Welcome To Equals

Equals promotes social inclusion and stigma free access to services for LGBTQ+ people in Barbados. Equals conducts various advocacy related projects, faciltiates educational workshops, hosts social events and provides services that can be accessed at The Safe Space, or through referrals to a service provider we have identified as sensitised to our needs.

Our Goal

The goal of Equals is to educate and empower the LGBTQI+ community to foster unity by providing a safe, discrimination free environment. In this environment, Equals encourages safe sexual practices and access to services in areas such as sexual health, general health and mental health. Equals also serves as an educational outlet by providing general information that is catered to our community. In addition, we work to improve the quality of everyday life for the LGBTQI+ community by tackling stigma and discrimination through sensitization training and human rights violations case recording. We strive to achieve our goals through community empowerment, education, networking and rights-based advocacy.

Projects & Activities

Click on a heading below to find out more about our Projects and Activities

HIV/ STI/ PrEP Services

Equals partners with the Ministry of Health and Wellness as a part of the National HIV / AIDS Programme to provide affordable HIV and STI services for all. These services include; testing for HIV and STIs, treatment for STIs, Anti-Retroviral Treatment and Care for HIV, and PrEP. All of these services are provided at The Safe Space, where you find more information on clinic days and prices. The services can be made free of cost to LGBTQ+ community members, just let a member of staff know before or during your visit if you are unable to make the payment.

Psycho-Social Counselling

Through the support of the National HIV/AIDS Commission, Equals is able to provide free psycho-social counselling to the LGBTQ+ community facilitated by professional and sensitised psychologists. Visit The Safe Space website to book an appointment.

Being LGBTI in the Caribbean Project

Equals is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme: Being LGBTI in the Caribbean (BLIC) Project to implement activities focused on the socio-economic empowerment of trans and gender-diverse (non-binary, genderfluid, gender non-conforming, etc.) people in Barbados. This project aims to not only support trans and gender-diverse people by providing educational opportunities, but also identify trans friendly employers and sensitise others in order to increase the range of employment opportunities for gender-diverse people.

RAPID Response Project

Equals has recently received funding from Gilead’s Zeroing In™: Ending the HIV Epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean program to conduct the RAPID Response (Reconnecting And Promoting IDeal Response) Project. Through this program, Equals aims to improve access to its HIV related services, especially to those most at risk of contracting HIV. This is hoped to be achieved through community outreach and empowerment initiatives, and facilitating access to services.

Human Rights Violation Reporting

Equals uses the Shared Incident Database (SID) to record cases of human rights violations. SID is a regional tool used all over the Caribbean and has been used to collect information on cases of Stigma and Discrimination against marginalised groups. There have been cases where the tool has been key in providing evidence in court. If you this you have a case that needs reporting, please get in contact with us. You can email us at info@equalsbarbados.com if you would like to submit a report.

Violation Reporting

Stigma Reduction Workshops

Equals has been providing stigma reduction workshops to various sectors since 2017. To date, Equals has trained public and private healthcare professionals and staff, mental health professionals, media personnel, social workers, and staff of various companies including PwC and the Barbados Workers Union. . These trainings educate the people on the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, how stigma and discrimination affect and prevent them from accessing services, and inform them on how they can be more inclusive. If you are interested in Equals proving your organisation with LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Diversity Training, contact us at

Donate

If you want to donate fiscally the to organisation, please see the bank details below. If you would like your contribution to go to a specific initiative, do let us know. Examples of what your donation contributes to includes;

$50: HIV / STI testing for 1 person

$100: Light refreshments for 1 support group or social activities

$150: 1 care package (includes necessary toiletries)

$200: Material for the HIV/STI clinic for 1 month

$500: Utility bills for the community site for 1 month

Your contribution can also go to the items for and/or maintenance of the community site.

Bank Details

Bank: Royal Bank of Canada

Account Name: Equals Inc

Account Number: 097851005222

Account type: Business checking

Branch: Chelston Park

Bank address: 10-14 Broadstreet, Bridgetown

Other Donations

There are a variety of items that you can donate to us for our community. These items can include clothes, food items and office stationary. If you have something you would like to donate but you are not sure if we can utilise the item, contact us contact us. We can also collect items if you are unable to get to us.