Protecting the fabric of society? Heterosexual views on the usefulness of the anti-gay laws in Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

This study evaluated the extent to which people living in Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago believe that the anti-gay laws currently in place: (1) reflect moral standards; (2) stop the spread of homosexuality; (3) are important from a public health perspective; and (4) protect young people from abuse. Analysis reveals that demographics, religion, interpersonal contact and beliefs about the origin of homosexuality all influenced an individual’s views on the usefulness of the anti-gay laws in these states, but the significance of their impacts varied substantially across the arguments.

Religion, contact and ambivalent attitudes towards the rights of gays and lesbians in Barbados

“…However, this alone may not be enough to engender change. Recent work by Jackman (2017) revealed that many residents believe that the current laws are a reasonable expression of Barbados' moral standards (57%), important from a health perspective (55%) and protect young persons from abuse (39%). It is possible that ill-founded fears about what law reform could lead to (e.g.…”

“…The laws of Barbados are often classified as part of the dark legacy of British imperialism (Jackman, 2016(Jackman, , 2017. In 1553, Britain criminalised the act of "buggery" (that is, anal sex) under the 1553 Buggery Act 1 .…”

Sexual Diversity: Peer and Family Rejection or Acceptance in Lesotho?

“…In the case of LGBTQI populations, the social constructionism view may guide the understanding that many things that are perceived to be true about the LGBTQI population might not necessarily be so, but just emanate from shared assumptions. For example, the societal assumption that the presence of the LGBTQI population is threatening to the institution of the heterosexual family pervades the mindset of many heterosexuals, and hence defines their attitudes (Francis, 2017;Jackman, 2017). Another common perception is that an LGBTQI person is sick, immature, sinful, dirty, and/ or generally undesirable (Flores and Park, 2018).…”

“…The irony of this interpretation would be that if one believes in the presence of sexual minorities, so be it, and for those who do not believe in it, then there are no sexually diverse populations. The literature, however, is clear that beliefs about the origins of homosexuality influence attitudes (Jackman, 2017).…”

Man to Man, Gal to Gal…dat Wrong: an Analysis of How Sexual Prejudice Is Reflected in Jamaican Popular Music

“…The fight to eradicate sexual prejudice is thus at the global level, which warrants an understanding of sexual prejudice in a variety of cultural contexts (Lin et al, 2016). Nevertheless, a vast majority of the studies providing insight into the determinants of sexual prejudice have focused on North America and to some extent, Western Europe (Jackman, 2016b(Jackman, , 2017-countries where the rights of sexual minorities are most effectively protected (Mendos, 2019). More than this, much of the research on sexual prejudice takes the form of attitudinal research (Jowett, 2014).…”