OURS Cayman, a newly formed LGBTQIA+ organisation, said it supports non-discrimination but isn’t currently campaigning for the introduction of same-sex marriage.

The group said the focus of its initial work would be on mental health, wellbeing, housing, safety, discrimination and representation, as well as education and the creation of supportive community spaces.

“The short answer is, of course, we support non-discrimination; however, same-sex marriage is not one of our current advocacy objectives,” OURS Cayman said in written responses to The Caymanian Journal.

The organisation met Governor Jane Owen on 18 August at the Government Administration Building. It said same-sex marriage wasn’t discussed and that the meeting was intended to open a dialogue rather than secure specific policy commitments.

The name OURS stands for Outreach, Unity, Resources and Support. OURS Cayman was established this year by a group of professionals led by Leonardo Raznovich and Em DeCou.

It describes itself as a community-focused support organisation seeking to create a safer and more inclusive Cayman for LGBTQIA+ people and their allies.

“Our meeting with Governor Owen gave us the opportunity to share our mission and outline areas where we could collaborate to strengthen support for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies across the Cayman Islands,” the group said. “The meeting was about opening a dialogue, rather than confirming specific outcomes.”

A broader community agenda

OURS Cayman said its programme is designed to address a range of social and community issues rather than concentrate on one legislative objective.

It said same-sex marriage remains “an important area” but that public discussion of LGBTQIA+ matters shouldn’t be limited to marriage rights.

“OURS Cayman is a community-focused support group working to foster a safer, more inclusive Cayman for the LGBTQIA+ community through a variety of community activities, advocacy initiatives and educational programmes, rather than focusing on one specific area of advocacy,” it said.

The organisation said LGBTQIA+ Caymanians has been part of the community for generations and that increased visibility shouldn’t be mistaken for the recent emergence of LGBTQIA+ people in the Islands. “LGBTQIA+ Caymanians have, for generations, been part of the fabric of our community,” it said.

OURS Cayman said there had been a reduction in organised local support following changes at two other organisations. It said the organisation Colours Caribbean had shifted its focus towards the wider Caribbean and other British Overseas Territories, while the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation had ceased operating.

“This left an opportunity for representation, resources and day-to-day support for our LGBTQIA+ persons and allies in the Cayman Islands,” the group said.

It said its work would include assisting people within the LGBTQIA+ community who could be overlooked in broader public debates, as well as helping allies seeking information about how to provide support.

Meeting with the Governor

OURS Cayman said a report by the Kaleidoscope Trust on LGBTQIA+ lives and advocacy in Caribbean British Overseas Territories and Bermuda formed a central part of its discussion with the Governor.

The organisation said the report examined the relationship between legal developments and people’s everyday experiences, including what it described as a gap between legal progress and social acceptance.

The Governor’s Office said the UK supports the protection of LGBT rights and inclusive policies, including civil partnerships.

“The UK strongly believed in the protection of LGBT rights and supports inclusive policies which enable civil partnerships as a functional equivalent to marriage,” the office said.

“Cayman’s legislation to provide for civil partnerships was a substantive step in supporting our LGBT community and their families.”

The office drew a distinction between Cayman’s existing civil-partnership framework and any possible future legislation.

“Questions about future legislative proposals are a matter for the elected Government and Parliament,” it said.

Governor Owen said she hoped her office and OURS Cayman could cooperate, particularly in supporting younger members of the community.

“Cayman was proud of its inclusive approach to our communities and I hope we can work together to support the aims of OURS, particularly in helping LGBT+ young people feel included, so they can continue to thrive and belong in Cayman,” she said.

Neither the Governor nor her office announced a proposal to change Cayman’s marriage laws.

Marriage and civil partnerships

The formation of OURS Cayman comes amid a longstanding legal and political debate over marriage, civil partnerships and the division of authority between Cayman’s elected institutions and the UK.

Cayman’s current legal framework provides for marriage between opposite-sex couples and allows both opposite-sex and same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships.

Section 14 of the Cayman Islands Constitution says the Government must respect the right of every unmarried man and woman of marriageable age to marry a person of the opposite sex and found a family.

In 2022, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council held that the Constitution didn’t provide a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The Board said the Constitution’s express marriage right was specifically limited to marriage between a man and a woman.

