While Bermuda decided to make same-sex marriages illegal again (after only six months of having it), at least gay sex is legal there. For many Caribbean countries, this is not the case. Though, that might be changing soon.
The current law in Trinidad & Tobago is that gay sex can lead to life in jail. That said, a legal challenge by Jason Jones calls for “the discriminatory ‘buggery’ laws from British colonial past, to be struck down from the constitution.”
As GayStarNews reports:
“The case is challenging Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act. They mean that gay sex can be punishable by up to 25 years in prison.”
“Currently, both male and female homosexuality is illegal. But Jones says his case has implications beyond Trinidad and Tobago:
‘It will have a legal precedent that has legal standing in seven other English speaking nations in the Caribbean.’
This means Jones’s case could liberate LGBTI people in Grenada, St Kitts and Graves, Barbados, Antiga, St Vincent, St Lucia and even Jamaica.” [sic]
Unfortunately, there are many steps in the process of changing the law.
The hearing for this case is set for January 30 and is only expected to last a single day. Afterwards, the single judge will decide the fates of gay and bisexual men in multiple Caribbean countries.
After that, we might have to wait weeks to find out which way the judge voted. Then, the ruling will have to be ratified by the Trinidad and Tobago parliament (during which, the Attorney General could decide to appeal the judge’s decision). Plus, the government could outright table the change and reject it.
We’ll see what happens of the law in Trinidad and Tobago (and possibly other Caribbean nations) in due time. We’ll keep you updated if anything happens.
