RoMoSexuality

Performative allyship is dangerous and it is just another form of oppression and it is violence.

Real allies do not centre themselves or occupy the minimal resources in the few spaces that were created for marginalised communities.

While organising the Pride Barbados inaugural parade, I sat down with Nation News to have a conversation on the priorities of the LGBT movement in Barbados.

I must also say that even though the content of these videos is important, I hesitated to share them because my hair was in that weird state, where heat-straightened naturally kinky hair swells and stiffens due to humidity. It's so ridiculous that as women, black women in particular, our hair and physical appearance are under such surveillance and policing that we need to justify them. If not, the preoccupation with our physical appearance might eclipse the importance of our work.

Part 3 of 3.

While organising the Pride Barbados inaugural parade, I sat down with Nation News to have a conversation on the priorities of the LGBT movement in Barbados.

I must also say that even though the content of these videos is important, I hesitated to share them because my hair was in that weird state, where heat-straightened naturally kinky hair swells and stiffens due to humidity. It's so ridiculous that as women, black women in particular, our hair and physical appearance are under such surveillance and policing that we need to justify them. If not, the preoccupation with our physical appearance might eclipse the importance of our work.

Part 2 of 3.

While organising the Pride Barbados inaugural parade, I sat down with Nation News to have a conversation on the priorities of the LGBT movement in Barbados.

I must also say that even though the content of these videos is important, I hesitated to share them because my hair was in that weird state, where heat-straightened naturally kinky hair swells and stiffens due to humidity. It's so ridiculous that as women, black women in particular, our hair and physical appearances are under such scrutiny and policing that we need to justify them. If not, the preoccupation with our physical appearance might eclipse the importance of our work.

Part 1 of 3.

It's a message that we're bombarded with all the time; productivity and success quantified by economic output are somehow tied to people's worth as human beings.

We're led to believe that those who don't "contribute" to society in ways that are "enough" under capitalism are less deserving of liberties and comfort. We're force-fed and then internalise the rhetoric that some people are "leeches", that some folks need to "do something of value" in order to be considered valid members of society.

INCORRECT!

Human beings are not a monolith and regardless of our production levels, we are all entitled to live comfortable, safe lives. This notion is also very ableist and ignores the systems of oppression which prevent several communities from thriving under capitalism; a system that was literally designed for many to fail.

Homeless people are worthy and valuable.

Unemployed people are worthy and valuable.

Disabled people are worthy and valuable.

Poor people are valuable.

Over the past two decades, Barbados has witnessed the growth of LGBT community mobilisation and visibility. Advocacy surrounding the advancement of the human rights of all gender and sexual minorities have been increasing. Pride Barbados created a space for the celebration and positive affirmation of LGBT persons within Barbados, in addition to the erasure of the “otherness” often faced by the LGBT Community.

The institution of LGBT Pride Celebration was officially born in June, 1970. This is when Brenda Howard, a bisexual feminist and activist decided to mobilise the LGBT community in efforts to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots which were led by the incredible and revolutionary trans activist Marsha P Johnson. Since then, Pride has grown to become an internationally recognised movement of claiming time and space for the unapologetic celebration and affirmation of gender and sexual minorities in all of their diversity and multidimensional realities.

The Pride Barbados committee, comprised of local LGBT activists, civil society organisations and community event planners, came together in efforts to create and execute Barbados’ first official recognition and celebration of International Pride Month. Pride has been identified as a necessary step in the unification of the LGBT Community with the wider Barbadian populous and reclamation of the narratives surrounding gender and sexual minorities.

Pride Barbados 2018 encompassed a variety of events and activities in efforts to promote tolerance, harmonious existence, respect for human diversity, community fortification and the cultivation of space for positive visibility and affirmation for all Barbadians who may feel marginalised, oppressed, invisible or excluded.

It aimed to end the stigmatisation and “othering” of LGBT people in creating a movement which appreciates them, not in spite of their diversity, but because of it.

On Billboard’s bigoted song, by Shannon Power of Gay Star News.

