Jamaica: MoBay Pride Sues Mayor Davis, Municipal Corporation

Banned from using the Montego Bay Cultural Centre for some of their Montego Bay Pride events, the LGBT group has filed a judicial review against Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis and the St James Municipal Corporation.

The case was filed on Tuesday, September 24 in the Supreme Court by founder and development coordinator, Maurice Tomlinson, who is also an attorney-at-law.

Lawyers from Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) are representing the gay rights group.

The mayor, in a Gleaner article on September 13, reportedly refused to grant permission for the group to use the facility, stating that it was necessary to preserve the “sacredness” of the space.

In his application for judicial review, Tomlinson stated that by rescinding the permission given to Montego Bay Pride by the Cultural Centre, the decision of the mayor and the municipal corporation was “discriminatory, unconstitutional and ultra vires”.

The group has hosted LGBT meetings in the centre over the last four years. Read more via Jamaica Gleaner