Barbados

In December 2022, Barbados decriminalized consensual same-sex conduct when the High Court of Barbados struck down the country’s buggery and gross indecency laws. The Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Act of 2020 prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, increasing protections beyond decriminalization. However, Barbados still lacks comprehensive antidiscrimination protections, and same-sex unions are not legally recognized. Transgender people are particularly vulnerable and face significant challenges because there is no mechanism for legal gender recognition in the country. Only legal name changes are permitted. While some progress is being made on inclusive antidiscrimination protections, transgender people are still excluded from those protections.

Christian churches play a strong cultural role in Barbados, influencing norms around gender and sexuality. A 2023 survey showed that discrimination and harassment against LGBTIQ people in schools, workplaces, and public spaces were rampant, with 17 percent of respondents reporting violence due to their identities. This has serious consequences on LGBTIQ communities: 69 percent of respondents said they had contemplated suicide, while 77 percent considered leaving the country.

Despite the persistence of anti-LGBTIQ stigma, public support for LGBTIQ people has increased. A Caribbean Development Research Services report found in 2017 that 82 percent of Barbadians condemned discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

Intersex people, who are not explicitly acknowledged by the State of Barbados, face discrimination and invisibility due to a lack of awareness. No medical protocols or legal protections exist to protect their bodily autonomy, and nonconsensual medical interventions on intersex children are not prohibited, leaving them vulnerable to violence.