The song "Sex Change" by local Calypsonian Billboard has been making its rounds as Crop Over Season has come into full swing. While I acknowledge Freedom of Expression, that does not exist with a lack of social accountability or consequence. The problematic song makes a quite deliberate effort to denigrate the existence of LGBT people, in particular transgender people.

It is shameful, unwarranted, irresponsible and extremely dangerous to promote blatantly discriminatory messages which contribute to the very real violence towards a vulnerable community within our society.

Contrary to what was published in today's Nation, at the House of Soca Tent on Friday the 13th July, Billboard performed the song to an audience which a community member was a part of. Shelly, as a lesbian, was negatively affected and from her seat, chastised the singer's hypocrisy; Speaking of Christianity while casting judgement and promoting hate.

The emcee, Yolanda Holder heard the criticism, as Shelly was sitting closely to the stage. Yolanda then used her platform to call out to the audience, asking, "Is there a doctor in the house? We need some "trydickagain" medication for this lesbian", identifying Shelly to the entire audience (whose reactions were polarising). A rightfully mortified Shelly then went on stage, affirmed her confidence in her sexuality and drew reference to popular Bible passage Matthew 7:1, before returning to her place in the audience. Yolanda personally approached Shelly after the show and apologised to her. Shelly still remains understandably shaken, violated and hurt by these unjustified incidents.

This entire scenario brings light to the rampant and unwarranted hostility, intolerance and atmosphere of discrimination against gender and sexual minorities. LGBT people are expected to have their identities criticised, mocked, scrutinised and left to be public objects of speculation without expressing the hurt and frustration that comes with internalising such hate. The community, already vulnerable is expected to take dehumanisation, humiliation and outright hatred, in stride; at the risk of further persecution if they dare to respond. This is typical gaslighting at its finest.

We take a strong stance against the attitudes of bigotry, intolerance, homophobia, transphobia and lesbophobia that continue to be spewed and perpetuated by persons in our community who should be using their platforms and reach much more responsibly.

I spent International Day Against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) 2018 at the United Nation House for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, where I made a presentation on the LGBT movement in the Caribbean.

LGBT advocacy is null and void if there isn't consideration of gender inequality. That's a fact. Everyone's identities are intersectional. I am as much a woman as I am queer, as I am black, as I am Caribbean.

For ages, Queer women and Trans people have been subject to subjugation, not just because of our sexual orientation and gender identities, but patriarchal invisiblisation.

I resist homophobia, biphobia, transphobia (and lesbophobia) by being fiercely and unapologetically visible. I will continue to claim space as a Queer woman and use my privileges to elevate the voices of those more vulnerable than myself.

My existence is resistance.

Thanks to all of you who from different countries throughout the Caribbean, who gave us permission to post your messages of resistance! To those who have not yet found the courage to claim space as an LGBT person, you are valid and we acknowledge you.

I'm a huge believer in creating comprehensive and dynamic representation for Caribbean LGBT people. And so, this year, for International Day Against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia, I facilitated a digital visibility campaign, encouraging Caribbean LGBT people to share how they resist discrimination.

These are some of their stories:

"I am a trans woman and it is so hard living in Barbados where people don't understand. But I don't care. I continue to live my life and who has a problem could f*ck right off! I go in town and Sashay down Swan Street with my head held high. Shantay up Broad Street and don't care who watching me!"

J - Barbados

"Never let others put you in a box or define what your realities are.

I spent number of years developing spaces for myself and others and sharing in that space, our struggles and gains."

Rene, Co-Director of EQUALS - Barbados

"I resist homophobia, transphobia and biphobia by pushing back against bigotry in my personal and professional life. Challenging harmful statements sometimes leads to a productive discussion but sometimes leads to bad feelings and bad blood, but I think it's important to do anyway because any queer person listening might not yet be able to speak out themselves, and persons with phobic views need to know their views aren't the only ones."

