Dear Sir,

First of all, Cayman is a democratic and civilised society. Secondly, tourism plays a major role in the island’s economy. Thirdly, government is independent from religion. Fourth, human rights are protected in Cayman.

For a human to kiss another human (man or woman) is not a crime here in the Cayman and in any civilised American, European or Asian country… Therefore, the police officer, who was not on duty that night, had no legal right to arrest, detain and release the American citizen, especially if no crime was committed. He clearly acted on his own motives. In Canada, he would have been demoted to administrative duties or he would have been forced to retire temporarily from the police without pay or he would have been dismissed from the police force. Clearly, he had no legal right to act like a brainless cop… brain is more important in a modern police force that brawn! Cayman is not the Wild West or a despotic society. The police officer should be arrested for heinous conduct.

I have read letters sent to newspapers by representatives of churches on the island… in my view any priest, or religious groups that want to interfere in this debate are taking a huge risk. Religion and government should not interfere in each other’s business, it’s the basis of a democratic society. If religious groups want to interfere in government business, well, let them run at the next electoral campaign. Clearly, religion should take a step back as we are not in the Middle Ages where religion dictated the course of public affairs and government. It is fine to have religious beliefs but it does not give anybody the right to take away the human rights of others just because that they are different from us. Live and let live…

The image of the Cayman Islands around the world: if the news of this illegal arrest or detention echoes outside Cayman, the image of the Cayman and its people will be tarnished drastically. Nobody wants to go on vacation in a society that illegally arrests people for their differences with locals and their sexual orientation. Gay marriage has been legalised in many democratic countries including Canada and UK. Again, we are not in the Middle Ages.

For the record, I am not gay, I am Canadian citizen and I own a house in West Bay. I love the Cayman Islands and its people, but the local government should ask for serious explanations from the police force, which represents the government, the people and the image of the Cayman Islands for locals and tourists.

This situation should never happen again…

Nicolas Tetrault