As witnessed by the past presidential election, a democracy is not always a system for the people and by the people. This was proven once again as Bermuda becomes the first nation to legalize gay marriage just to go against the rules of equality and repeal it.
As reported by the New York Daily News, Wednesday (Feb. 7) night Bermuda Gov. John Rankin approved the repeal, outlawing same-sex marriage on the island. This action went against the decision of the island’s Supreme Court who ruled last year that under certain restrictions, gay marriage must be recognized.
Due to the island’s status, as “self-governing” British territory, Bermuda is given the power to elect its own Prime Minister (who is Edward David Burt), but England also appoints a higher-ranking governor, John Rankin. This British diplomat acts similar to England’s Queen, where he must give “assent” to the bill before it is passed.
Rankin, however, did not assent to gay marriage. A halt in civil rights that could be rooted in a result of a 2016 vote on a non-binding same-sex referendum that the territory’s majority voted against.
The controversy surrounding the bill has many fearful that one of Bermuda’s biggest industries – tourism – may be endangered. Because of this, Bermudan Minister of Home Affairs, Walton Brown, stated Britain “recognizes that this is a local government decision,” claiming the law still protects the rights of the island’s gay community.
While this is seemingly soothing, the world watched Bermuda snatch away their citizen’s basic rights so quickly that they didn’t even get the fair chance to yell “no take backs!”