St. Lucia Responds To Attack On 3 Gay American Tourists

CASTRIES, St. Lucia -- A robbery and assault on three gay American tourists at their vacation cottage has St. Lucia officials scrambling to assure visitors that the southern Caribbean island is safe and welcoming for homosexuals.

Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet issued an apology Monday to three men from Atlanta after masked bandits broke into their mountain rental home in Soufriere. One victim said the gunmen made slurs against gays, white people and Americans during the March 3 assault.

The tiny, tourism-dependent Caribbean country is typically peaceful and a safe place for all kinds of travelers, Chastanet said.

He said the attack was "unacceptable behavior and our destination will not tolerate it."

Police announced Monday that they have arrested two suspects in the assault and are looking for three more.

This former British territory is not known as a risky place for gays, particularly compared with other, socially conservative Caribbean islands where many gays are not open about their sexuality.

Nonetheless, a victim who detailed his account of the robbery on Facebook said he believes the attack was "partly a gay bashing."

Michael Baker said he and his companion, Nick Smith, were showering when they heard their friend Todd Wiggins scream in another part of the home. When Baker stepped out of the bathroom, he saw masked men beating Wiggins.

Baker said the armed bandits ultimately beat all three and tied them up.

"They began to tell us that they hated white people. They hated (gays)," Baker wrote. "They told us they had been watching us, and they hated us, and wanted us off the island. They said they would kill us if we did not leave."

After the attackers left, the men freed themselves, hiked down the mountain and were helped by some British tourists, Baker said.

Police said the robbers took about $1,800 in cash and some personal items. One of the men was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, and they all left St. Lucia soon after.

Baker did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent through Facebook, and phone calls to Atlanta phone listings under that name were not returned.

On his profile page, Baker said he and his friends will struggle with memories of the assault.

"I don't know the full motivation that drove these five men, but I do know that I can feel pity for them," he said.

Comments

[felixtkatz]

09:56 PM on 03/16/2011

Gay men should refrain from visiting all Caribbean Islands except for St. Barths. Many islanders are hypersensitive to anything they perceive as "gay" and they perceive as gay any man or men that are not accompanied by a female. One does not need to be gay or even "gay acting" as they say. Generally any two men together without a female are perceived as "gay" or "batty boys" and therefore are at risk. I have been spit on as I sat on a beach in Negril reading a book. I have been refused service in a restaurant in Eleuthera and been ignored sitting at a beachside bar in Grand Cayman when I attempted to buy a beer. When I told a Caribbean friend of my experiences she told me that it was most probably due to the fact that I was thougt to be gay since I was alone "without a female companion" when these situations took place. The only Caribbean island that I would ever return to is St. Barths. I was never treated in any odd way and never felt, ever, that i was in danger. I will not spend another dollar on any island other than St. Barths. The Caribbean may be beautiful but the people can be terrifying. Four friends of mine, two straight couples, were attacked in their rented cottage in Jamaica and luckily were not fatally hurt. They have vowed never to return. As have I.

[Bushwhacked]

02:42 AM on 03/17/2011

Jamaicans hate gays. Even in America, especially Florida. Don't trust Jamaicans for your healthcare if you're gay. They'll practically spit at you.

[ZenCrusader]

10:35 AM on 03/17/2011

I have had an entirely different experience in the Caribbean. I cannot agree with you that St. Barts is the only island in the Caribbean that gays should visit. Yes, Jamaica is homophobic, though I’ve had lots of great vacations there with no problem at all. But to suggest that gay people should only visit one island in the entire region is really overreacting, in my humble opinion. I lived in the VI and Dominican Republic and they are as safe for gay travel as is St. Barths. Same is true for St. Martin, Anguilla and Mustique.

[Anthony Cariddi]

04:34 PM on 03/15/2011

There are plenty of personal criminal attacks in the Caribbean. They don't attract the attention of the national or international news services. But add a comment about sexual orientation and there is a news worthy story. Shouldn't a respectable news service report all of the criminal activities so that an intelligent viewer can determine if this is just what happens or it is truly the result of a strongly homophobic island. Robbery is an equal opportunity crime motivated by greed, not an exercise of bigotry.

