda is added to the list of destinations to be avoided at all cost.  One can only hope that Bermuda's struggling tourism industry (which opposed the change in the law) takes a major financial hit and many of the bigoted locals who supported the homophobic bill find themselves unemployed.  Bermuda News looks at this triumph of hate and bigotry.  Here are excerpts:

The Governor has given assent to the Domestic Partnership Act 2017, Government House has just confirmed, meaning the legislation can now take effect.

In a statement this afternoon [Feb 7], Governor John Rankin said, “After careful consideration in line with my responsibilities under the Constitution, I have today given assent to the Domestic Partnership Act 2017.”

The Domestic Partnerships Act passed in the House of Assembly, and then passed in the Senate and will replace same-sex marriages with a domestic partnership which can be entered into by both same-sex and heterosexual couples.

Once approved in both the House [24-10] and Senate [8-3], the Bill went to the UK-appointed Governor for assent, which is normal procedure and generally seen as a formality, however it was been a topic of speculation in this case since the Bill was passed in December 2017.

A my blogger friend Joe Jervis notes, the change will likely impact Bermuda flagged cruise vessels which had been performing same sex marriages:

It’s believed that the Bermuda-flagged cruise ships that have been offering at-sea same-sex marriages will now drop that service. When Bermuda’s Parliament voted to repeal last year, official tourism agencies for the island raised loud alarms.

The push to repeal same-sex marriage in Bermuda was aided, unsurprisingly, by US-based Christian hate groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The best approach going forward is to avoid all things Bermuda.  Do not visit Bermuda. boycott Bermuda flagged vessels, and boycott products such as Goslings Rum (we have several bottles which I will either give away or pour down the drain).  Make bigotry and discrimination carry a very, very high price.

A final note: It is ironic that a majority of Bermudians are black, yet the American Christofascists who aided in the repeal are anti-black racists.  Bermudians were played for fools - just like far to many black pastors in Virginia who fall for the propaganda of The Family Foundation which traces back to proponnents of the Jim Crow laws. 

Tourism Authority Opposes Bermuda Parliament's Same-Sex Marriage Repeal

While Christofascists lost their effort in Alabama, in Bermuda, aided by American hate merchants and fraudulent "experts" they won the day as the Bermuda Parliament voted to repeal same sex marriage.  The Bermuda Tourism Authority - which in contrast functions in the real world and objective reality - has sounded the alarm that the move will wreak significant damage on the nation's tourism business and pleads with the governor to veto the bill.  Two years ago the husband and I cruised to Bermuda with numerous friends two of whom were the only Americans to ever own 100% of a resort in Bermuda.  It was beautiful and the people outwardly friendly, but if this bill is enacted, we will never go back.  Indeed, I am letting the the tourism Authority know how I feel.  I would encourage other readers to do the same by using the link here.     Here are highlights from Joe Jervis' blog:

Minutes ago the Bermuda Senate voted 8-3 to repeal same-sex marriage and replace it with domestic partnerships. Last week the Bermuda House approved the bill in a 24-10 vote. The bill now goes to the governor and if he signs it, Bermuda will become the second place in the world where same-sex marriage was repealed after having been legal. The first place was California.

In June 2016, Bermudan voters overwhelmingly rejected same-sex marriage by a 2-1 margin in a non-binding public referendum. The opposition had been rallied with the support of US hate groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom, which provided materials featuring quotes from anti-LGBT activists Ryan T. Anderson and Mark Regnerus.

However in May 2017, the Bermudan High Court ruled in favor of a gay man who challenged the ban on same-sex marriage, arguing that Human Rights Act guaranteed his right to marry his Canadian boyfriend. (Their photo is above.) Marriages conducted since that ruling will reportedly remain intact if the governor signs the bill.

The Bermuda Tourism Authority expressed great concern in a statement issued before the Senate vote:

“Since last Friday’s vote, we have seen ample evidence of negative international headlines and growing social-media hostility towards Bermuda that we feel compelled to express our concern about what the negative consequences could be for tourism if the Domestic Partnership Bill passes the Senate this week. We believe the Bill poses an unnecessary threat to the success of our tourism industry.

“We urge you to vote no and appreciate the opportunity to lay out the reasons why. Importantly, we do not view domestic partnerships as a negative in isolation. In fact many jurisdictions permit domestic partnerships without adverse impacts on their economies.

“The circumstance in Bermuda is different — and troubling — in one important way: same-sex marriage is already the law of our island and to roll that back for what will be seen as a less equal union will cause us serious reputational damage. We are convinced it will result in lost tourism business for Bermuda.” 

If this becomes law. let's make sure that the loss in tourism business is huge. 

Bermuda Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage

The Reefs - a Bermuda hotel once owned by friends

Equality has finally won out in Bermuda as the island nation's Supreme Court struck down bans on same sex marriage.  Sadly, as is the case in a number of Caribbean island nations - although Bermuda is in the Atlantic Ocean - ignorance embracing and reactionary religious beliefs were for too long allowed to deprive others of civil rights.   The husband and I were in Bermuda as part of a cruise in 2015 and found the country to be beautiful and an attractive destination but for its legalized discrimination against same sex couples.   What was the most ironic is that the country desperately wants in increase is tourism industry which has declined due to the growing popularity of cruises yet had a "Not Welcome" sign of sorts for LGBT tourists - a group that has been documented to stay longer and spend more than straight tourists.  The Royal Gazette looks at this welcomed development:

A gay couple have won a landmark legal ruling that paves the way for same-sex marriage in Bermuda.

