Executive Summary
Project Aims, Objectives, Activities Deliverables
The aim of this project is to map faith work in the Caribbean that supports the advancement of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) human rights. Additionally, the consultants were asked to assess concrete needs and opportunities for change to which Arcus Foundation could contribute, taking into consideration its three goals:
Increased safety for LGBTQ people. Safer societies with reduced levels of anti-LGBTQ violence. Increased security for LGBTQ advocates and communities.
Increased LGBTQ-affirming protections. International, regional, and local policies that fully protect and uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all LGBTQ people and the repeal of policies that curtail such rights and freedom.
Increased inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ people. Public-positive protections, narratives, and discourse that appreciate the full diversity and experience of LGBTQ people; produced in conjunction with LGBTQ people, especially those pushed to the margins.
This mapping exercise documents the presence of faith-based initiatives that address the advancement of SOGI rights.
Methodology
Several methods were used to access information on past and present faith-based and SOGI initiatives, identify local and regional faith allies and locate and document faith-based initiatives that may threaten the sociopolitical advancement and safety of members of the LGBTQI community. Data was gathered through two major activities:
A review of LGBTQI/faith-based issues and initiatives within the Caribbean.
Qualitative research—key informant interviews and focus group discussions—conducted with LGBTQI activists, faith leaders, key experts, and select gender and human rights advocates from state and civil society organizations.
Most interviews and focus groups were conducted using virtual platforms, including Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom. A few interviews were conducted in person.
Conclusions and Lessons Learned from the Review
The review provided an opportunity to look more closely at faith-based efforts targeting SOGI advancement in the Caribbean. Although the dialogue has not grown exponentially, the visibility of the LGBTQI community has been steadily growing and challenging Caribbean societies to reconsider issues of discrimination, rights, faith, and inclusion. But the journey for both the faith community and LGBTQI activists has been painful and lacks guidance and strategy. Our discoveries have shown that:
Faith-based organizations (FBOs) continue to struggle with the issue of theology and affirming sexual diversity.
Most Caribbean citizens and governments are not clear on inalienable rights of all people, so they are slow to adopt policies and laws that include SOGI protection.
Documented efforts of faith-based and SOGI initiatives have been centered on HIV mitigation, and most of the documented work on this has been done through the regional Justice for All and Champions for Change initiatives implemented by CARICOM and PANCAP (Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS).
The lack of documentation of FBO and LGBTQI collaboration is also noteworthy; the consultants were unable to access documents and reports of faith-based LGBTQI engagements that have occurred nationally. We learned of these initiatives mostly via interviews during the mapping exercise. There are very few Caribbean research and scholarly writings on LGBTQI issues. The Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies had several publications beginning in 1995 that focused primarily on women with some focus on how Caribbean notions of masculinity influence the power relations between women and men. When homosexuality was addressed, most studies focused on men who have sex with men, rather than women who have sex with women. Transgender, queer, and intersex issues were not explored at all in the literature.
In terms of faith-based and SOGI collaboration, many respondents identified priests, pastors, and the media as proponents of homophobia. They admitted that politicians and media publishers were highly influenced by the voices of faith leaders in maintaining the culture of hostility and ostracism, using biblical passages and developed-world prejudices as reasons for maintaining the status quo of discrimination and exclusion.
What can be inferred from the interviews is that the faithbased community views SOGI human rights arguments with suspicion and that many do not view LGBTQI rights favorably, fearing this will lead to Caribbean nations accepting same-sex marriage.