PRIDE ARUBA. On Wednesday night T.H. Palm & Company, a boutique streetside at Playa Linda Beach Resort hosted the fist annual Rainbow Event under the slogan Live & Love. The party kicked off the holiday shopping season, and tied up nicely with the fact that Venezuela just elected the first transgender congress woman in the Americas. Tamara Adrian, a lawyer and advocate for LGBT rights, is part of the opposition coalition that overwhelmingly conquered Venezuela’s National Assembly. On the island, ALFA, Alternative Lifestyle Federation of Aruba, organized Pride Aruba 2015, starting on November 13^th. The ALFA program featured a number of activities, including the opening ceremony at Fort Zoutman, and a lecture about Equality at the University of Aruba. I attended the lecture of Boris Dittrich at UA, and was impressed with his personal resilience and determination, serving an international Human Right Watch Group. Aruba has a split personality about the LGBT issue, accepting alternative lifestyles on the outside and resisting on the inside. I personally think that one day after the upcoming elections it would be politically appropriate to legalize same sex marriage and finally grant the LGBT segment of our population equal rights. ALFA, was established in 2005 with the mission to bring awareness to the community, that this whole LGBT issue is a human rights violation and not a political, religious, moral or social consideration. The evening at UA was organized by the Bachelor of Art in Social Work and Development department. The department offers a four year, full time program, training competent social workers. The party at T.H. Palm & Company at Playa Linda Beach Resort, was much-enjoyed by invited guests. Jodi Tobman who owns the store is a progressive, trail-blazing retailer, always ahead of the pack, taking her social responsibility and her position as a role model in the community, with utmost sincerity. The catering by Chef Bas Kuuestra contributed nicely to the total success of the island first annual Rainbow Event.

Share on: