The Caribbean is often perceived by the Global North as a region marked by queer death, violence, and impossibility.
Colonial buggery laws and nationalist politics privilege cisgender heterosexual citizens, marginalizing gender and sexual diversity.
Western media and narratives often label Caribbean countries as highly homophobic and in need of Northern intervention to achieve queer modernity.
Resilience and Resistance in the Caribbean
Despite the prevalent homo- and transphobia, queer and trans Caribbean communities carve out spaces for their desires, organizing against heteropatriarchies.
Local organizations such as Barbados Gay and Lesbians Against Discrimination (BGLAD), JFLAG, SASOD, CAISO, and others support the specific needs of queer and trans Caribbean lives.
Cultural Practices and Celebrations
Traditional Caribbean celebrations like Carnival, Jab Jab, Phagwah, and others embed cross-dressing and gender play, challenging Western notions of gender and sexuality.
Queer and trans individuals in the Caribbean use mundane and spectacular spaces to challenge heteronormative norms.
Caribbean Drag and Cultural Identity
Caribbean drag critiques the idea that queerness and Caribbeanness can't coexist.
Notable drag figures include Anastarzia Anaquway and participants of shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, who highlight Caribbean queer experiences.
Caribbean drag artists, through their performances, articulate unique sexual diversity, resisting the mainstream queer narrative.
Prominent Caribbean Drag Artists and Their Impact
Jahlisa A. Ross: Garifuna-American from Staten Island, expresses liberation through movement in drag.
DJ Nina Flowers: Puerto Rican from Denver, finds artistic challenges during the pandemic.
Phil Atioh: Afro-Jamaican-Canadian from Toronto, uses music to highlight Caribbean identity.
Sundari, The Indian Goddess: Indo-Guyanese from Queens, bridges cultural spaces for LGBTQ+ visibility.
Bijuriya: Indo-Trinidadian from Montreal, challenges mainstream culture using Desi inspirations.
Detoxx Busti-ae: Afro-Jamaican from Brooklyn, uses drag for community enrichment and advocacy.
Sheila, De Dancin’ Diva: Indo-Trinidadian from Trinidad, combines heritage with activism through performance.
Kimora Amour: Dougla from Scarborough, Ontario, discusses racial dynamics in Caribbean drag.
Curry Anne Durr: Indo-Trinidadian-American from Fort Lauderdale, emphasizes drag as protest.
Devine Darlin: Afro-Jamaican from Toronto, highlights challenges specific to Caribbean queens.
Tifa Wine: Indo-Trinidadian from Toronto, uses historical feminisms to articulate queer positions.
Buster Highman: Afro-Jamaican from Toronto, shares culture through music and dance.
Karma Sutra: Indo-Trinidadian from South Florida, focuses on cultural unity through drag.
Laila Gulabi: Indo-Guyanese from NYC, uses drag to challenge colonial and gender norms.
The King Ivy: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Guyanese from Brooklyn, advocates for fearless cultural expression.
Maria Venus Raj: Indo-Trinidadian from Trinidad, sees liberation through performance despite societal taboos.
Conclusion
Caribbean drag artists confront global norms and mainstream queer media, showcasing resilience and cultural richness.
The Caribbean continues to be a site of gender and sexual transgression, community, and organizing despite external perceptions.