About Equals
Our History
Equals Inc. was formed in 2012 out of a support group for young gay ad bisexual men under the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Alliance. The organisation was officially registered in November 2013 and its early mission was simple but urgent: promote safer sex practices and create safe spaces for LGBTQI+ people who often could not fully access stigma-free health and community services in Barbados.
In June 2017, Equals opened a small drop-in centre, supported by the USAID/PEPFAR LINKAGES project. This site became a hub for HIV and STI testing, psycho-social counseling, support groups, and social and educational programming LGBTIQ+ persons.
Between 2017-2019, the Equals relocated to a larger location (now The Safe Space) and expanded its services: introducing more clinic offerings such as PrEP and a General Clinic, offering more social events, engaging in sensitisation efforts.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Equals faced major challenges. Funding reductions and lockdowns threatened service continuity. Yet, the organization adapted swiftly—moving counseling online, arranging multi-month medication supplies, distributing food hampers, and maintaining virtual outreach—so that when The Safe Space reopened, testing and service uptake nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels. Another highlight of 2020 was the passage of the Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Act which introduced into Barbadian law protections for persons experiencing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Equals was involved in lobbying and advocacy alongside other organisations and activists for the passage of that Act.
A landmark in Equals’ journey came in December 2022 when the High Court of Barbados ruled that colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex acts between persons above the age of consent were unconstitutional. Equals played a central role in this case, acting as one of the three claimants in the case as well as providing information to the court from prior research, outreach, advocacy and data collected from the Shared Incident Database the decision marked a pivotal legal victory for LGBTQI+ rights in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
From 2022 to present, Equals broadened its reach and impact and for the first time received financial support from the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Equals, as a member of the Barbados LGBTQ+ Coalition participated in constitutional reform advocacy, hosted Pride for the first time in 2024.
Our Present
Vision
A Barbados where every LGBTQI+ person lives with dignity, equity, freedom and respect; free from stigma, empowered to thrive, and included in every aspect of society.
Mission
To empower, uplift and support the LGBTQI+ community in Barbados by:
- Providing safe, inclusive spaces and stigma-free access to health and wellness services, psychosocial support
- Building genuine unity within the LGBTQI+ community through education, empowerment, and visibility.
- Fostering strong partnerships with allies, government entities, academia, the private sector, civil society partners, service providers as well as local, regional, international and diplomatic institutions to eliminate stigma and discrimination.
- Advocating for equal rights, policy reform, and justice alongside other LGBTQI+ and human rights organisations & advocates, and those groups with whom our issues intersect.
Our Values
- Transparency & Accountability – We aim to operate with openness, integrity and accountability in all that we do.
- Inclusivity – We welcome, affirm and serve all LGBTQI+ people. We commit to prioritising those most vulnerable among us such transgender & gender-diverse/expansive persons, queer women, sex workers, the elderly, and those marginalized due to socio-economic status, migrant status, HIV status or disability among others.
- Empowerment – We aim to build knowledge, self-esteem, confidence, skills, and leadership within our community.
- Community First – Our work is guided by the voices, lived experiences and needs of the full spectrum of our LGBTQI+ community, prioritising those most at risk.
- Respect & Dignity – Every person deserves compassion and humanity and we expect our leadership, members of our organisation, those we serve and those we work with to treat each other with basic respect, compassion, humanity, decency and dignity.
- Collaboration – We believe that lasting and sustainable change comes from working strategically alongside and together with partners locally, regionally, and internationally.
- Justice & Equity – Guided by intersectional feminist principles, we work to dismantle systems of discrimination and oppression, and advocate for equity and justice for all.
Our Goal
1. Provide safe, high-quality and affordable stigma-free health and wellness services.
2. Empower all aspects of the LGBTQI+ community in Barbados through education, empowerment and community-building.
3. Embody intersectional feminist principles by advocating for equal rights and inclusive laws and policies and access to stigma free services for all.
4. Build and maintain trust by being transparent, accountable, and community-driven
5. Strengthen partnerships to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a united LGBTQI+ movement in Barbados and beyond.
Our Commitments – What We’re Doing Now
- Expanding access to HIV/STI testing, PrEP provision, Gender Affirming Care, GP services, and psychosocial/mental health support.
- Publishing updated versions of our policies, reports, and communicating updates more regularly so that our community can better understand how we operate.
- Creating service standards, operating procedures and a formal complaints mechanism to ensure our community gets the best out of us because they deserve it.
- Developing strategies to better meet the needs of transgender people, queer women, sex workers, bisexuals, older persons and others who may not have been effectively served by Equals in the past.
- Documenting reports stories of discrimination, providing support where possible, to push for change.
- Working with partners to ensure LGBTQI+ people are treated with dignity in health care, education, and society.
- Donate, Meet the Team, and Join Us and Collaborate with us or Contact Us
How You Can Help
There are a variety of items that you can donate to us for our community!