Donnya Piggott

Donnya Piggott
Born Donnya Diane Piggott
1990
Barbados
Nationality Bajan
Years active 2013 – present
Known for co-founding BGLAD
Website B-GLAD

Donnya Piggott (born 1990) is a human rights activist from Barbados. In 2012, she co-founded B-GLAD, a support organisation for LGBT persons in Barbados. In 2015, she was awarded Queen Elizabeth's Young Leaders Award for her activism in changing the lives of young people.

Biography

Donnya Piggott was born in 1990 in Barbados. She attended the University of the West Indies studying history and accounts. In 2012 Piggott and Ro-Ann Mohammed founded an association Barbados Gays, Lesbians and All-Sexuals Against Discrimination B-GLAD as an organisation to create an education mechanism and open public dialogue in a supportive manner for the LGBT community of Barbados.[1]

According to Piggott, her organisation focuses on people's common humanity. Piggott believes that approaching homosexuality from a moral standpoint results in stalemate. Instead, she believes that the questions of focus are whether discrimination is legal and whether equal opportunity for employment and protection under the law should exist for all people.[1][2]

In June 2014, Piggott joined with other LGBT support groups throughout the Caribbean in a project called Generation Change. Activists from the region called on heads of state to embrace all members of society and eliminate discriminatory laws and customs. In response to B-GLAD's appeal, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said he was committed to eliminating discrimination for all Bajans, including the LGBT community.[3] A study completed by B-Glad in 2014, The State of LGBT Barbados: A Brief Overview, found that stigma and discrimination, unequal and homophobic legislation, and lack of acceptance produce "covert oppression" for LGBT Bajans.[4] Piggott stressed that the harshness of Barbadian law, which calls for life imprisonment for consensual sexual acts, leads to feelings of non-acceptance, depression, substance abuse, absence from school due to fear of discrimination.[5]

In January 2015, Piggott was named as one of the recipients of the Queen's Young Leader Award. The awards provide grants to support organisations in selected countries across the Commonwealth that work with young people to transform their lives. Queen Elizabeth presented the award in June 2015.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 Dottin, Bea (24 June 2013). "BGLAD: Don't hate". St. Michael, Barbados: Nation News. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "BGLAD head: Church should join fight against discrimination". Loop News Barbados. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Caribbean LGBT youth group issues urgent call for equality and inclusion". Kaleidoscope Trust. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Williams, Carol (9 December 2014). "Covert oppression". Barbados Today. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  5. ↑ JMB (9 January 2015). "BGLAD speaks on rights, laws". The Barbados Advocate. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Morgan, Joe (15 January 2015). "Queen Elizabeth II to personally give award to gay activist". Gay Star News. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Queen's award for Donnya Piggott". St. Michael, Barbados: Nation News. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.


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