A law criminalising same-sex acts between consenting adults in Antigua and Barbuda has been declared unconstitutional. The country’s high court ruled on Tuesday that the law contravened constitutionally guaranteed rights to liberty, freedom of expression and protection of personal privacy. Campaigners say it is a major victory in a country where homophobia is rife. The case was brought by a gay man in sync with two rights groups. The two groups, Women Against Rape and the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE), have welcomed the ruling against the Sexual Offences Act 1995. The 1995 Act has its roots in British colonial-era legislation that forbids “buggery” and “indecency” and hopes are now high that the ruling will pave the way for similar moves in neighbouring islands. “We are very much hoping the Antigua ruling will prompt other legal systems in the Caribbean to review their laws and policies, and how they impact on vulnerable populations,” Women Against Rape President Alexandrina Wong told the BBC. ECADE says seven Caribbean countries still have versions of statutes that prohibit same-sex intimacy. Although rarely enforced, campaigners say they marginalise LGBTQ people, while tacitly sanctioning violence and discrimination against them.
via bbc: Antigua’s ban on same-sex acts ruled unconstitutional
