Voices of St. Kitts and Nevis

Ambassador: Melissa Bryant , St. Kitts & Nevis

Melissa Bryant is an active individual in the Political community in St. Kitts and Nevis where she has held such prominent roles as Youth Ambassador to UNESCO, and a position at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Melissa has recently been vocally advocating on behalf of the LGBT community in St. Kitts & Nevis, where being gay is illegal. Melissa has used her radio show to educate large audiences about LGBT rights. Melissa’s weekly show, Voices in St Kitts & Nevis, has 35,000 listeners and regularly featured LGBT speakers. Melissa admits, “Initially, a lot of the audience was incredulous and angry, asking why I was even discussing LGBT issues. But the presence on the airwaves of LGBT speakers has meant that the audience and the public are slowly starting to accept the LGBT community and its human rights.” In addition to Melissa’s radio advocacy, she has also distributed 2,000 ‘Know Your Rights’ pamphlets that highlight human right topics, as well as hosting sessions on Human Rights for over 1,500 individuals. Melissa’s eventual goal is that through creating awareness and dialogue, laws criminalizing Homosexuality are overturned and discrimination against members of the LGBT community is totally eliminated.