Nastassia, queer activist and researcher - Barbados/Guyana

"Wearing make up does not make me less of a man. It is not an effeminate trait. I do not use it as a mask to hide behind, it is how I choose to express and present myself, artistically to the world. I choose to go against the grain in a world that wants to be generic. I resist homophobia by expressing myself, artistically. "To thine own self be true". "

Imran - Barbados

"As LGBTQI people, we sometimes have a tendency to keep to our safe spaces; a little afraid of being outed. I resist homophobia, biphobia and transphobia by being visible everywhere! Pride flags at work, home and in my vehicle. I live my truth, proudly!"

Roshawan - Belize

"WE resist homophobia, biphobia and transphobia by working with and for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women on a daily basis, creating safe spaces for them, building their capacity to serve and represent the LGBTQI community and increasing their participation in social justice advocacy."

WE-Change, Jamaica

"I refuse to be anonymous. I know that is a privilege I have because I don't live on the island. But I will hold my husband's hand, while walking on Brownes Beach, unafraid.

Resist. It's small for many, but I know that for one person seeing it, who's afraid to be themselves, such a moment can make them realise that they too can walk freely and love whomever they want."

Jamal - Barbados

"As a Muslim, I believe it's imperative that people in our communities resist homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia on social/cultural and religious levels. I do this by attending and supporting inclusive prayer spaces that welcome people of all sexual identities, gender identities and expressions, and by challenging discourses that promote the incorrect belief that Muslims can't or should not be LGBTQ."

Fatimah - Toronto/Barbados

"I resist homophobia by practicing self care..I used to try to make myself small or keep silent to avoid conflict or to make sure I didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. Now I'm invested in surrounding myself with people I can be myself around. People who, even if they may sometimes make homophobic, biphobic or transphobic utterances are committed to checking themselves and doing better"

Paige - Trinidad and Tobago

"I use my privilege to create space for others to express their authentic selves. In addition to that, I also use my privilege to denounce discriminatory words and actions."

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this statement being affirmed as truth; especially within international spaces. It really grinds my gears for a few reasons.

Let me break it down for you.

Homophobia and transphobia aren't indigenous to the Caribbean.

We've grown accustomed to hearing that homosexuality is a modern, Western import. Anti-LGBT campaigners then ironically use imported Western religion to justify these claims. But gender and sexual diversity were not thrust upon us. Quite contrarily, before the mass colonial genocide, Barbados and other anglophone Caribbean territories were inhabited by the First People who have historically recognised the sanctity of gender and sexual diversity. Today, indigenous communities still celebrate and normalise this diversity through their Two-Spirit community. "Two-Spirit" is an umbrella term which encompasses queer, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming and even polyamorous people. The corruption of these ideologies filtered its way into the region through Colonial occupation and the subsequent imposition of patrician, Christian morale.

Many enslaved people in the Caribbean were stolen from African societies which didn't adhere to the confines of a gender binary and normalised same-sex intimacy. Colonisers often subjugated and shamed enslaved African men through forced anal penetration and mandating them to wear "women's clothing". It can be argued that the feelings of intense vitriol expressed by many black cis-het Caribbean men, today, have roots in these violations.

During the British occupation of the Anglophone Caribbean, single male settlers immigrated to Barbados from Europe, en masse and same-sex intimacy was commonly practised. Moral panic by the Church led to the criminalisation of same-sex intimacy and anal sex throughout Britain and its colonies. Britain repealed these laws from their own legislation in 1967, but they remain entrenched in constitutions across the Caribbean.

In Barbados specifically, during the 1960s and 1970s, though the LGBT community was not free from systemic discrimination, general attitudes towards gender and sexual minorities were much more liberal than the subsequent decades. The Queen of the Bees Drag Pageant attracted national crowds and LGBT people associated openly. Things changed when the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit the region in the 1980s. The virus' association with gay men consumed the public with trepidation and the region witnessed an upsurge in imperial, anti-gay, Evangelical messaging. Following the epidemic, there was also a significant spike in violently homophobic dancehall music.

