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Rust, Jennifer. Women in Political Leadership In The       Caribbean. UN Women, 2018.

PBS. The Impact of India's Caste System on Women.   commentary by Urimi Basu, 18 Sep. 2012,https://youtu.be/CTC51EZbtf8.

Jackman, Mahalia. Sexuality and Social Policy. They called it the ' abominable crime': an analysis of heterosexual support for anti-gay laws in Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, vol 13, issue.2, pp 130-141.

Raymond, Judy. Beryl McBurnie. The University of the West Indies Press 7A Gibraltar Hall
Road, Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica, 2018. ISBN: 978-976-640-700-1.

Human Rights Watch. Jamaica: Unchecked Homophobic Violence. Discriminatory Laws, Inadequate Police Protection. Human Rights Watch, United States of America, 2014. IBSN: 978-1-6231-31999.

Catalan, Linnea Maureen. Queerly Straight, Racially Queer. Constructions of Masculinity in Samuel Selvon's The Lonely Londoners. ProQuest Dissertions Publishing, Canada, 2012.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor Books, New York,1994.

Loubon, Michelle." Hundreds march against gay sex". Daily Express 6 April. 2018.Web 29 November. 2019.

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THE HERD MENTALITY AND A MODERN INTOLERANCE TOWARDS THE ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER IDENTIFICATION AND REPRESENTATION.  

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THE HERD MENTALITY AND A MODERN INTOLERANCE TOWARDS THE ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER IDENTIFICATION AND REPRESENTATION.  

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Not withstanding the headway made by the gay and LBGT+ community, barriers still exist towards achieving an acceptable level of recognition in the region.
Unfortunately, more often than not, discrimination and belittlement comes from their fellowmen. One can view this as a self-destructive practice, where the opportunity to develop and take an unique approach to aid in the rediscovery of one's self and the revisionism of gender norms as it relates to the Caribbean Identity is being squandered.

For instance the anti-discrimination laws in the areas of employment, goods and services and hate-speech have not been resolved.This allows for media and entertainment in the public sphere to continue here in the Caribbean. Organizations like  I am ONE Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago 's Free-pride Foundation Project still attempt to eliminate homophobia within the nation. Other Caribbean islands have not been as fortunate such as in Jamaica where violence and public disdain for merely entertaining the school of thought that the biological man cannot possess the opposite characteristics of the conventional hegemonic male ideal. Contemporary Dancehall artists such as Buju Banton have included homophobic messages in their songs. Moveover, a documented case of violence was reported in Jamaica and brought to light by a Human Rights Watch publication, where police officers neglected to help an individual who was getting assaulted for his sexuality and gender orientation before proceeding to assault the person further by forcefully placing  him in a van.

Seemingly, although, advancements have been made towards normalizing the view that traditional gender roles are flawed, it is far from being accepted unanimously by religious sects and the Caribbean collective as Caribbean culture is still very much colonial, as is the way of thinking for which the region was built upon and governed. Time may tell how far the movement will go but it is unlikely that a mutual understanding between Christianity and the LGBT community will come into fruition.

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This movement has garnered popularity in the Caribbean during the late 20th century and early 21st century, with major strives being achieved during the years of 2014-2019 especially for the region. The holistic representation of a collection of protestant gender and sexualities was no longer an oppressed minority but a vocal and significant group of reginonally connected lobbyists for the nullification of laws which have been based on religion during the colonial era which marginalizes the LGBT community and arguably the development of the Caribbean Identity.

Nonetheless, progress has been, with individuals like Jason Jones in Trinidad and Tobago who in 2018 successfully lobbied for the Buggery Law which prohibited anal sex to be nullified which restricted homosexual men as well as transgender individuals from having intercourse. This was done to dismay of Catholic and religious figureheads. In a newspaper article from the Trinidad newspaper The Daily Express, a pastor Dr Victor Gill was leading a large congregation of anti-gay protectors and said the following, "God would visit his wrath upon Trinidad and Tobago and it would lead to more natural disasters and destruction".He continued to compare same-sex marriage "cancer" (Loubon).

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This idea came from the amalgamation of cultures throughout history where men were typically the people of action and the fearless influencers of the world. These boundaries and social confines limit the ability to move outside or within intervals of this gender typical spectrum, that is the two extremes of male and female. Bearing in mind, the expectation to follow the former extreme based on physical characteristics deemed biologically male with no consideration to the mental state on the individual.

In the academic analysis of the hegemonic male and gender in The Lonely Londoners, the researcher quoted this definition from Frank Barrett:
The term 'hegemonic masculinity' refers to a particular idealized image of masculinity in relation to which femininity and other masculinities are marginalized and subordinated. The hegemonic ideal of masculinity in current Western culture is a man who is independent, risk-taking, aggressive and heterosexual, and rational (9-10).

