Vincentians Celebrate 4 Years of Pride SVG
Officially launched in 2023 by Equal Rights, Access and Opportunities SVG Inc. (ERAO SVG), Pride SVG continued its annual festive celebrations for a fourth year in a row in 2026. The celebration, which takes place every year in June, saw Vincentians and foreigners alike come out in their numbers to their various activities.
This year, ERAO SVG, with the generous support of a number of local, regional, and international donors/sponsors, organised several in-person and virtual activities for Pride SVG 2026. For Pride SVG 2026, ERAO SVG held five events. These included three in-person events, one SVG TV program, and one webinar.
In relation to the three in-person events, firstly, ERAO SVG held a “Pride SVG 2026 Launch Party: Colours” on Saturday, the 6th of June 2026. Queer persons and allies came together under a masquerade mask theme to dance and celebrate the launch of Pride SVG 2026. The evening was filled with laughter, music, delicious food, and most importantly, love. Apart from partying, attendees were engaged in a number of fun activities, including competing to win cash prizes for “Best Dressed”, “Best Walk”, “Most Confident”, and the top prize of the night, the “Winner of the Royal Pride SVG Ball 2026”.
The second in-person event was a “Mental Health and Wellness Day: Mental Health, Tote Bag Painting and Pilates” held on Saturday, the 13th of June 2026. This event consisted of 3 main segments: a mental health session, a Pilates session, and a tote bag painting session. This event provided attendees with an opportunity to learn various strategies for managing stress, get moving through a Pilates session, and express their creative juices through a tote bag painting session.
The third in-person event for Pride SVG 2026 was a “Defining, Exploring and Discussing Key Concepts and the Law Surrounding Human Sexuality and Gender in SVG” held on Saturday, the 20th of June 2026. Attendees learned about and discussed basic concepts and the law surrounding the rights of gender and sexual minorities in SVG.
In addition to these three in-person events, ERAO SVG also hosted a program on SVG TV and a Zoom webinar for Pride SVG 2026. On Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, ERAO SVG engaged in a “Conversation on Sex, Sexuality and Gender in SVG” on SVG TV. ERAO SVG members sought to educate the Vincentian public on basic concepts of LGBTQIA+ rights and to dispel myths and common misconceptions about LGBTQIA+ rights in Vincentian society. Furthermore, the webinar delved deeper into the topic of “The Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights of LGBTQIA+ Persons in the Caribbean”. This was held on Thursday, the 25th of June 2026. This webinar was attended by a number of local, regional, and international persons.
Speaking on Pride SVG 2026, Founder, President and Executive Officer of ERAO SVG Jeshua Bardoo stated, “Pride SVG is an opportunity for queer persons and allies to come together, stand in solidarity, and stand up against all forms of violence and discrimination in relation to LGBTQIA+ persons in SVG. Pride SVG 2026 was amazing. I was happy to see new faces attending our various events. We look forward to Pride SVG 2027. All Vincentians are welcome to attend our Pride SVG activities, including straight people.
While we wait and fight for various forms of social and legal change, we will continue to celebrate, educate, and advocate for our rights. I continue to call upon the Government of SVG, and in particular, I urge our new Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Godwin Friday and cabinet, to do the right, and to repeal the laws under the Criminal Code that criminalise private adult consensual same-sex relations and to enact legislation to explicitly protect LGBTQIA+ persons from discrimination in areas such as employment, education, housing, health, and goods and services”.