To flippantly label the region as "one of the most homophobic places on earth", erases the narratives, realities and lived experiences of thousands of Caribbean LGBT people. Of course, throughout the region, LGBT people are particularly vulnerable and endure marginalisation at institutional, social, economic and domestic levels. LGBT people (especially youth) face violence, lack of access to resources, homelessness, are more vulnerable to contract HIV/AIDS, often cannot access healthcare and are subject to a multitude of human rights violations.

However, these violations are fueled by ignorance and erasure. The rhetoric that "LGBT people are not welcome in the Caribbean" is harmful and reductive to the queer and trans people who actually live full lives here and contribute to all facets of society in meaningful ways through the arts, culture, politics, the legal system, academics, activism, entrepreneurship, education and more. LGBT people in the Caribbean are mothers, fathers, siblings and friends. The sentiment is also reductive to the decades of work that have been and continue to be executed by LGBT organisers across the region. Our movement is delicate but irrepressible. In 2018, communities across the region publicly commemorated Pride with scores of people taking to the streets to celebrate diversity, unapologetically. Failure to acknowledge this breeds the inflammatory narrative that LGBT people are not integrated into a functional society but are "other" and it perpetuates the concept that the Caribbean is a hopeless wasteland of bigotry, waiting to be saved by neo-colonialists.

The sentiment that the Caribbean is one of the most homophobic places on earth also promotes a neo-colonial rhetoric that stratifies the Global North and Global South without historical context. It glorifies the Global North as the yardstick of development by which the rest of the world should measure itself and simplistically ignores the fact that we are relatively new Independent states who are still foraging our paths and grappling with the aftereffects of violent colonisation.

Of course, there are extenuating factors which impact a queer person's ability to live comfortably and freely within the region. Privileges like race, ability, access to resources, education and class contribute to one's ability to survive in any space. Being LGBT in the Caribbean is by no means easy, but it isn't easy being marginalised anywhere. There are Queer and Trans people who leave the Caribbean to seek refuge in the Global North and are then confronted with the harsh reality of anti-black racism in addition to homophobia and transphobia.

A while ago, a well-known LGBT person was stabbed until hospitalisation and the encounter videotaped and posted to social media. I was made aware of the video but made a personal choice not to watch it. I did so because violence; especially that against marginalised populations has been so normalised and society has been completely desensitised to witnessing the brutalisation of others.

It's disappointing that we live in a culture where a person's denigration and torture can become a viral video and a topic of gossip. Regardless of the circumstances under which this assault took place, this person is a human being. Members of the LGBTQ population are already vulnerable persons within Barbadian society and so, it's abhorrent to hear and read people's justifications of a brutal act of inhumanity because of the victim's gender identity and/or sexual orientation. To see another human being abused and violated should always spark outrage, but the LGBTQ community is rarely afforded the luxury of humanisation. Instead, their subjugation often becomes a spectacle.

People need to come to the realisation that treating LGBTQ persons with dignity is not going to lead to the demise of society; treating an LGBTQ person with respect will not cause the foundation of civilisation as we know it to crumble. If a display of reverence for another person's humanity would compromise your morals, then your moral compass may be askew. When incidents like this take place and LGBTQ persons witness callous reactions from the wider public to a brutal act of violence, it sends a very clear message that LGBTQ bodies and lives are not valued or respected. When young queer persons with fragile identities see that violence against a visible LGBTQ person can become an exhibition in a gossip column, rather than provoking indignation, it is difficult for them to live their truth - especially youth who are of certain economic and social status. This unfeeling reaction, of course, is a symptom of a society steeped in homophobia and transphobia, where ostracism and violence against gender and sexual minorities are normalised.

To the surprise of no one, the Barbados Rally, an Evangelical group of self-appointed "custodians of society" held a panel discussion in November of 2017 on the "dangers" of homosexuality. The panel discussion uncomfortably focused on anal sex and incorrect information on the clitoris.

