Anglican Archdeacon James Palacious.
UPDATE: Father Palacious has issued an apology - full story HERE
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
DEFENDING the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s (RBPF) advice that Junkanoo-goers “dress appropriately” to “avoid unwanted attention” and groping, Anglican Archdeacon James Palacious, pictured, said yesterday “if you are dressed like a prostitute, people will treat you like a prostitute.”
The statement of Father Palacious, vice-president of the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC), came after the RBPF said in a recent post on Facebook about Junkanoo safety tips, “if you appropriately dress, it takes away the chance of being groped or touch in an inappropriate manner.”
Critics accused police of “victim blaming,” and promoting rape culture, prompting the law enforcement agency to amend its post to remove the offending comment and announce the matter is being reviewed internally.
But Father Palacious, who has courted controversy in the past on social issues, said critics are being “politically correct”.
“If one woman coming down the road is dressed in a business attire and another woman is dressed scantily, the fellas are more likely to grope the one who is scantily dressed than the one who is fully dressed,” he said. “If you are dressed like a prostitute, people will treat you like a prostitute.”
Father Palacious said the RBPF’s statement was poorly worded and the organisation, rather than withdrawing its remark, should have merely added a warning to men as well.
“You should tell men that women have a right to dress the way they wish and you don’t have freedom to grope them because of how they are dressed, but you should also be able to advise women about the consequences of dressing a certain way,” he said.
“People don’t want to hear the truth. Everyone is in to being politically correct but the police is just warning you about making yourself attractive to criminals. The police is right in saying if you dress in a particular way you are more likely to attract the scums and bums of the earth who might believe they have licence to touch you. The police should be able to warn that the more scantily you are dressed, the more you attract people to you and lure some of these weed heads, which is probably what you want to do, but that goes along with some unintentional consequences.”
Father Palacious said the RBPF could have defended its decision, adding: “The police is trying to build up good faith so they ain’t in to coming back and forth to try and justify a poorly worded, well-intentioned exhortation, and that’s all it was, an exhortation, not a condemnation.”
Father Palacious likened the advice police gave to other advice regularly issued by authorities.
“Police often warn people against putting their materials in visible places in their cars to avoid having it stolen,” he said. “They say don’t travel late at night, don’t go down dark alleys; you are free to do these things but police is just saying it’s not wise to do it.”
Father Palacious said while he personally does not like the way some women dress, everyone is entitled to wear what they see fit.
“I’d prefer women not to dress as provocatively as some of them do,” he said. “However, that is your right provided it’s not nudity, provided it doesn’t border on committing an infraction or indecent exposure. Do it, but just know that the more you do that the more likely groping is to happen.
“Even in churches people don’t know how to dress,” he added. “Go to some churches, some women look like they going to a cocktail party. Little strings, shoulder out, much more exposure than you would expect in a more conservative environment. From time to time I comment generally: learn how to dress when you go to church.”
Despite his support for women’s issues, including on hot-button topics like the criminalisation of marital rape and last year’s gender equality referendum, Father Palacious is no stranger to controversy on social matters involving women.
Earlier this year at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Majority Rule, he faced backlash after saying “black people breed too much” and Bahamian women “should stop having babies” they cannot afford.
He also called former Free National Movement (FNM) MP Richard Lightbourn’s proposal in 2016 for state-sponsored sterilisation of women with more than two children “most unfortunate,” but said he agreed with the principle of what Mr Lightbourn had said.
Comments
TalRussell 6 years, 3 months ago
Comrade Archdeacon James Palacious the more you explain your reasoning the less chance you have of your Sandilands based logic possibly avoiding unwanted attention and groping by hereto Tribune bloggers cause they coming after (groping) your ass, okay.
Neither you, the minister security, the Commish or PM, does wants talks about 2017 setting the highest murder rate?
John 6 years, 3 months ago
What did Tal say..what did Tal say..sounds like geek to me!
Porcupine 6 years, 3 months ago
But, we seem to be unable to leave the religious zealots, hypocritical snd uneducated as they are, in the dustbin of history. We are a stunted nation. The connection between crime, murder, domestic violence and present mythologies escapes us. At some point the educated adults must find their voice and put these dinosaurs in their place. So sad, really.