Bermudian Winston Godwin and his Canadian fiancé, Greg DeRoche, embarked on their fight for equal rights after the Registrar-General rejected their application to marry on the island.

They took their case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Human Rights Act took primacy in Bermuda and protected their right to marry.

Yesterday a packed courtroom in the Dame Lois Browne-Evans Building erupted into spontaneous applause after Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons ruled in the couple’s favour.

“The common law definition of marriage, that marriage is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, and its reflection in the Marriage Act section 24 and the Matrimonial Clauses Act section 15 (c) are inconsistent with the provisions of the Human Rights Act as they constitute deliberate different treatment on the basis of sexual orientation,” Mrs Justice Simmons said.

“In so doing the common law discriminates against same-sex couples by excluding them from marriage and more broadly speaking the institution of marriage.

“On the facts of this case the applicants were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation when the Registrar refused to process their notice of intended marriage.

“Same-sex couples denied access to marriage laws and entry into the institution of marriage have been denied what the Human Rights Commission terms a “basket of goods”, that is rights of a spouse contained in numerous enactments of Parliament.”

She added: “The applicants are entitled to an Order of Mandamus compelling the Registrar to act in accordance with the requirements of the Marriage Act and a Declaration that same-sex couples are entitled to be married under the Marriage Act 1944.”

Mr Godwin described the ruling as a big step in the right direction and told The Royal Gazette that he and Mr DeRoche would be resubmitting their application to marry to the Registrar-General “within days”.

“It has been a long time coming,” he said. “This ruling, although it was in our favour ... there is still so much more to do in Bermuda.

“Hopefully, this brings forward hope and courage for those who were or are afraid to speak up or come out. This is a moment we are proud of and will never forget.”

Meanwhile, yesterday’s 48-page judgment was welcomed by the Rainbow Alliance who declared the ruling as victory for all same-gender loving people in Bermuda. The group said “history has been made and love has won”.

Senator Jeff Baron, the Minister of National Security, added: “Today’s ruling affirms that equality is for all — regardless of who you love, what you look like or who you pray to. And equality, when it’s real, isn’t conditional. Let’s acknowledge that there’s a tremendous amount of work to do, right here at home, to move barriers and heal our community. Let’s keep working together, let’s build this community of supporters and champions for equality.

“And despite hurtful attacks let us reach across and engage the most sceptical citizens and show them that Bermudian values; values of love, respect and inclusiveness, can be found in every corner of this island.”

Jamaica needs to take heed of what has happened in Bermuda and end its legalized homophobia.  I'd love to go back to Jamaica, but that will not happen until that countries anti-gay laws change. 

Bermuda Cruise Reflections

Dining Room at Fourways Inn

I have not blogged in days - the longest break ever since I started blogging daily in 2007 - largely because we have been so busy with friends and I have had to do legal work everyday except one.  We are at sea today and will arrive back in Norfolk tomorrow morning.  The trip has been a lot of fun and my impression of Bermuda has been positive even though it needs to catch up on LGBT rights and same sex marriage.  The island is far more tropical than I expected.  The most memorable parts of the trip were dinner at the Fourways Inn on Monday and lunch at The Reefs on Tuesday.  Friends on the cruise are the former owners of The Reefs and the Fourways Inn is one of their long time favorite restaurant.  On Monday night, the husband and I and a young married gay couple enjoyed the partying and dancing at Club Aqua near the cruise terminal at the Navy Wharf.

The original portion of the Fourways Inn was built in 1727 of native coral stone and cedar by John Harvey of Harvey's Bristol Cream fame, who made it his home. The name came from the fact that the residence spread in all four directions and was enclosed within two and a half acres of walled garden.  The property now also includes 10 guest suites.

The Reefs is built strung along a cliff on the southeast side of Bermuda with a beautiful private beach.  The current owner used to work for our friends when they owned the place.  We had an amazing lunch on the terrace with a special menu and spectacular views.  The photos below are of the view we enjoyed.

 

Notice: Reduced Posting

Blogging from now through October 30th may be reduced.  On Friday, the husband and I - and at least more than a dozen friends that we know of - are sailing to Bermuda aboard the Carnival Splendor (pictured above) which leaves Norfolk this Friday and returns on the 30th.  As always seems to be the case when we travel, I find myself inundated with legal work and will be working late every night until we sail (I got home tonight at 8:45PM).  In addition, I will likely be working part of the time while we are at sea thanks to the miracle of satellite Internet which will allow me to check office e-mail, circulate documents, etc. - and post on this blog, of course.

One fun aspect of this trip is that we are traveling with dear friends from Hampton Roads who formerly owned The Reefs resort in Bermuda (pictured below) who have arranged some special dining experiences for us and who will show us "an insiders Bermuda" while we are in Bermuda for three days and two nights.  On the negative side, Bermuda has yet to come into the 21st century and accept gay marriage (same sex relations are, thankfully legal), and were it not for our friends, I would prefer to boycott Bermuda.

As is our practice, a family member will be staying at our home and watching the two Chihuahuas.  I am looking forward to getting away, but dread the craziness between now and when the ship sails on Friday!  I will, of course, blog about our experiences and my thoughts and impressions.