Historic Month, Vincentians Celebrate Pride SVG
In a historic act of solidarity, June 2023 saw Vincentians coming together in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to celebrate Pride SVG.
Equal Rights, Access and Opportunities SVG Inc. (ERAO SVG), a human rights organization dedicated to promoting equality and non-discrimination with a specific focus on the rights of women, children, the LGBTQIA+ community, and persons living with mental and physical disabilities, was proud to kick off the month by collaborating with the British High Commission to host a historic Pride SVG Lunch Reception on the 8th of June 2023.
This event is historic in SVG because, after years of violence, abuse, discrimination, exclusion, oppression, and suppression, it is the first time that Vincentians publicly came together to celebrate Pride SVG.
The Pride SVG Lunch Reception was well received with over 30 different persons attending from across the LGBTQIA+ community, LGBTQIA+ allies, human rights activists and advocates, civil society organizations, international organizations, and legal professionals, who support the equality and non-discrimination of LGBTQIA+ persons in Vincentian society.
Moreover, during the month, ERAO SVG also held two other events to help spread awareness and educate the public about the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons.
On the 10th of June, ERAO SVG held a “Breaking the Stigma: Understanding Sex, Sexuality and Gender in the Context of Vincentian Society” Workshop which was facilitated by Dr. Alisa Alvis, School and Clinical Psychologist. At this event, important concepts surrounding human sexuality and gender were discussed.
Furthermore, ERAO SVG also hosted a panel discussion on the topic “Violence and Discrimination Affecting the LGBTQIA+ Community in SVG” on the 17th of June. This event was held at Beachcombers Hotel Conference Room with a simultaneous live broadcast on IKTV’s media platforms. This panel discussion was moderated by Tedra Kirby, Communications Strategist, and featured a diverse panel consisting of three (3) persons, Dr. Alisa Alvis, School and Clinical Psychologist, Marlon Young, Policy and Programme Adviser for VincyChap, and Shirlan “Zita” Barnwell, lawyer.
Throughout the month of June, ERAO SVG will also be conducting a “What is?” Pride SVG Social Media Campaign”, where a number of key terms and/or concepts affecting LGBTQIA+ rights will be defined and/or explored.
ERAO SVG thanks its sponsors, the British High Commission, the Pan-American Development Foundation, and the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality for their support and help in ensuring a successful Pride SVG 2023.
Currently, in SVG, LGBTQIA+ persons face many barriers such as criminalization and other legal restrictions, violence, discrimination, and challenges accessing or affecting various economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, such as in the areas of education, employment, healthcare, housing, and the provision of goods and services. Sadly, the State is not proactive and often silent on many of these issues, even though people from this community, and those close to them such as their family and friends, are extremely vulnerable to various forms of intersectional discrimination.
This Pride SVG, ERAO SVG celebrates the lives and achievements of LGBTQIA+ Vincentians and stands against all forms of violence and discrimination based on grounds such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics.
In SVG, we must break the harmful cycles of ignorance, discrimination, violence, and exclusion in Vincentian society, including those affecting LGBTQIA+ persons.
As Vincentians, our history was shaped in and by discrimination. As a people, if we are to truly progress, we need to break free from the shackles of discrimination that still bind us today and stop perpetuating these negative stereotypes and cycles that are harmful to ourselves and future generations of Vincentian society.
