Caribbean court strikes down gay ban in Antigua & Barbuda

St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A Caribbean court has ruled a law criminalizing gay sex to be unconstitutional.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court found that “the selection of an intimate partner is a private and a personal choice,” and that Antigua and Barbuda’s 1995 Sexual Offenses Act “offends the right to liberty, protection of the law, freedom of expression, protection of personal privacy and protection from discrimination on the basis of sex.”

Related: Caribbean activist faces death threats as he awaits ruling to overturn antigay laws

A gay man who worked for Antigua’s Ministry of Health had challenged the law, along with a local anti-rape group.

The 1995 Sexual Offenses Act criminalized acts of “buggery” and “serious indecency,” which were punishable by…

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/caribbean-court-strikes-gay-ban-antigua-barbuda/

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