On 13 February 2018, Colours Cayman become the nation’s first ever legally recognised, locally operated, LGBTQIA+ non-profit organisation. (Read our Mission Statement for an official description of who we are and what we stand for.)
Since its inception in 2015 as a grassroots effort to foster a safe and comfortable social environment for the LGBTQIA+ community of the Cayman Islands, Colours Cayman—spearheaded by Caymanian, transgender activist, Billie Bryan—has grown to become so much more. Now, Colours Cayman strives to redefine our cultural views on gender and sexuality, stand up to political corruption and provide support and education to our marginalised, at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth.
Campaigns
Colours Cayman first began as a single campaign in 2016—which is still ongoing—gathering pledges from businesses and organisations around the island to never discriminate against anyone on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Since then, we’ve launched numerous campaigns taking political action against human rights injustices and inequality, challenging our unfair marriage laws and immigration laws.
Workshops
We’ve organised and continue to organise numerous workshops, open to the public, designed to educate teens, adolescents, teachers, parents and guardians on the sensitive subjects of gender identity, sexual orientation and mental health.
Outreach
Representatives of Colours Cayman have also been engaging with other local non-profits, such as the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, creating a much needed dialogue on topics of gender and sexuality, both to lend visibility to our community and interact with others who may be in need of support but are often unsure of who to turn to. (We work with individuals privately as well to connect them with service providers who are accepting and supportive.)
Members of our Colours Collective meet regularly to organise events and discuss plans to promote visibility, provide education and encourage dialogue surrounding local LGBTQIA+ issues. (If you’d like to get involved and lend your time and energy to the movement or if you or someone you know is in need of support, please get in touch!)