Port Vila [Vanuatu], July 22: The Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network has condemned Vanuatu's move to change its Constitution to legally recognise only two sexes, male and female, at birth.
The group has labelled the proposed amendment as discriminatory and a direct attack on LGBTQI+ communities in the Pacific.
PSGDN Interim Chief Executive Officer Loata Tucika says the move is being disguised as upholding Melanesian values and Christian principles but is instead being used to push exclusion and marginalisation.
She also called out what she described as a double standard-questioning how a government reliant on foreign aid and tourism could pursue policies that isolate and silence certain groups.
Tucika warned the change threatens basic rights like freedom of expression, which are already protected under Vanuatu's own laws.
The Network is urging the government to rethink the amendment and is calling on churches to focus instead on serious social issues like gender-based violence and child abuse.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation