Caleb Orozco (born 1973) is an
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
activist in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
. He was the chief litigant in a case successfully challenging the
anti-sodomy laws of Belize and the co-founder of the only LGBT advocacy group in the country.
Biography
Orozco became politically active when he was 31, after attending a workshop in
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...
for gay men and for people living with
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
.
Orozco co-founded the
United Belize Advocacy Movement
This is a list LGBT rights organisations in Belize.
Table
United Belize Advocacy Movement
The United Belize Advocacy Movement, also known as UNIBAM or UniBAM, are a Belize-based non-governmental organisation that advocate against the di ...
(UNIBAM) in 2006, and later became the president.
UNIBAM is the country's only LGBT
advocacy group and has been using the legal system to challenge the
anti-sodomy laws in Belize.
UNIBAM is run out of Orzoco's home.
In 2009, Orozco attended an HIV conference in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
where he met two
law professors from the
University of the West Indies Rights Advocacy Project.
The two professors identified Belize as an ideal case for challenging bans on same-sex relationships.
In Belize, there was a law that specified a 10-year prison sentence for sodomy.
In 2011, Orozco and UNIBAM
filed a constitutional case against the law, and challenged section 53 of the criminal code in Belize. The
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Belize came out against the filing, which Orozco defended, saying, "The case is personal and it's about reminding the system that my human rights isn't about picking and choosing which you'll support and which you will ignore. My human rights is total. It's not to be mandated by the church because the church does not govern this country. Period." Not long after the filing, the church made a successful pretrial motion to remove UNIBAM saying the group had no
legal standing
Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...
, leaving Orozco the sole claimant on the case.
Gay people in Belize did not have a legal voice until Orozco filed the case.
After filing the challenge, Orozco said there had been an increase in hatred directed at LGBT people in Belize. In February 2012, he was threatened with anti-gay insults and hit in the face with a bottle which required surgery. He also began to get death threats because of his challenge to the anti-sodomy law. Orozco has also had his car damaged by people threatening him.
Orozco continued to participate in conferences. He was part of a forum called "Realising the Dream of Caribbean LGBT Inclusion", given at
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Tor ...
during the 2014 WorldPride Human Rights conference in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
In May 2013, arguments were made in court about the case.
On August 10, 2016, the chief justice ruled Section 53 of the criminal code to be unconstitutional. The law was said "to violate Orozco's human dignity, privacy, and (in forcing him to lie or risk prosecution) freedom of expression." Orozco said, "This is the first day of my life in which it is legal for me to be me." UNIBAM and Orozco began discussions with
Patrick Faber, the Deputy Prime Minister about LGBT representation on the Morality Commission in Belize.
In December 2016, he was awarded the
David Kato
David Kato Kisule ( – 26 January 2011) was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement and described as "Uganda's first openly gay man". He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities ...
Vision and Voice award.
See also
*
LGBT rights in Belize
References
External links
Caleb Orozco Speaks of Challenges he has Faced in His Fight(2016 video)
Judgment of the Supreme Court, Orozco v AG of Belize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orozco, Caleb
1973 births
Living people
People from Belize City
Belizean LGBT rights activists
Felipa de Souza Award
Belizean LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people