TheStar.com : "NETHERLANDS ANTILLES–In St. Maarten, we criss-cross the island, searching in vain for a lesbian who will talk to me – though later I hear the cafés in Marigot are full of them. In Jamaica, some dance hall performers sing about shooting gay men in the head, pouring acid over them and raping lesbians. So far this year, 100 LGBT folk have reportedly been attacked in 43 mob incidents. Yet there's a huge, lively underground scene. In Cuba, gays and lesbians can't get permission to start their own advocacy organization. Meanwhile, the government is working on same-sex partnership recognition as well as free sex-change surgery and hormones on demand. This is the Caribbean, with some of the most complex and least understood gay and lesbian destinations in the world." ................
Forbes, I have been a long time vacation homeowner on Aruba, the tiny Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela. Only 20 miles long and 6 miles across, the cactus-filled, dry island features my favorite beach in the entire world. Endless days spent on the famed Eagle Beach floating in crystal clear, aquamarine warm waters is why massive throngs of tourists return annually to this island paradise.