Gender and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

The Republic of Barbados is currently undergoing the process of constitutional reform, as part of its transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. Drawing on secondary data collected from the 2023 Barbados National LGBTI Survey, as well as from eight in-depth interviews with locally based sexual and gender rights activists, and discussions emerging out of the Barbados constitutional reform townhall meetings, this discussion considers the potential of law for advancing greater inclusivity of marginalized groups within the Barbadian society. Specifically, we examine the credence placed in law as a potential tool for safeguarding greater social inclusion, rights and protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in Barbados. In so doing,  we focus on LGBTQ+ people’s perceptions and/or experiences of legal reforms relating to gender and/or sexual orientation in Barbados. We highlight LGBTQ+ activists’ participation in the ongoing constitutional reform process, focusing on both the opportunities that were made available for their meaningful participation and the challenges encountered. We thus argue that participating in the constitutional reform process may have provided some marginalized LGBTQ+ groups/individuals with invaluable opportunities to share their experiences and interests as well as to potentially influence the outcomes of this consequential process. However, they also faced various hindrances, including having to navigate, at times, hostile opposition and a legal process that has traditionally reflected and served the interests and ideologies of the most powerful. These hindrances may impede some groups’ and individuals’ meaningful participation and their faith in the constitutional reform process. (249 words)

Biography

Latoya Lazarus completed a PhD in Sociology from York University. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies (The UWI), Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. Latoya’s research straddles the Sociology of Religion, Citizenship and Sexualities Studies. In particular, her research and publications interrogate the influence of Christian FBOs’ ideologies and mobilization on sexual politics and law reform in the Anglophone Caribbean.