Religion, Hate, Love, and Advocacy for LGBT Human Rights in Saint Lucia
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Religion, Hate, Love, and Advocacy for LGBT Human Rights in Saint Lucia Charmaine C. Williams 1
&
Joelleann Rose Forbes 1 & Kenita Placide 2 & Nancy Nicol 3
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Introduction This article explores how religion and religious institutions affect the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people living in Saint Lucia. Methods Drawing on thirty-three interviews conducted as part of an international human rights project, we explore the role that religion can play in both reinforcing marginalization and promoting human rights for sexual minority people. Results Thematic analysis of interview data reveals ways in which religion is the foundation for life in Saint Lucia and both marginalizes and sustains sexual minority lives. Conclusions Although churches are often viewed as major opponents to LGBT human rights, participants discussed hopes and strategies for churches to become allies in advocating for inclusion. Policy Implications We conclude that Saint Lucia is a context in which work toward human rights for sexual minority people must include attention to religion as a powerful and meaningful component of peoples’ lives. Keywords LGBT . Religion . Oppression . Homophobia . Saint Lucia . Caribbean . Human rights
Although human rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT1) communities have increased globally, several African, Caribbean, Asian, and Pacific nations still criminalize same-sex relationships (Gerber, 2014; Mendos, 2019). Attention usually goes to the outlawing of sex between men under “sodomy laws” but the seventy-two countries that 1
The language of “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender” and the LGBT acronym are used here because it was the chosen language for the Canadabased research project. The acronym LGB (Lesbian Gay Bisexual) is used elsewhere in the paper to reflect language used by participants in Saint Lucia.
* Charmaine C. Williams [email protected] Kenita Placide [email protected] Nancy Nicol [email protected] 1
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto M5S 1V4, Canada
2
United and Strong Inc., Massade, Gros Islet, P.O. Box 772, Castries, Saint Lucia
3
York Department of Visual Arts, 237 Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
penalize same-sex relationships include forty-five nations where consensual sex between women is also punishable (Duncan, 2017). Just over half of the countries in which same-sex relationships are criminalized are former Commonwealth nations that have retained homophobic legislation put in place during British colonial rule (Human Rights Watch, 2008). Saint Lucia is one of those nations. In Saint Lucia, buggery is defined as “sexual intercourse per anus by a male person with another male person” and it is a crime prohibited by law (Chapter 3.01—Criminal Code, 2005). Penalties range from five years to life imprisonment, based on whether the act is
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