Maurice Tomlinson, founder and development coordinator of Montego Bay Pride, secured a victory in the Supreme Court yesterday when he was granted an interim order that allows his organisation to rent the public facilities at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre. The interim order also clears the way for Montego Bay Pride to once again host the public events at the venue as it has done in the past.

During a meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation in September, Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis stated that he would be revoking permission for the group to use the facility, stating that the move was necessary to preserve the “sacredness” of the space. The Montego Bay Cultural Centre is a public venue that provides meeting rooms for rent to the general public, among other things.

Given yesterday’s ruling, the matter will now proceed to judicial review where the full court will examine the manner in which the decision to prevent Montego Bay Pride from using the facilities was made and determine whether it was lawful to deny access to public facilities based on the personal opinions of the officials involved. Read more via Jamaica Gleaner