Picture the perfect couple. They share common interests, get along wonderfully, and are completely in love.

But their relationship is over, simply because he is black and she is white.

Despite claims of improvement, youth say discrimination against couples of mixed ethnicity remains a controversial issue in Bermuda today.

One man, who did not wish t be named, said: "I am 73 years old and have lived in Bermuda my whole life. I've seen all kinds of changes happen here - how people dress, what they drive, crime and so on. Out of all the things that changed, I think the worst was the increase of interracial relationships."

The man denied being prejudiced against white people, but said: "They (interracial relationships) seem to be harmful for everyone involved. They're bad for the family, their friends, and the couple themselves.

"My granddaughter started dating a while back and I was worried she would fall right into the trap and go for one of her white friends, but thankfully not yet. I just don't want to see her hurt."

He concluded: "Yes it's more common, yes it's more accepted, but it's still not right."

A black 18-year-old male, John (not his real name), said he had dated both black and white girls. When comparing the two, he said: "I don't think there is really a difference, except sometimes white girls have less of an attitude problem.

"I am colour-blind. When I find a girl attractive, race is the last thing I notice, if I notice it at all. Some people have a preference - black, white, Asian, whatever. I think those people are narrow minded.

"Bermuda is a very judgmental place. A lot of people really look down on mixing."

He said here it was far more likely for black men to date white girls, then vice versa, but was unable to give a reason for this. He also said he knows white girls who have been confronted by black ones and tell them to "stop stealing their men".

"I've been called 'Oreo' and have been often asked whether I thought I was white," he added.

John believes harassment is greater for the black male in a relationship, however, he admitted it can be difficult for both involved.

He said: "Personally, it has always been worse for me, but that's because I was more perceptive of the looks and the comments. I don't really care what other people think, but I hate that everyone's watching you. I don't think it puts stress on your relationship, but it does impact your confidence."

He agreed that interracial relationships were probably less of an issue today, but doubted if race problems would ever disappear. John said he believed Bermuda was far behind the US and Canada regarding acceptance.

One white teen spoke out about her experience of a former relationship with a black man, saying she wished Bermudians would learn to be "more open minded".

She said: "I specifically remember someone telling my boyfriend that he was "a disgrace to all black people" because he was with a white girl. I was standing right there when she said it to him, and then she just looked through me like I didn't exist."

Although some feel it the problem is still serious, many from older generations claim the youth face far less prejudice than previously.

"It's far easier to date someone of a different colour than it used to be," one elderly woman said.

A middle-aged father said he was jealous of the flexibility his son has when choosing who to date. "I never had a choice - I had to date white girls. Nothing else was accepted then. Young people are lucky they avoided the discrimination," he said.

The director of Teen Services, Michelle Johnson said the organisation received very few cases of teenagers wanting counselling due to interracial relationships. Yet she said there had been cases of people seeking help for other issues when interracial problems came up.

Ms Johnson said to her knowledge, the only cases over the past 11 years were between Portuguese and blacks.

Despite few coming to Teen Services with this problem, Ms Johnson said the organisation was fully prepared to handle those seeking help. She said individual counselling was available, and, depending on the severity of the problem, either short or long term counselling would also be possible. She stressed that anyone seeking help for this issue is welcome at Teen Services.