Pastor and media personality Luis Wade made an obscene reference on air two weeks ago - and tonight, the Parliamentary Women's Caucus is demanding a retraction.
Speaking about the People's Constitutional Commission - and the pushback against his election as representative for the media - he declared that national building is a task for giants, and not:...
Luis Wade
"Nation building is for giats, not for wussies. (laughing)"
That was two weeks ago, and Wade hasn't apologized for use of that offensive language. This morning the Belize Women's Parliamentary Caucus sent out a release blasting him for it. Their release notes sternly that to use words associated with the genitalia of women to convey weakness, or a cowardly man, or being "less than a giant" is offensive disrespectful, discriminatory and continues the patriarchal narrative that women are weaker then men. It is also misogynistic because it figuratively connects the female sex organ with weakness." End quote.
But they didn't stop there - the women's caucus which is chaired by Speaker Valerie Woods also wrote to the Chairman of the Belize Broadcasting Authority, Evan Tench. That's the body which regulates broadcasting - and which Wade also happens to sit on as the representative of the broadcast media.
Woods states that Wade has violated the terms and conditions for broadcasters set out by the very authority that he sits on by using language that is, quote, "offensive or revoltingly lewd" end quote. Woods' letter states, quote, it "cannot be tolerated and must be addressed.
She calls on the board to address the matter immediately and reiterate the call for an apology.
