a new GeneraTion GaThers “Generation Change is an absolute necessity.” In June 2014, young women and men from across the Caribbean gathered in Trinidad and Tobago. They had a simple message for their political leaders and for the people of the region. The new generation of Caribbean citizens demands change. They wanted to live in a society that is free from discrimination and intolerance. The future, they said, was theirs and they should not have to live with the prejudice and injustice imposed by earlier generations. With contributions from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Guyana and Belize they spoke with one voice. It was time for the Caribbean of legal and social discrimination against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) individuals should be consigned to the past. Opening proceedings, Jeremy Steffan Edwards of the Silver Lining Foundation said they echoed the voices of thousands of people across the Caribbean and the region. He said in many countries being anything other than a heterosexual meant being condemned and criminalized. There were examples of murders of LGBT people, violence and discrimination in many forms. “Generation Change is an absolute necessity,” he said. And his message to young LGBT citizens was: “Know that you are not alone. Generation Change says we exist and we want justice, recognition, equality and inclusion. And he recalled the Cuban proverb: “When the sun rises, it rises for everyone.”
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