One would think that after making a claim that LGBT members are protected in Antigua and Barbuda, the government would ensure that it puts its money where its mouth is. So then why are we allowing Christian groups and evangelicals to spread hatred and encourage marginalization of any...

I'm a few days late on this piece, but I felt that it was necessary to share with the world how one film festival in Canada is using its platform to revolutionize queer men and women living within and outside of the Caribbean region.

I don't know about you, but if I just created history for my country on a world stage and my fellow citizens reacted by calling me derogatory names that could potentially put my life in danger, I would seriously think about moving to another country where people see people for...

After a long day of dancing to some sweet soca and afro music, I ended my Toronto Caribbean Carnival day with some much needed sleep. This morning, as I picked up my phone and scrolled through the photos my fiancé captured for...

It was just last month that I found myself in Barbara Hall Park mourning the loss of 50 of my LGBTQ family members in Orlando. The tears I shed then haven't even fully dried up, yet here I am again mourning...

For as long as I can remember, being black and gay was like the biggest crime one could commit in my community. It didn't matter where you were born, the culture was one that saw black churches openly bashing homosexuality and parents disowning...

As I type this piece, the tears just won't stop flowing. Being a gay rights activist and a victim of homophobia, I am often left in tears when I come across stories about homophobic attacks or when members come to me about the struggles they are facing. Well, this one...

For years, I only dreamt of marching in a pride parade. I would turn on the TV and see streets filled with colours of the rainbow and I secretly envied those men and women who would be dancing and singing in their colourful costumes. I wanted to be there.

I...

Today I woke up thanking the Lord for allowing me to see another sunrise, only to have my spirit angered by a so called "man of God" who I once regarded as a friend and mentor while I was living on the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda.

As part...

Thanks to the popularization of rap music -- that has every man, woman and child whipping and nene-ing, dabbing and panda-ing, wanting to be a trap queen or be with a trap queen -- the black culture is being embraced like never before.

And with global music icons such as...

(The quotes from Ninja Man have been changed to Standard English, simply to allow non-Jamaican readers to fully understand his comments. I am in no way being disrespectful. I was born and raised in the Caribbean, speaking both Dialect and English. I also lived in Jamaica for 5 years and...

If someone had told me I would be living in Canada a year ago, I'd probably ask that person if they needed medication. I mean, I always saw myself basking in the sun on a beautiful beach in April. (laughs)

The truth is...

As the evening approached for the start of the Oscars, I found myself glued to the television, waiting to see Chris Rock and the Oscars production team address the elephant in the room.

Thinking about all the possible ways they could bring light to the lack of diversity in...

In what should have been a heartfelt message to the world about love came a flood of negativity, with halftime show headliner Coldplay being accused of promoting a "gay agenda."

The band, along with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, gave one of the best and most colourful performances the much-anticipated halftime...

I was only 9 years old when I came face to face with a 'racist'. The sad thing about this encounter was not only what was happening to me, but the other person, who had no idea that they were actually inciting racial hatred. That person was another 9 year...

For 2016, I am urging my black family to take back our culture. We live in a time when our black men and women believe that they have to lower their standards to be successful. We exist in a virtual world where image comes with a cost that many are...

Can you imagine a Christmas without family? I can't!

Last year around this time, I couldn't wait for Christmas Day to come for our annual family dinner. It was that extra special occasion where relatives from near and far would come together to celebrate love, happiness and Caribbean sunshine. Let's...

I still remember the day I stepped into the IT Room at my secondary school and introduced myself to the teacher, Sherese -- then Washington -- Bramble. As a lesbian teen, I knew we shared rainbow flags. Years later, I get the opportunity to interview Sherese who is living her...

I think by now we all know who Caitlyn Jenner is. Well if you don't, I like to describe her as "the trans fantasy". She is what many trans people wish they had a piece of -- a trans who is seen as a courageous, inspiring, beautiful human being and...

Society has made such a big deal about the way people and things should be, that we often find ourselves questioning the least important parts of our life, while trying to meet the standards of others.

Today, instead of valuing love, friendships, our natural beauty, and the like, people are aiming to be the richest, skinniest, and prettiest. And how could I forget the 'straightest,' all because they have become so insecure about how everyone sees them.

I most certainly can relate since, once upon a time, my life in the Caribbean was all about pleasing everyone but Tasheka. Coming from a career as a news anchor on television, people always had certain expectations of me -- wearing makeup for breakfast, lunch and dinner, dressing in the latest fashion trends, keeping a certain weight and not going over it, having a 'decent boyfriend,' living in an upscale community and hanging out at the fanciest places with the higher echelon of society.

Sounds exhausting right? It is and that simply wasn't me to begin with!

Society's standards have moved so far from what is truly important, that instead of people trying to be true themselves and accepting their socio-economic circumstances, which isn't bad for many of us, we are working hard to 'fit in' and fit in I did to the point of depression.

I remember days when I was so over dating men that I asked one of my gay friends to be my fake boyfriend. That was the same friend who would cover for me when I went to visit the girl I was dating on the down low (undercover). I was truly living a double life and found myself wanting to be with this girl but remembering that my fans, my family, my church and all the little children that looked to me as their role model would not be pleased.

Imagine being in a relationship and lying to that person everyday about how much you love them when all you really want is to be with the woman of your dreams.

Now that I have established the kind of hell you live in when trying to please everyone, think about the people struggling with their weight, some type of disease, mental illness, disability, being bullied and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, religion and even the colour of their skin. It totally sucks!

Growing up in the Caribbean and being a member of the LGBTQ community is, by far, the hardest life to live especially with laws that make you feel like an outcast for loving someone from the same sex, so it would probably take courage, something drastic or someone to make you walk in the direction of self-acceptance.

It was in 2012 when I met my fiancé that I started realizing how much I had been missing out on. I found myself laughing a lot more and wanting to experience life with this person. The time came when I couldn't hide it any longer because doing so made me angry and uncomfortable. I was in love and it wasn't the typical heterosexual relationship, but I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to be happy and free.

The moment I chose Tasheka was the moment I said "Screw you society" and this was not me being rude or disrespectful, but me choosing my happiness above all. Similarly, when you have accepted yourself for who you are, be it your beauty, your weight, your identity, orientation, expressions or anything else you feel insecure about, that's when you will begin to see that there is nothing wrong with your unique self and if you feel the need to change your circumstances, let it be on your own terms.

In everything you do, just remember that very powerful quote by William Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true."

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