1000 activists trained | 50 trainings | 20 seminars | 5 NGOs registered

People - lesbian,  gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, are at the heart of our priority goal of strengthening the institutional capacity of civil society in the eastern Caribbean. Working across intersections - thematic, geographic, demographic, and utilising multiple entry points, the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE), provides education, advocacy and networking opportunities that ripple from community to policy. 

We amplify the voices or marginalised communities; their values, vantage, ventures and vision. ECADE utilises access to policy makers and spaces,  media, communications tools and advocacy networks, to the benefit of the Alliance and our communities. We remain committed to challenging the harmful beliefs that underpin discriminatory laws and create an atmosphere where stigma and discrimination against individuals perceived to be LGBTQ+ are acceptable.

When we began this journey in 2016, nine Caribbean and 35 Commonwealth countries criminalised same sex intimacy. LGBTQ+ activists in the eastern Caribbean decided it was essential to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ litigation to improve the lives of marginalised communities. ECADE launched  a five-country legal challenge launched by ECADE in 2020,  transformative journey to full recognition of LGBTQ persons across the OECS on behalf of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people.

Dismantling discriminatory structures comes with a multitude of risks - emotional, psychological,  financial, physical and organisational. ECADE's 360 approach to anti-LGBTQ+ policy includes substantive security and mental health components developed as an essential aspect of supporting litigants and membership organisations involved in litigation.