[Jeffreygeez]

05:09 PM on 03/15/2011

Anthony- Exactly correct. St. Lucia probably one of the safest Islands. The headlines designed to intice hits on the blog. Sensationalist journalism, par for the course and this blog at times. Too bad.Ps- the victims of these type of crimes all have one thing in common- money, the racism and homophobic issues are secondary. Black gay tourists or black straight tourists are just as likely to be victims. Equal opportunity criminals.

[whowhatwhywherewhen]

09:16 AM on 03/16/2011

except the were targeted BECAUSE the were gay.

[Polyphonic79]

12:05 PM on 03/16/2011

How gay are we talking about on a level of 1-10?

[OutAtFirst]

04:28 PM on 03/15/2011

Very unfortunate. Most of the locals in the Caribbean that dislike Americans simply stare through you like you don't exist, which they manage to do while ringing up your purchase.

[GratefulOne]

04:12 PM on 03/15/2011

My husband and I stayed at the Jalousie Plantation (Hilton) in St. Lucia a couple of yrs ago. It was beautiful and everything you would want from a tropical vacation. One day we decided to venture out and explore the nearby town of Soufriere. When letting us out, the taxi driver told us he would wait there for us. We found that odd, but set off. Within minutes, we were approached by random groups of men who asked us for money. Each time we declined. They would then begin loudly cursing us in English telling us how much they hated white people, telling my husband (in colorful, unprintable language) what they were going to do to me, etc. We gave up after 10 min. and returned to the taxi. It was miserable. The taxidriver told us it was a common experience. After that, we stayed on the hotel property; it became like a beautiful prison. I have lived in third world countries and traveled extensively all my life, but I can say that St. Lucia, while gorgeous, was one of the low points in terms of feeling any personal safety.

[ZenCrusader]

05:02 PM on 03/15/2011

I'm sincerely sorry you had that experience in Soufriere. I can attest to the fact that the vast majority of people in Soufriere are wonderful people. I have spent much time there, though not in the past five years. That your experience was ruined because of a few thugs is regrettable. Your taxi driver, who wasn't surprised, should have told you prior or offered to go with you - I found my local friends prevented any unpleasantries from happenning to me by their mere presence. They are supposed to have " tourist police " in Soufriere as well, who should have already dealt with this problem. It makes me sad to know you were denied the chance to experience what I found to be one of the most special places in all the Caribbean.

[GratefulOne]

05:43 PM on 03/15/2011

Thank you for your comments. I have no doubt there are many wonderful people there (there certainly were who worked at our hotel). However, we both felt strongly after such a negative experience (and after hearing related stories from other hotel guests), that if St. Lucia is serious about becoming a premier tourist destination, they are going to have to address these issues. You can't be holed up in a hotel compound for an entire trip; even though that is what a number of people told us they do when they go there.

[Nigel Shamari Nicholas]

03:23 PM on 03/15/2011

St Lucia remains one of the safest destinations in the Caribbean, the country does not support the attacks of the men on our soil. Its a shame. But a quick question though, why is there no fuss or articles when a Caribbean national is harmed in the USA,Canada & Europe ? we also expect to be safe tourist when we venture to your countries

[ZenCrusader]

05:06 PM on 03/15/2011

Actually, there are often stories about foreign tourists who become victims of crime while on vacation in the US. There is usually an outpouring of assistance from Americans to those tourists once they are informed of what happened. We don't see those stories at Huffpo though. I have some good friends of many years in Soufriere. My heart broke when Fond St. Jacque was flooded. There is nowhere in the Caribbean more beautiful and with more beautiful people.

