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In a monumental step for human rights in the Eastern Caribbean, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has declared sections 132 and 133 of the Criminal Code criminalizing buggery and gross indecency are inconsistent with various Constitutional rights protected under the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of Saint Lucia.
The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) alongside United and Strong, welcome this historic ruling.
It comes as a beacon of hope amid recent setbacks, such as disappointments in St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as Trinidad and Tobago, that have tested our region’s commitment to equality.
The decision of the Honourable Justice Innocent declared that sections 132 and 133 of the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia criminalizing consensual same sex intimacy in private contravene the rights to protection of the law, privacy, life, liberty, security of the person, freedom of expression, and protection from discrimination on the basis of sex (interpreted to include sexual orientation). Thereby affirming that such colonial-era laws are incompatible with modern democratic principles and human dignity.
This is the fourth major decision in a regional, five-country legal challenge led by ECADE since 2020, following similar rulings in Antigua and Barbuda (June 2022), Saint Kitts and Nevis (August 2022) and Barbados (December 2022).
Despite infrequent enforcement, these outdated laws have long fueled stigma, discrimination and violence.
The court declaring these provisions unconstitutional and ordering that the law be read in a way that removes discriminatory language and recognises the rights of all consenting adults, regardless of gender, affirms the dignity and humanity of LGBTQ+ individuals in Saint Lucia.
Kenita Placide, Executive Director of ECADE and long-time LGBTQ+ advocate in Saint Lucia, hailed the decision;
“This decision is deeply personal. For many years we’ve worked to see the rights, lives and dignity of LGBTQ+ persons in Saint Lucia and the OECS protected.
Today’s ruling is not just a win in the courts, it also represents a step towards justice for the many lives lost to violence simply for being themselves. It signals that our Caribbean can and must be a place where all people are free and equal under the law.’
This case marks another turning point in a growing movement across the Caribbean to repeal discriminatory laws and affirm LGBTQ+ rights. This judgment affirms what we have always known: that LGBTQ+ Saint Lucians deserve to live without fear of criminalisation.
ECADE remains steadfast in its commitment across an intersection of issues to advancing justice, equality, and dignity for all LGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable groups in the Eastern Caribbean and beyond.
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Praying that someday people will come to their senses and embrace the truth of their biology. It’s sad that society is encouraging persons to live in these unnatural ways that are detrimental to their mental health and well being and the overall smooth running of communities. Whilst I would never advocate punishing persons for temporarily going down the wrong path in their personal relationships with these lifestyles, it is utterly ridiculous and harmful to these misguided individuals be issuing so many supportive statements of this sad lifestyle.
AMERICA AND EUROPE SAID YOU PICKY HEAD BLACK PEOPLE BETTER BE DOWN WITH LGBTQ OR ELSE………PICKY HEAD BLACK PEOPLE MUST LISTEN BECAUSE HE CANT AFFORD TO HAVE USA AND UK TURN THEIR BACKS ON US………LET THE PEOPLE BULL AS THEY LIKE……
P3n15 in batty sweet 😋 let the bulling begin!!