It is evident that the Caribbean in this modern time, like its Western counterparts and globally, have began to experience paradigm shift as resistant and contemporary stances on gender with the emergence of the LGBT movement under the view that characteristics that traditionally separated both were interchangeable and ultimately that gender and sexuality was not static but dynamic. However, some groups did not share this sentiment as opposition came from under the religious belief that deviations from heterosexuality was sinful as when as in the media, using the opportunity to portray this as weakness or as an inability to function 'normally', that being to follow the status quo.

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MISTRUST AND BACKLASH
However, especially in the grapevine conversations in the workplace or even in the political sphere mistrust of female individuals in the handling of resources and international business and relations still exist today. For example Sabrina Mowlah Baksh a politician in Trinidad  was criticized for speaking with supporters at a bar as she was a woman.Moreover, Khadij Ameen another politican opted not to campaign in bars forgoing support fearing that she didn't belong in such a masculine place, whats more, her position as a divorced parent was used to belittle her attempts at politics.
A United Nations publication in 2018 reported:
Globally, one of the primary  barriers to women parliamentarians' participation is cultural  ideals and hostile attitudes to women. These attitudes devalue women's labour and leadership, by positioning women in the home and disregarding their potential to contribute to decision-making for society. This includes the perception that women are not "tough" enough to be political leaders (Rust 12).

In addition, the media though critical in highlighting the progress of women thorough history has still continued to paint women as sexual objects and typically domesticated. Judy Raymond's biography of Beryl McBurnie noted the fact that women in Caribbean were seen as erotic and seductive which relates to the Christian analogy of Adam and Eve where Eve was a temptress to Adam.

It is without doubt, that women still face discrimination both sexually and verbally. However, in the Caribbean major strives have been made to represent women as an equal to their male counterparts in the workplace, political office among others. While the struggle of the upliftment of the female members of society ,a silent though not so intense narrative regarding men as domestic care takers has been slowly emerging, as male stay at home or single-parents have increased in recent times. These ventures have come under scrutiny from traditional believers on the female side where the belief says that biologically men are unable to administer the same level of care and understanding that a female can, thus children are more inclined to benefit from the attention of a female figure to grow and develop as the matrifocal household has stood the test of time. However, men are successfully raising families and have shown to be able to possess these attributes to make family life work.

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This was the ideal vision for which a woman should be. That would include a devotion to the household and its domestic duties, in the private context. The structure saw men in finance, politics, architecture, military service and higher level academia  among others. Men would work in the public context and therefore would be able to influence  the affairs of a nation and the global representation.

In the Caribbean, schooling played a very critical role in reinforcing the Victorian ideal. This occurred where boys were narrowed into studying woodworking, technical and vocational subjects, ultimately preparing them for the world of work during the 20th century. Conversely, girls were made to study home economics, food and nutrition and ethics, preparing them for family life.

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Movements towards Gender Equalization in the 20th century 

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Movements towards Gender Equalization in the 20th century 

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THE START
Despite the notion of  having to be domesticated and being confined to the role of housewife, women began to strive for equality and their right to hold positions of significance  and influence in society .

This movement was known as the Feminism, where the objective was the attainable equality in a clearly gendered divisive society and to break the cycle instilled by the many socializing agent in this society that women were confined to the home.

Feminism took off in the Caribbean around 1960. The aim was to challenge the thought that the household was matrifocal  centering around the woman and that the world of work was not just patrifocal evidently breaking the glass ceiling.

A prominent women's activist was Audrey Jeffers,an avid social worker and the first woman to acquire a seat on the Port of Spain Council. This was coming off the heels of political enfranchisement, however, with pressure from the feminists in the Caribbean among other groups that  Universal Adult Suffrage was achieved and  ascertained women the right to vote in 1944.

The movement has seemed to has achieved  its objective of attaining financial and managerial roles such as bankers, executive officers and political leaders such as Trinidad and Tobago's first female prime minister in 2010, Kamla Persad Bissessar.

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There is no denial of the fact that arranged marriages and the overall sense of patriarchy that ruled over the nation, supplementing the caste system has oppressed women by restricting their social mobility( PBS 00:04:50-00:05:13). Often,the lowest level women ( untouchables) are harassed by the upper class men sexually or verbally as they are seen as their primary purpose being to serve the upper class men not as wives but as disposable objects. Though, not recognized today by the Government , its history is so deep that it has continued to influence societies to this day, much like the Caribbean.

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The traditional African culture also followed a similar gender divide in terms of the way they organised their communities and ways of life before slavery fragmented these societies.

