Source: Caribbean Net News
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- A former Seattleite who was taken to a police station last week for kissing his boyfriend at a local bar has been issued an official apology by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

“I apologise for your upsetting experience and want to assure you that the Cayman Islands is a welcoming jurisdiction to all people,” Pilar Bush, the Caribbean island's director of tourism, wrote to Chandler.

“What happened to you was an isolated incident, and is not representative of Cayman. We know that thousands of gay and lesbian visitors travel to the Cayman Islands every year and enjoy their vacation,” Bush continued, adding: “I am truly sorry to learn of what you went through during your visit.”

In a complaint, Aaron Chandler recounts that an off-duty police officer told him at a bar where he was dancing with his boyfriend and "occasionally kissing", “It is against the law for two people of the same sex to show displays of affection in public.”  

Legal sources have confirmed to Caribbean Net News that the Cayman Islands does not have a law on its books that prohibits same-sex couples from publicly displaying affection.

Caribbean Net News reports that a "full investigation" has been launched into the incident, where an off-duty officer took Chandler to the George Town Police Station after he kissed his boyfriend on the dance floor at a popular Seven Mile Beach bar.

Chandler is the Board President of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition in Washington DC and former Commissioner of the City of Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities.

After he was detained, Chandler filed a complaint against the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) over the incident.

In the complaint, he recounts an evening out for dinner and dancing with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend’s sister and husband. While the group was at Royal Palms bar, he recounts, Chandler and his boyfriend were dancing together and “occasionally kissing.”

His complaint alleges that an off-duty officer pulled him aside and told him that public displays of affection by gay men are illegal. As Chandler's group was leaving the bar, his complaint alleges, he and his boyfriend kissed again.

“This police officer, upon seeing my boyfriend and I kiss, walked up to me, grabbed my arm and told me that I was going to be arrested. My boyfriend, his sister and his brother-in-law pleaded with the officer to let me go since we were on our way home, but the officer refused.”

Chandler also said in the complaint that a crowd of nearly 20 people from the bar pleaded with the officer to release him as he was “dragged” outside.

The Wikitravel.org website warns gay and lesbian travellers to avoid the Cayman Islands, saying, “The Cayman Islands is not a safe place for gay and lesbian tourists,” and adding: “It is best to avoid the Cayman Islands as a destination if you are gay or lesbian.”

Full article: Cayman Islands apologises to gay visitor | Caribbean Net News