TheMadHatter 6 years, 3 months ago
...and so the pathway to Sharia law continues to be cleared and widened. Maybe his church can take up collection to provide free burqas. Im sure the mayor of London will be proud when he hears this news. He even had all pics of women in bikinis removed from the subway stations.
Why not just outlaw sex altogether and require reproduction by test tube babies.
TalRussell 6 years, 3 months ago
I wish nominate Comrade Archdeacon James Palacious as the 2017 recipient Bahamaland's Order of the Lignum Vitae. {No, I didn't just make up we an Official Liqnum Vitae Order, cause we actually has one and it makes about as much sense as the Archdeacon's ‘Scantily Dressed' sermons to his church's woman's members }.
islandlad 6 years, 3 months ago
SO we’ll said “Themadhatter” I was going to say the exact same thing about Sharia Law and Burqas!!!! This idiot “Father” Palaciuos, if you can call him a father vs some other Muslim religiois monocuer Of choice, how can you even suggest in a “Catholic” / Christian country that any bad and unacceptable sexual behavior by a man is the responsibility of the woman, he has no clue what Sharia law is or any worldly knowledge beyond his small island life. This is 100% the value of Sharia and why they have to cover themselves, somehow even if they are fully covered it’s still their fault. The concept of a man being able to grope, rape a woman and he is the victim while the woman gets prosecuted for tempting the man and misleading him (Sharia) is sickening and the fact that a “Father” in the Bahamas has this rhetoric in his heart, should be disbarred of his title.
proudloudandfnm 6 years, 3 months ago
The ignorance that rules our country will never die....
TalRussell 6 years, 3 months ago
Comrade Archdeacon must be preaching his sermons from a different bible than most us grew up learning from a bible that didn't mention nothing about 'rearrangement blame we sins.' Since when did we sins not become our own takes responsibility? Sounds more likes the shifting responsibility ways this regal PM and his Imperial 'red shorts' cabinet.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
So you grew up learning from a bible and still cannot write English to a point that it is not annoying to even try to comprehend what you are trying to say? smt!
bogart 6 years, 3 months ago
The scantily dressed women, the scums and the bums of the earth, prostitutes, and the well dressed may actually be coming from a late church service and never had time to change outta dey Church clothes fore headding strait to Junkanoo.
TalRussell 6 years, 3 months ago
Comrade Archdeacon, go for it one these Sunday mornings by preaching a sermon to da Christian men's in your church - if they does wants learn how stop reacting them vaginas with their hard-ons whilst the sexy dressed church woman's does walk passed ya pews.
DDK 6 years, 3 months ago
Freedom to dress as one pleases is one thing, dressing like slutty slobs quite another. Sadly this "fashion" seems to be quite in vogue with a segment of the population's females!
TalRussell 6 years, 3 months ago
Comrade DDK, i'd be all for the Archdeacon do some serious Sunday morning sermons to them woman's who done is way beyond that certain age when your body speaking to all who can sees it that they shouldn't be wearing certain articles clothing. You knows some them pass their sexy age times woman's in and outside the church, right?
sengli02 6 years, 3 months ago
Those who are without sin, let them cast the first stone. KJV.
B_I_D___ 6 years, 3 months ago
How does that explain all the male idiots walking around with the shorts down by their knees with their underwear showing...
ohdrap4 6 years, 3 months ago
that is a sign of availability sent to homosexuals. started in prisons.
stillwaters 6 years, 3 months ago
by stillwaters
sengli02 6 years, 3 months ago
Women, you have to stand up and protest against these male pigs who basically want to tell you how to dress. They are not paying for your wardrobe. How dare these male pigs blame the victim.
Regarding the men or shall I say little boys who haven't been told how to keep their hands to themselves.
