The Caribbean Commons ~ Sexualities And Social Justice In The Caribbean

Movements for sexual citizenship and equal rights for sexual minorities across the region (particularly in the Anglophone and Hispanophone Caribbean) are growing and have garnered local and international media attention. With recent court cases challenging discriminatory laws and the backlash and frenzy over a so-called “gay lobby” in the region, we are at a crucial juncture of visibility, misrepresentation, anti-sexual minority violence, increased activism, lawsuits, and ongoing survival. It is a vital time to respond to recent events critically and from myriad perspectives, as well as to reflect on these movements, make interventions, fight against misrepresentation and violence, and share strategies for community building and solidarity. What is the landscape of sexual minority activism across the region? Who are the regional activists and what are the most recent developments? How are these issues being represented in the media, popular culture, and cultural productions in the English-, Spanish-, French-, Creole- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean? How do we build community, forge resistance to violence and discrimination, and at the same time, demand equal rights and treatment under the law? Where is our hope and love in building community?

We propose a diverse collection of critical essays, activist reports, interviews and profiles, creative writing, poetry, book reviews, visual and performance art, music, film, and other works that will reflect on the struggle/movements for sexual justice in the Caribbean (including all islands, Central and South American coastal areas, and their diasporas). As with the Caribbean IRN’s first collection, we seek to disrupt the divide between academia and community, while locating theories and knowledge in multiple sites and discourses. And we value and privilege local voices in these conversations.