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This report focuses on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in small
island states of the Eastern Caribbean. It demonstrates, through individual testimony, how existing
discriminatory legislation negatively impacts LGBT populations, making them ready victims of
discrimination, violence, and abuse. The report includes seven Eastern Caribbean countries: Antigua and
Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the
Grenadines. Populations in these countries range from 54,000 in St. Kitts and Nevis to 285,000 in
Barbados.
All seven countries have versions of buggery and gross indecency laws, relics of British colonialism, that
prohibit same-sex conduct between consenting persons. The laws have broad latitude, are vaguely
worded, and serve to legitimize discrimination and hostility towards LGBT people in the Eastern
Caribbean. They are rarely enforced by way of criminal prosecutions but all share one common trait: by
singling out, in a discriminatory manner, a vulnerable social group they give social and legal sanction for
discrimination, violence, stigma, and prejudice against LGBT individuals.
The English-speaking Caribbean is an outlier in the region. The fact that buggery and gross indecency
laws are still on the books there is in stark contrast with recent developments in Latin America where
states including Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Uruguay have been progressive in enacting non-
discrimination policies and anti-bias legislation. Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil,
and Chile have taken an international lead advocating for the rights of LGBT people at the United
Nations. Several, including Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay, are members of the Core Group of LGBT
friendly states at the United Nations and of the Equal Rights Coalition, a group currently composed of 33
states committed to the rights of LGBT people.
All countries featured in this report are members of the Organization of American States and the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Except for Barbados, all also belong to the Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS). CARICOM and the OECS seek regional integration through economic
cooperation and shared administrative functions.
Activists and civil society organizations have been at the forefront of efforts to advance the rights of
LGBT people in the region, including by challenging discriminatory laws and exposing human rights
violations. In some countries, activists have participated in LGBT awareness training for law enforcement
agents. In others, civil society groups have challenged discriminatory legislation including by petitioning
the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Regionally groups have participated in
strategic litigation initiatives.
In the Eastern Caribbean, family and church are cornerstones of social life. The fear of harassment,
rejection, stigmatization, and even physical violence begins in the home and translates to key social
spaces, including church and school. Interviewees said that they were afraid to come out in their
typically close-knit communities, where social networks are tight and information travels fast. They also
face the risk of being ostracized by their own families.
All interviewees described having been harassed by family at some point in their lives because they are
LGBT or merely suspected to be. Fear of isolation has led many LGBT people to live in the closet, and
prompted some to enter heterosexual marriages. Some report being thrown out of their home or cut off
from financial support. Many have experienced homelessness and life at the margins of society,
rendering them vulnerable to violence and ill health.
The church plays an especially important role in social welfare, communal life, socialization, and in
shaping social attitudes and moral ethics. Many interviewees said that family rejection was often
couched in moralistic terms, echoed in local church rhetoric.
Discrimination and stigma against LGBT people seeps into everyday activities, whether it be availing
oneself of services such as health care, school, or riding a bus, or social activities such as going to the
movies or shopping. Ordinary social encounters can be menacing. Some LGBT individuals described
changing their lifestyle and behaviors to avoid contact with hostile members of their family, church, or
community, while others described having to endure physical attacks. Some people opted to socialize
only with a few trusted friends in the safety of their homes.

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This report focuses on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in small

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