Falling through the cracks – LGBTQI people and COVID-19 in the Caribbean

By Kennedy Carillo

COVID-19 has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of marginalized communities, including LGBTIQ people, all over the world. In the Caribbean, archaic laws criminalizing same-sex relations – which are in effect across the majority of the region – compound these vulnerabilities even further.

So-called “buggery” laws inherited from colonial rule legitimize discriminatory societal attitudes towards LGBTIQ people, perpetuate domestic violence, limit employment opportunities, and block access to healthcare and government resources. The onset of COVID-19 COVID-19 amplified the vulnerabilities LGBTIQ people face, while the “buggery” laws and societal stigma have kept LGBTIQ people excluded from relief efforts.

It is well documented that those most vulnerable become even more so in times of crisis. To document how LGBTIQ people have impacted by the pandemic and surrounding containment measures, OutRight launched a global research report, “Vulnerability Amplified: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTIQ people.”

Based on findings from 59 interviews conducted with LGBTIQ people from all regions of the world, the report overwhelmingly showed that the challenges faced by LGBTIQ people are specific and amplified compared to the broader population.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a key issue facing LGBTIQ people in the Caribbean region even in the absence of a pandemic. Since 2019 OutRight has been working with local partners in the “Frontline Alliance: Caribbean Partnerships Against Gender-Based Violence” to tackle the issue and ensure access to relief services despite legislation criminalizing LGBTIQ identities. With the onset of COVID-19, we feared GBV, among other forms of discrimination faced by LGBTIQ people, would be magnified. Our research showed just how right we were.

Containment measures and job loss have forced people to be confined in homes with families who are unsupportive of their gender identity and expression or sexual orientation, resulting in abuse, violence, and psychological distress for many. “A 24-year old transgender woman shared that her mother insisted she wear male clothing and cut her hair while in her house, or she would be put out during curfew, which would mean that she would be arrested and sent to jail to face greater dangers,” Catherine Sealys, President of Raise Your Voice in St. Lucia said.

Even before the pandemic, avenues for recourse in the Caribbean were limited due to hostile attitudes on the part of law enforcement and other first responders. Fear of being outed or imprisoned prevents queer people from seeking out care or reporting domestic violence.

The pandemic has further limited options for LGBTIQ people, as community centers, events, and other safe places are closed. “For LGBTIQ people it has become a nightmare as they are trapped at home with families who don’t want them in the house,” Catherine said. “Before COVID, they were able to go out to work and could get out of the house so as not to be subjected to emotional and verbal abuse by parents and siblings.”

Another key issue facing LGBTIQ people at this time is rising job insecurity. Around the world LGBTIQ people are overrepresented in the informal job sector, living without job or social security, subsisting on daily wages, and being more vulnerable to economic downturns. “I am a drag entertainer. I am contracted to do shows and to entertain at social gatherings, but at the moment, there are no social gatherings, so I don’t have work. As a very effeminate gay person, this is the only job that I can find. No one wants to hire me for anything else,” said William Linares, a gay man from Belize.

Moreover, in the Caribbean many LGBTIQ people work in the tourism industry. Tourism makes up 30% of Jamaica’s GDP, and over 40% of Antigua and Barbuda’s. Travel restrictions and closed borders have immobilized this industry, taking jobs with it.

While relief efforts have been put in place across the region, their availability does not mean they are accessible for LGBTIQ people. While many individuals in the Caribbean are receiving government aid in the form of a stimulus check, transgender people are unable to tap into these resources because they do not have documents in their affirmed names and genders.

In nearby Latin America governments also fail miserably in responding to the needs of the trans communities and COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges. According to Lua Da Mote Stabile from Brazil, “We have a binary healthcare system. Trans people are already suffering from illness, and it is exacerbated from transphobia and discrimination.”

In times of crisis, our identities as LGBTIQ people become further complicated and we fall through the cracks of relief efforts, amplifying the vulnerabilities we already face.

We are facing an economic fallout larger than the general population due to the lack of national structures that recognize and support our needs. Without urgent intervention and inclusive and accessible relief, I fear that many LGBTIQ people will lose their livelihoods and face homelessness, violence, and even death as a result of a pandemic that brings to light the realities of social injustice, unfair treatment, and structural barriers that limit equal opportunities for LGBTIQ people.

(Kennedy Carillo, Caribbean Researcher based in Belize, OutRight Action International)