In November, Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and welcomed in president Sandra Mason in a historic ceremony which broke the nation’s ties with the British monarchy. Prime minister Mia Mottley also announced during the ceremony that Rihanna would be made a member of the Order of National Heroes. Before the historic inauguration, Mottley’s government introduced a new charter to parliament which acknowledged a person’s human rights in respect to their sexual orientation and gender identity. Article one of the charter reads: “All Barbadians are born free and are equal in human dignity and rights regardless of age, race, ethnicity, faith, class, cultural and educational background, ability, sex, gender or sexual orientation.”