Wonder Woman of the Week: Donnya Piggott

     On the Caribbean island of Barbados, where turquoise water meets coral beaches, Donnya Piggott has spent years helping create spaces where LGBTQ+ people can live, travel, and connect with greater confidence. A Barbadian entrepreneur, activist, and advocate, Piggott has worked to strengthen the island's LGBTQ+ support network, bringing together people and organizations around a shared goal: building a society where sexual orientation and gender identity do not determine whether someone feels safe or welcome. Her work has reached beyond advocacy, combining community organizing with entrepreneurship and international outreach.

     One of her most distinctive projects is Pink Coconuts, a travel initiative designed to connect LGBTQ+ travelers with welcoming accommodations, tours, and experiences. Tourism is deeply woven into Barbados' economy and identity, yet LGBTQ+ visitors can face uncertainty when deciding where they will be accepted. Pink Coconuts seeks to narrow that gap by highlighting businesses and experiences that provide an LGBTQ+-friendly environment. In doing so, Piggott has connected the practical needs of travelers with a broader effort to make Caribbean tourism more inclusive, demonstrating how entrepreneurship can become a vehicle for social change.

     Piggott's advocacy also reflects the importance of building networks at home. Support for LGBTQ+ communities is not simply a matter of laws or institutions; it can be found in friendships, community groups, businesses, and the everyday relationships that allow people to feel that they belong. By helping strengthen those connections in Barbados, Piggott has contributed to a wider conversation about equality and inclusion across the Caribbean. Her work illustrates how social change can emerge not only from political institutions, but from individuals willing to organize, create, and make room for others.

     For young women and girls watching her journey, Piggott offers an example of leadership that crosses conventional boundaries. She has combined advocacy, entrepreneurship, tourism, and community building into a career shaped by initiative and persistence. Her story demonstrates that leadership need not begin in a government office or corporate boardroom; it can begin with identifying a need and creating something to address it. In Barbados, Piggott's work has helped make LGBTQ+ inclusion part of the island's evolving social landscape, while showing a younger generation that their ideas, voices, and ambitions can help shape the communities they inherit.