[indothinker]

08:43 PM on 03/15/2011

and you usually are. with that being said, if there were tourists and they were thinking about going to a rough part of town because of a building, museum, or whatever they wanted to see, i would definitely warn them about the area and what to avoid. i have saved many a tourists looking for frank lloyd wright buildings from unscrupulous cab drivers wanting to charge them $20 more for the fare or from other undesirables. it can happen anywhere and i think it is up to every law abiding citizen no matter where they live to help out when they can. call me a pollyanna. i'm ok with that...

[jusathot]

03:06 PM on 03/15/2011

We should not come to the conclusion that the men were attacked because they were gay. At the same time, though--this may be how these theives may have justified their attacks on the men--that, and the fact they were white thrown in for good measure.

St.Lucia has to deal in a serious way with violent crime, especially those of a sexual nature. The dirty little secret of this island paradise is that men get away over and over with raping and killing women and girls. This attack is making headlines because these men were at a resort and they are American.

As for the Gay angle, St.Lucia refused to let Gay passengers on a Cruise ship who had docked there--permission to walk around. A singer wrote a popular song mocking the men on the "Bulling Boat."

To give you an idea of the complexity of this, whether it is Black vs White, vs. Gay or Straight, Man vs Woman- The father of confusion --the infamous Gay basher, Buju Banton, physically attacked a young waitress, claiming she had shown more respected to a White American guest, serving him before Buju. His lawyer, a prominent and influential lawmaker responded on TV that "these women have to learn their place, and to learn respect for men like Buju Banton."

[missouriwatcher]

12:34 PM on 03/15/2011

Although this attack was horrible enough, it is something that can (and does) happen to anyone, regardless of race, culture, sexual orientation, or sex.  I salute St. Lucia for working to make it right . . . sounds to me like the attackers should have just puffed another spliff and chilled out.

[halfpennybay]

01:12 PM on 03/15/2011

What a brilliant comment!

[raker]

03:07 PM on 03/15/2011

Yes, definitely not banal.

[ZenCrusader]

01:57 PM on 03/15/2011

the attackers are not the types to puff another spliff. if they were stoned on ganja they wouldn't be breaking into houses and beating people.

[missouriwatcher]

03:32 PM on 03/15/2011

That was was I was attempting to say; they should have been that type.

[iblogleft]

12:08 PM on 03/15/2011

My vacation to this island almost turned into a new home. It was that good.

I love St Lucia.

If I can ever get my wife away from her parents, I will be living there.

[BarLee]

11:47 AM on 03/15/2011

Consider these three tourist lucky they were not murdered. There have been white tourists murdered in St. Lucia, the murderer has been caught only to be set free because of the lack of witnesses.

Notice to all tourists in any caribbean destination, they live by a different set of laws or lack of, and a lot of it is black vs. white. You must be careful where ever you travel. It is easy for the Mr. Chastenet to say all he wants about this but when it comes right down to it, nothing will happen. The news will die down and it will be forgotten until the next incident and more than likely these individuals that were caught will go free. You cannot get these people under control, there is now a casino in St. Lucia, which is bringing in more drug dealers, more people with money which is only allowing more crimes to follow.

[alienlovesong]

12:12 PM on 03/15/2011

And what does one imply when one says "these people", I wonder.

[ZenCrusader]

12:34 PM on 03/15/2011

I thought it was clear that BarLee was referring to the criminal element on St. Lucia. Granted, the point about tourists with more money only allowing more crimes to follow is a bit illogical however.

[Danielle Benson]

02:10 PM on 03/15/2011

So by your logic, I am assuming it is impossible to be attacked in France or the Netherlands (or it will be someone non-indigienous who will be attacking you)? Life is strange and a violent attack can happen to anyone. No where in the world is 100% safe, regardless what color the residents happen to be.

[MrsPeel]

10:51 AM on 03/15/2011

I'm sorry to hear this about beautiful and friendly (to non-gays) St. Lucia. I had a wonderful time there, departing from my group to wander off the beaten path by myself at times.

Like jusathot, I hope this recent incident is another reminder there is an opportunity here. Thanks also to ZenCrusader for his/her activism.

