Donnya "Zi" Piggott (born 1990) is a tech entrepreneur, designer and human rights advocate from

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. In 2012, she co-founded B-GLAD, a support organisation for LGBT persons in Barbados. In 2015, she was awarded Queen Elizabeth's ''Young Leaders Award'' for her activism in changing the lives of young people. Donnya is currently the CEO and Co-Founder o
Pink Coconuts

Biography

Donnya Piggott was born in 1990 in

. She attended the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

studying history and accounts. In 2012 Piggott founded an association Barbados Gays, Lesbians and All-Sexuals Against Discrimination B-GLAD as an organisation to create an education mechanism and open public dialogue in a supportive manner for the LGBT community of Barbados. In a 2020 interview, Piggott revealed that her being a young homeless lesbian at the age of 22 was what motivated her to found the organization—especially for others who were also in desperate need for an LGBT community. According to Piggott, her organisation focuses on people's common humanity. Piggott believes that approaching homosexuality from a moral standpoint results in stalemate. Instead, she believes that the questions of focus are whether discrimination is legal and whether equal opportunity for employment and protection under the law should exist for all people. In June 2014, Piggott joined with other LGBT support groups throughout the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

in a project called ''Generation Change.'' Activists from the region called on heads of state to embrace all members of society and eliminate discriminatory laws and customs. In response to B-GLAD's appeal, Prime Minister

Freundel Stuart Freundel Jerome Stuart, OR, PC, SC (born 27 April 1951) is a Barbadian politician who served as seventh Prime Minister of Barbados and the leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) from 23 October 2010 to 21 February 2013; and from 21 Febr ...

said he was committed to eliminating discrimination for all Bajans, including the LGBT community. A study completed by B-Glad in 2014, ''The State of LGBT Barbados: A Brief Overview,'' found that stigma and discrimination, unequal and homophobic legislation, and lack of acceptance produce "covert oppression" for LGBT Bajans. Piggott stressed that the harshness of Barbadian law, which calls for life imprisonment for consensual sexual acts, leads to feelings of non-acceptance, depression, substance abuse, absence from school due to fear of discrimination. In January 2015, Piggott was named as one of the recipients of the

Queen's Young Leader Award Queen's Young Leader Award was an annual award given in recognition of leadership skills by young persons between the ages of 18 and 29. The award was open to selected Commonwealth of Nations to recognize exceptional people or organizations who ar ...

. The award provides recognition to young leaders across the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

in the name of HM

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, the Head of the Commonwealth and the

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

of Barbados. Queen Elizabeth presented the award in June 2015. Piggott is the CEO and Founder of Pink Coconuts, a platform that connects LGBTQ travellers with LGBTQ friendly accommodation, tours and activities across the world while empowering LGBTQ local LGBTQ lives. She is TEDx Bridgetown speaker and in 2017 she became a Watson University Scholar where she studied Social Entrepreneurship in Boulder, Colorado. In 2019, Donnya was named the winner of the Sustainable Development Goal 10 Challenge by One Young World for her social impact idea behind Pink Coconuts - a worldwide competition which saw thousands of entries from all over the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piggott, Donnya Living people 1990 births Barbadian women Barbadian LGBT rights activists Barbadian human rights activists Recipients of the Queen’s Young Leader Award University of the West Indies alumni Barbadian women activists Barbadian LGBT people Women civil rights activists 21st-century LGBT people