When it comes to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans histories, in the Caribbean we are usually at a loss for positive representations. Stories of persons who defied the weight of stereotypes to love and live freely in societies plagued by colonial puritanical expectations did not come around often. When it did, our recorded presence (even now) often did not veer far away from certain favoured narratives grounded in homo/trans-phobia and intolerance.
As queer persons, there are so few ways in which we can resist the barriers set up against us, particularly when it comes to self-identity and expression. We often have to adopt a sort of radical self-love in order to cement our presence in spaces that are resistant to having us. There is a battle to have our stories and voices represented in a population where we are seen as deviants or non-existent. There have been some commendable strides as it relates to positive representations focused on public education in our media here but comparatively, I’m unsure as to how much has really changed.