This can be seen as perhaps the most evident and direct forms of gender segregation which sets the tone of the traits we associate with men and women . Men are seen as aggressive, dominant and emotionless with anger being the only acceptable emotion a man can show.Women were seen as much in the same way as the indigenous people where they were submissive and domesticated child rearers, any challenges from the established protocol would result in beating from their husbands ( whom could have many wives) which were seen as justified by the respective tribal society.

This way of life is validated by Chinua Achebe in his novel Things Fall Apart, where the idea of hegemonic masculinity is presented as a major theme throughout the book. This line explains the thoughts of Nwoye a son of legendary clansman Okonkwo who dedicated his life to achieving the hegemonic male model, going as far as to kill another son who was unable to meet the standard. The line is as follows, "Nwoye knew that is was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell"(pp. 35).

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Prior to the arrival of Columbus and the implementation of the Encomienda system, the indigenous people controlled their affairs and built their society off designated gender roles.

In fact, the fundamental male ideal still stands as the desirable model today. Essentially, Kalinago men were the hunters, fishermen, warriors and craftsmen; making tools,weapons, housing and canoes. Conversely, Kalingo women had the task of producing and raising the young.Additionally, they made simple clothing and engaged in small scale agricultural practices as well as, served as war trophies and servants when captured by the opposing tribe during times of war.

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Slavery Era and its Impact on the Role of Women.

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Slavery Era and its Impact on the Role of Women.

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Though, the plantation society was seen as purely  racist based on the backdrop of economics, proposals can be made to relay the view that perpetuated the  gender split.

Essentially, life for enslaved women was dependent on a variety of factors. However, one cannot deny that sex was not a major determinant as to whether or not the enslaved women or their children would achieve social mobility to become domestic slaves instead of
being workers on the fields in one of its gangs. Consequently, the need to survive forced women to adopt the already concretized way of  being at the mercy of men and docile in nature

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(1)Historic Gender Roles and Attributes 

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(1)Historic Gender Roles and Attributes 

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Though, European gender roles adopted from the colonial era have stood the test of time, gender specific duties and based societies have existed in the Caribbean long before.In fact, there has been contentious debate that since the neolithic era gender division in work and recreational activities have existed.This brings forth the hypothesis that gender based inequality and fragmentation has its origin during that time.

Therefore, there is a strong lobby for the idea that conformity to an outlined means of living under the one's scripted sex which dictated gender at the time, was present during the era of the indigenous people, colonial times and post-colonial times.

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During rediscovery of the Caribbean, the Europeans made it one of their main objectives to spread the word of God among the inhabitants at the time. Christianity was  the means which dictated society at that time, impacting the identity of thousands in the Caribbean. The Catholic Church is the main advocate against the practice against same-sex relations.Due to its influence in the colonial societies of the Caribbean it has seemed to solidify itself within the legislature of the islands.
Moreover, the traditional Christian religion also promoted the patriarchal hierarchy where women were not allowed to lead the church.

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Conformity and Restrictions Based on What We Think We Ought to be... 

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Conformity and Restrictions Based on What We Think We Ought to be... 

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The Caribbean  has been subjected to the archaic ways of Eurocentric religion and socialization with regards to gender roles  that have continued to impact the region today. It is clear what the definitions of a man and woman are. This restricts the adoption of the ideology that masculinity and femininity exist outside the bounds of the  traditional characteristics, behavioral and role specific carried over from our past.
Moreover, this mode of thinking shuns the individuals who identify as male or female and are biologically classified as such allowing for ostracism and belittlement by those who follow these stereotypes.Intolerance lies in the inability to forfeit the colonial viewpoint on gender traits and embrace the progressive Caribbean Identity for gender upliftment and acceptance. Mistrust constitutes our lack of willingness to look forward and beyond this prejudice for the betterment of our region.

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This refers to one's sexual interests, preferences or identification. It is indicative of what type of person an individual is attracted to.

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This is built on the premise of sex, that is, the male or female classifications. However, it is molded and nurtured by one's environment or societal norms.It is a prominent means by which societies are organized throughout eras in history.

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This is a complex biological and medical definition which encompasses the binary classification for  which individuals are  placed in upon birth.

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The Caribbean has been plagued by decades of misrepresentation, ostracism and victimization with respect to gender/sexual relations and identification inherited from colonial times and European ideologies. This not only perpetuates  injustice towards a region formally enslaved but hinders the growth of the Caribbean Identity.

Therefore the school of thought regarding the reluctance of individuals to trust women in positions of authority or men performing domestic activities or opting not to be the breadwinner, although being challenged in the 21st century it has been established as the norm in the Caribbean. Likewise the issue of gender identification in the region with respect to the desire to deviate from that given at birth or the need to reconstruct the parameters of traditional gender to include an array of other classifications has been met with stiff resistance not only by the legislature made long ago but also by the Caribbean people who have cemented themselves in religion and history where homosexuality and same-sex relations are concerned.