Barbados colonial sodomy law struck down
On Monday, the Barbados High Court overturned a colonial-era legislation that made consenting same-sex relationships illegal.
The Barbados Sexual Offenses Act’s Sections 9 and 12 were particularly invalidated by the judgement.
Men might have received a life sentence if found guilty of having consenting same-sex relationships under Section 9. For breaking Section 12, both men and women might have received up to 10 years in jail.
In a news statement, the London-based Human Rights Trust stated that Equals, a Barbados-based LGBTQ and intersex rights organisation, and the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality had both filed legal challenges on behalf of two local activists against the law.
According to a plaintiff quoted in a Human Rights Trust press release, “Today’s verdict is one step, one action of many impacting the LGBTQ+ population of Barbados.” “I immediately know there is more work to be done since it connects with me. Together, we shall go further.
The verdict is “a key moment for equality for all Barbadians and one more step along the march towards wider inclusion for LGBT persons,” according to the second plaintiff quoted in the news release.
In light of Barbados’ move to understand and appreciate them, they added, “This will undoubtedly mean that I and my community can navigate life with just a bit more ease and comfort.”
Sodomy laws from the colonial era were overturned by judges in St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda early this year.
In 2019, the Belizean Court of Appeal affirmed a decision that invalidated the nation’s sodomy ban. In 2018, a judge on the Trinidad and Tobago High Court invalidated a law that made consenting to same-sex sexual encounters a crime.
Jamaica’s sodomy legislation must be repealed, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said in a historic judgement last year. Theresa May, the country’s prime minister at the time, expressed “sad” remorse for the colonial-era criminalization rules that the UK had enacted in 2018.
An online community for LGBTQ and intersex travellers, Pink Coconuts was co-founded by activist Donnya Piggott of Barbados. Piggott also oversees the Caribbean Campaign for Open for Business.
The Barbados verdict, according to Piggott, “has been a long time coming, and the advocacy path has been tough.”
We appreciate all the people who put a lot of effort into this, said Piggott. “It’s fantastic to see Barbados taking a step toward inclusiveness, and we hope it signals to other Caribbean countries that decriminalisation and other inclusive policies, as well as the economic benefits they represent for the entire region, are only going to benefit our people.”
The Barbadian administration has not said whether it would appeal the decision, according to the Associated Press.
