Source: nbcnews.com
Trinidad and Tobago is set to decriminalize homosexuality after a high court judge ruled Thursday that the Caribbean nation’s colonial-era law banning gay sex is unconstitutional.
「The court declares that sections 13 and 16 of the [Sexual Offenses Act] are unconstitutional, illegal, null, void, invalid and of no effect to the extent that these laws criminalise any acts constituting consensual sexual conduct between adults,」 Justice Devindra Rampersad wrote in his ruling.
Section 13 of the country’s Sexual Offenses Act states that a person who engages in 「buggery」 — another term for anal sex — could face up to 25 years in prison.
Section 16 states that an individual who 「commits an act of serious indecency」 — defined as an act 「other than sexual intercourse」 involving the 「use of the genital organ for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire」 —could face 5 years in prison.
The lawsuit was filed in February 2017 by LGBTQ activist Jason Jones against the country’s attorney general. Jones, a native of Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom, claimed Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act violated his right to privacy and freedom of expression.
Following Judge Rampersad’s ruling, Jones took to Twitter to celebrate his victory and thank his supporters.
Kenita Placide, a Caribbean adviser for LGBTQ human rights group OutRight Action International, which has been following the case, applauded Judge Rampersad’s decision in a statement sent to NBC News.
「The judge came down on the right side of history in this case by striking down the buggery law and ruling it as unconstitutional,」 Placide stated.
「The activism and advocacy will continue in Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean until equality for LGBTIQ people is guaranteed.」
Placide said she hopes the ruling in Trinidad and Tobago, along with a similar 2016 ruling in Belize, will carry the momentum to other parts of the region with anti-LGBTQ rules on the books.
Not everyone in the country of 1.3 million was rooting for the removal of laws banning gay sex. According to OutRight Action International, opposition from conservative religious groups was strong.
A spokesperson for Christian group T&T Cause warned that the removal of the 「buggery laws」 would be a 「slippery slope to same-sex marriage,」 which she called 「a cancer.」
The decision by Judge Rampersad sets in motion the decriminalization of homosexuality in Trinidad and Tobago, but a final judgment regarding exactly what will happen to Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act will be made in July.
More than 70 nations around the world currently criminalize homosexuality, and in several countries the punishment for same-sex sexual activity could be death, according to a 2017 report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA).
Scan the QR codes below to get started!
A convenient way for foreigners and Chinese to buy real foreign imported products while living in China. Stay with ShopWire as we expand our products range. You can use either WeChat wallet or Paypal to purchase our products!
ChinaWire is the biggest English Wechat Official account in china with over 150k subscribers. We publish news articles related to china and around the world as well as a survival mandarin section to help foreigners improve their Chinese.
WorldWire is a very disversified account which mainly publish breaking worldnews, entertainment, lifestyle, culinary and sports news around the world.
Shop在線 is the chinese version of ShopWire mainly for Chinese Customers. You can use it alternatively if you are a foreigner with great chinese skills or introduce to your chinese friends. We guarantee only real imported products are sold on our online shop.
Previous Articles You Might Want to Read:
The 21 Funniest Jokes About Donald Trump
Man With Cancer Shoots Colleague Who Introduced Him to Smoking
More Chaos in Houston as Floodwaters Rise to Roof Lines
6 Female Libido Killers
Checkout our website: http://www.echinawire.com/ for more