DIVA sat down with this activist to find out more about her work in the Caribbean
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY DANIEL LEWIS
As early as 2003, Alexus D’Marco was already on her activism journey as the mother of the House of Dreams Manifested Around Restoration, Change and Opportunity, caring for LGBTQIA+ Bahamians who had been shunned by their families.
Over two decades later, she has remained a powerful trans activist, founding the United Caribbean Trans Network (UCTRANS) and working to advance the rights, safety, and wellbeing of trans people across the Caribbean.
Last week, she visited London to take part in GiveOut’s flagship funding event, City for LGBT+, hosted by Macquarie. This event showcased the importance of global solidarity and why sustainable funding is more important than ever for LGBTQIA+ organisations like UCTRANS. The event raised over £110,000 for the three organisations featured.
DIVA sat down with Alexus to talk about her extraordinary career and the future of UCTRANS.
How did you become an activist and start UCTRANS?
I became an activist out of personal becoming political. I had to fight for my own existence as a Caribbean Black trans woman. To be able to fight for my own freedoms of expression, my own freedom of understanding, my own self-worth.
UCTRANS started out of a need. We found that we needed to be able to talk about our issues as the English-speaking Caribbean region as it relates to access to healthcare, education, employment and housing.
What is UCTRANS focusing on in 2026?
We are focusing on our climate change work. When a natural disaster happens, it exacerbates the situation of trans individuals and their lives. We’re showing the intersectionality of the work as it relates to access to housing, access to education, access to healthcare, access to justice and access to employment. Out of this climate change work, we were able to identify and humanise our trans brothers and sisters in the Caribbean region.
We are also working on our regional healthcare strategy when it comes to our pillars of access to healthcare. One of those regional healthcare strategies is for the Caribbean region to understand how important it is for all citizens to have a right to healthcare and not a privilege.
You are in London for GiveOut’s City for LGBT+ fundraising event. Why is global solidarity so important for organisations like UCTRANS?
My purpose here is to connect, to collaborate and also to find practical solutions to our community needs in the Caribbean. We can learn from each other to strategise. How do we ensure that there are enough resources in place specifically for trans and gender non-conforming people within the region? How do we combat this anti-gender movement?
Is there a moment from your career in activism that stands out to you?
We hosted Pride Bahamas for its seventh year. One of the moments that sticks out to me is the fact that we have been able to create this space for seven years. One of the participants came up to me from another country and said, “I thank you for creating this space for me to march in the streets for my rights. I cannot do this in my country. Thank you for allowing me to experience this space.”
I think in my career, in my life of activism and advocacy, those are the important moments for me. To see the transformation in lives by a simple activity of creating space for an individual who cannot have it in their country.
LGBTQIA+ organisations around the world are facing funding challenges. How do you navigate this?
For UCTRANS, we went back to basics. Before funding, there was family. At the end of funding, it will be family. We paid the school fees. We found the lunch money. We created our floors, workhouses and shelters.
Is there anything else you would like to discuss today?
I want to talk about the faith component as it relates to LGBTQIA+ people. I want people to know that trans people are often people of faith too. LGBTQIA+ people in the Caribbean region are people of faith too. Their human rights must be upheld with dignity and respect. Their visibility is their power.
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