[ZenCrusader]

10:18 AM on 03/15/2011

My career is in tourism and we have been sending clients to St. Lucia for over 30 years. I just wrote to the Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism & head of their Tourist Board. St. Lucia is probably THEE most beautiful island in all the Caribbean - especially the area of Soufriere where this horrible crime occured. I reminded the gentlemen that St. Lucia was the only county is all of the America's to not suport the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in 2008. Thus St. Lucia is sending a mixed message to the world and their own people - St Lucia does not support human rights for gay people BUT they should still visit St. Lucia, feel safe and spend their money. They have some work to do, both in tourism marketing AND in bringing some sanity to their own population on the issue. I hope they catch the thugs who did this crime and they rot in prison as an example to the other bullies on the island. I love St. Lucia but this is unacceptable.

[Sean Hayes]

01:46 AM on 03/15/2011

While this is from wikipedia, feel free to fact check:

" Homosexuality is illegal for males in Saint Lucia, though female homosexual acts are not mentioned.[1] Saint Lucia was also the only UN member in the Americas to formally oppose the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity.[2]"

How can we believe the St. Lucian gov't when there own laws threaten them?

[Jdaddy1951]

12:28 AM on 03/15/2011

The best apology St. Lucia can give the victims is arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice, hopefully locked away in a prison for a good long time.

[MrsPeel]

10:44 AM on 03/15/2011

As well as changing its laws and correcting its lack of participation in the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

[Jdaddy1951]

02:17 PM on 03/15/2011

Well, that. too. I was thinking specifically what would be an appropriate response for the victims of the crime. I imagine their immediate concern is getting justice for the crime that was perpetrated against them.

[Motorgoon]

12:15 AM on 03/15/2011

Why would anyone go to the carribean? Oh, that's right, they couldn't afford to go to Hawaii. The carriibean is a dump and its common knowledge they hate gays and white people. The islans are full of gross people that will steal jewelry off your body. Id never go there.

[Seer Clearly]

12:53 AM on 03/15/2011

Typical American comment: why would anyone go anywhere outside the US? I mean, like why would you want to learn anything about how others live, learn any new ideas, perhaps be humbled that you don't know the answers to everything, maybe realize that you aren't the top of the evolutionary ladder, and heaven forbid discover that the world is full of people who live happier lives than we do without being burdened by all the bizarre dogma we let rule our lives in this country.

[newworldgirl]

07:31 PM on 03/15/2011

Great response Seer Clearly. I started to type a response to Motorgoon but read yours and realized you said just what I wanted to say.

[ZenCrusader]

09:16 AM on 03/15/2011

You wrote " I'd never go there ". So you obviously have never been to the Caribbean. For your information, the Caribbean is not a dump. The majority of residents do not hate white people though some have problems with gay people. The Caribbean offers some of the most magnificent scenery and beaches in the entire world. Many of the residents are sweet people who love their families and are just trying to get by. Better people like you do not travel. STAY HOME.

[jusathot]

07:18 PM on 03/14/2011

Why was my post scrubbed? I am telling the truth about this lovely, homophobic country. When a beautiful and brave Gay man was killed a some years ago--lured into a car by five men, taken to a secluded spot, raped, beaten, tied to a tree with his own underwear shoved down his throat, people called radio stations clucking that "The Wages of Sin is Death."

I am deeply saddened by what happened to these visitors from Atlanta, but see this as an opportunity, to turn something terrible into something good--that because of the fear of repraisal, including the loss of "tourist dollars"the police will finally do something--like arrest and punish those criminals who commit those heinious acts.

[barnowl]

09:49 AM on 03/15/2011

Whoah! Did not know that happened. The people of St. Lucia have work to do.
Also, the many Europeans and Americans who vacation there must speak up.
I will.

[newworldgirl]

07:36 PM on 03/15/2011

Americans murder gays all the time. Have you forgotten about Matthew Shephard? He was an American man who was tortured and murdered by Americans, simply because he was gay. He was one of many who died at the hands of homophobic Americans. Americans have work to do. I hope you speak up about them.