Being me, I showed up to hold them accountable for spreading harmful propaganda which impacts the lives of the most vulnerable LGBT persons in our society. With about 65% of Barbadians identifying as Christian, the Church has an incredible amount of power throughout the island. Christian values are woven into the fabric of institutional policy and the Church often feels it necessary to act as a compass of morality for the general public.

The church has historically used its power to incite and fuel discrimination against LGBT persons in Barbados. This started during colonisation and continues today. Most recently; protesting the colours of the Pride Flag and holding mass rallies against homosexuality but never denouncing violence against LGBT folks. The Church's gargantuan power, combined with a lack of comprehensive representation of the LGBT community, for decades, have ensured that the general rhetoric surrounding gender and sexual minorities in Barbados is one of violence, hostility and intolerance. This rhetoric doesn't stop at attitudes and stereotypes but it impacts LGBT people's ability to live free and secure lives. These attitudes are mirrored in systemic discrimination like homophobic laws, as well as, many LGBT persons' inability to safely access housing, employment and healthcare.

This is why is it so troubling that the Church not only continues to facilitate spaces which fuel discrimination, but they actively deny that discrimination exists. At the "Inherent Dangers of Sexuality" Panel Discussion, panellist Rev. Paul Leacock said,

"I think it is very disingenuous to assume that the condemnation of homosexuality by the church creates a climate of violence against homosexuals. I think you are going to have some significant trouble drawing a correlation between those two entities, especially here in Barbados"

This comment came after I took to the mic and urged that the Church be more responsible in its messaging. I spoke about my personal experiences of homophobic violence, as well as, the experiences of fellow community members.

Ignoring me and bolstering the argument of her colleague, sociologist and leader of the Barbados Rally Dr Veronica Evelyn, said the LGBT community was "not special" because discrimination and violence also affected the old, women, children and others were discriminated against. Not only did she erase the LGBT people which belong to these communities but she failed to acknowledge the several layers of oppression that one may face based on their multidimensional identity.

This erasure of the discrimination that LGBT people face, often as a result of religious bigotry, is purpose work and it is gaslighting at its finest. At this point, it's safe to assume that these representatives of the Church simply don't care about the lives and well-being of LGBT people and are being purposely vindictive to our safety. Though I am positive that they don't reflect the attitudes of the majority of the Church, silence in the face of oppression is complicity. I urge faith-based allies of the LGBT community to speak out against bigotry from your peers and hold them accountable for their irresponsibility. Otherwise, your hushed pledges of allyship when nobody else is looking, are null and void.

More on “Reclaiming the Rainbow”.

On behalf of my organisation, I partnered with the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA), The Barbados Council for the Disabled, Ev-O!-Lution and coordinator Leigh-Ann Worrell, in efforts to bring The Sex Shop to life.

The Sex Shop was an intersectional, sex-positive workshop space, which explored conversations about sex, sexuality and sexual and reproductive health in ways which we don't often do in the Caribbean. Throughout the region, we have witnessed a high prevalence of sexual violence, teenage pregnancies and we hold the second-highest global statistic for HIV/AIDS transmission. The narrative surrounding sexuality is often clinical, sex-negative and centred around monolithic ideals of abstinence until marriage. Contrary to the facade of upkeeping patrician, conservative, Colonial rules and our inability to have constructive, open conversations about sex, there is no lack of sexual activity within the region.

What we can infer, however, is that our inability to have sex-positive conversations and spaces has led to a culture of shame and ignorance surrounding sex and breeds problems pertaining to sexual and reproductive health.

The Sex Shop took one of many radical and necessary steps to diversify the narrative around sexuality in Barbados - so that we can cultivate a society of intersectional sex positivity. At the Sex Shop, I led a workshop to a group of about 70 majority cis-het persons on gender and sexual diversity; including the intricacies of same-sex intimacy. I entered the space, hesitant to preach to a room of cis-het strangers about the nitty-gritty of gay sex. Their receptiveness wildly surpassed my expectations and I was given the opportunity to explore an intersection which is rarely spoken about: Sexuality while being LGBT and physically disabled.

Much love to Leigh-Ann for facilitating this space. The next one can't come soon enough!