The litigation also addressed the separate legal protections available to same-sex couples. The Privy Council recorded that it was common ground that the legislature was required to provide same-sex couples with a legal status functionally equivalent to marriage, such as a civil partnership.

The Legislative Assembly considered a Domestic Partnership Bill in July 2020 but voted against it.

Then-Governor Martyn Roper subsequently concluded that legislation was necessary or desirable in the interests of external affairs to provide same-sex couples with legal protections equivalent to those available through marriage.

On 4 September 2020, Roper assented to the Civil Partnership Law using the Governor’s reserved powers under Section 81 of the Constitution. The law took effect on 28 September of that year.

The legislation created civil partnerships for same-sex and opposite-sex couples and amended other laws to give civil partners a range of rights and responsibilities corresponding to those associated with marriage.

Kattina Anglin, chair of the Christian Association and an attorney-at-law, challenged the Governor’s use of Section 81.

In June 2025, the Privy Council dismissed her appeal and upheld the Governor’s exercise of the reserved power in the circumstances that existed in 2020.

The judgment concerned the Civil Partnership Law. It didn’t establish a requirement to introduce same-sex marriage, nor did it announce that Section 81 would be used to do so in the future.

Manderson raises accountability question

Franz Manderson also placed the civil-partnership dispute within a broader debate over political responsibility and Cayman’s constitutional relationship with the UK.

Speaking at the TCJ Forum on 26 August, Manderson was asked whether, during his long public service, he had observed ambiguity over who was ultimately accountable to whom.

He identified the dispute over legal recognition for same-sex couples as a case in which the lines of responsibility became particularly apparent.

Manderson said Cayman’s legislature had rejected the proposed domestic-partnership framework while the UK insisted that the Islands should provide legal recognition for same-sex couples.

That disagreement, he said, raised the question of who would assume responsibility when the positions of Cayman’s elected representatives and the UK diverged. “Who is accountable? Who now takes responsibility?” he asked.

Manderson pointed to Section 81, which allowed the Governor to enact the Civil Partnership Law after the legislature had rejected the earlier bill.

He said the episode “really highlighted the fact that we are not sovereign” and showed that the UK retained what he called “the big stick” in areas it regards as particularly important or connected to its values.

The experience, he said, caused him to reconsider Cayman’s constitutional arrangements.

“It was something that really made me stop and pause and have a look at the construct and question, well, is that the right model for us as the people of the Cayman Islands?” Manderson said.

His comments concerned the balance of constitutional power and political accountability. The legislation enacted through Section 81 established civil partnerships, rather than same-sex marriage.

Christian Association position

Anglin has said the Christian Association intends to defend Cayman’s existing legal position on marriage.

“Marriage is a union of an adult man and an adult woman,” she said. “That is the only definition of ‘marriage’ and we will defend that definition to the best of our ability,” she said.

She has described Section 14 as a ‘lex specialis’ - a specific legal provision governing marriage.

Anglin also said she believes Section 81 could be considered again in connection with same-sex marriage.

“It would not surprise me if they tried,” she said.

That is Anglin’s assessment. The Governor’s Office hasn’t announced an intention to use Section 81 for that purpose and has said future legislative proposals are matters for the elected Government and Parliament.

Anglin has also called on churches to take a more active role in public discussion of marriage and related social issues.

Funding and October launch

OURS Cayman said it was planning fundraising and community-support activities to finance its not-for-profit objectives.

The organisation said financial transparency would be a priority and that it had reached a preliminary agreement with a leading accountancy firm to provide accounting services on a pro-bono basis.

It said the firm would also help it seek an annual pro-bono audit from another established provider.

Asked whether it received financial or other support from overseas governments, organisations or advocacy groups, OURS Cayman described its intended fundraising and transparency arrangements but didn’t provide a detailed list of current or prospective external funders.

The organisation said it was preparing an official launch event for October, which would bring together LGBTQIA+ people, allies and other local stakeholders.

It also said it intended to continue discussions with the Governor’s Office.

For now, the group says its principal objectives are community support, education, safety, inclusion and non-discrimination—not a campaign to change Cayman’s marriage laws.