I hope that the men in the Bahamas are not maleschavonist pigs.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
A very prominent pastor gave a lecture on women coming to church improperly dressed. He said he instructed his ushers to keep blankets and shoals handy. And any woman coming into the church with too much of her body exposed, either above the waist or above the knees, was offered a shoal or a blanket depending on which part of her body was exposed too much. Not only that, but the pastor also instructed the ushers not to seat these distracting worshipers at the front of the church but further to the back. So the pastor said one day after service he was approached by a lady who was offended by not only being given a blanket to cover her legs but also by the fact that she had been seated near the back of the church. She lashed out at the pastor and said it was cruel and unusual punishment. So the pastor in his usual way responded to the complaint. "lady I come up in this pulpit to preach the word. And since the word is not between your legs, I don't need to be looking up in there when i am preaching the word. That's why the ushers covered you Second thing, there are some who came in here to hear the word (of God) and they don't need to be distracted by you. And finally we did not ask you to leave the church but we seated you closer to the door. That makes it easier for you to decide to follow our rules or leave the church"
sengli02 6 years, 3 months ago
There are more women in the church than men, if we (women) would stand up for what is right and don't let these thugs in the church treat our girls this way, they would not have a church.
Suppose this young lady came in for the first time, would Jesus have treated her this way?
stillwaters 6 years, 3 months ago
I wonder. He angrily chased out the money lenders. Go figure
stillwaters 6 years, 3 months ago
Shawl, not shoal
Groidal 6 years, 3 months ago
Classic! So not only can sub human jetski operators on Cabbage beach constantly rape female tourists daily with no consequences whatsoever,..it's now the tourist's fault for "dressing scantily"in their bathing suits! Ha ha ha. Lmfao ONLY in the Bahamas my friends!
John 6 years, 3 months ago
@ Groidal...Do you need a ride to the airport ... since you don't seem at all happy here...I know some jet operators that will be happy to take you there ..by sea.. Turn your TV to a local Florida station and see how many shootings and incidents of crime and other violence happen on Miami beaches, almost daily and some that end up in murder. When last you heard of an incident involving jet ski operators? And there was only one allegation of rape this year among 6 million tourists. Maybe it is the virility of the male jet ski operator you grudge.
Socrates 6 years, 3 months ago
This mindset is not surprising given that in 2 separate referenda, a majority voted to deny bahamian women equal rights.. whats next, the burqa?
ashley14 6 years, 3 months ago
He's now issued a apology. A apology really means that he's sorry he said it out loud, but you know how he feels. Honestly ladies we know there's some truth to it. You dress and act like a lady and your usually treated like one. Look like you want it and that's what you get. Although know one has the right to take it. Also I'll add young women don't realize what they are projecting yet. Just like they think a man wanting to be with them means that he loves her. Women are mental and men are physical. Self respect needs to be taught to these young girls and maybe some women. The girls that the gentlemen take home to meet the family are usually the women showing self respect. You can be sexy without showing it all.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
Do you know that some of the most deadly GANGS were formed in US prisons? Do you remember the NY reserve police officer who killed a black man and claimed he mistakenly used his gun when he thought he was using his taser. Even while charged with murder he was given bail that allowed him to vacation in the Bahamas. Not a day of jail time for taking an innocent life. Then what about the sitting judge who was running guns to Mexico and probably also the Bahamas did he ever get a single day of jail time? NOT! . "A federal operation dubbed Fast and Furious allowed weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of suspected gun smugglers so the arms could be traced to the higher echelons of Mexican drug cartels. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which ran the operation, has lost track of hundreds of firearms, many of which have been linked to crimes, including the fatal shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010.
Two convicted of killing Border Patrol agent; incident exposed Fast and Furious operation NATION "
ashley14 6 years, 3 months ago
Corruption just slipping thru the cracks happens everyday in the US. Murders are never heard about. Anymore there might be a school shooting, or mall shooting on one side of Atlanta and on the other you wouldn't ever hear about it. In the Bahamas you count your murder count (everyone), which makes it sound bad, but we have more crime per capital than we act like. Although I've been told not to go over the hill, stay in the tourist area, because of crime. There is no place in the US that I would say that about. I'm not afraid to go anywhere in the States, but of course if you see something that looks like trouble stay away.
bahamama 6 years, 3 months ago
@John - Just because there is crime in other countries doesn’t mean we give our country a free pass.
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