St. Vincent upholds laws criminalizing gay sex in blow to activists on conservative Caribbean island
ABC News
A top court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has upheld laws that criminalize gay sex
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A top court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines upheld laws on Friday that criminalize gay sex, a blow to activists who have long decried the violence the LGBTQ+ community has faced on the conservative Caribbean archipelago.
The ruling by St. Vincent’s High Court stems from a 2019 case filed by two gay men from St. Vincent who live abroad, seeking to strike down colonial-era laws that call for 10 years in prison for anal intercourse and five years for “gross indecency” with another person of the same sex.
Cristian González Cabrera, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, called the ruling “a travesty of justice" and said it represents “tacit state endorsement” of the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
“It is a sad day for human rights in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the ruling will weaken the rule of law for everyone in the country,” he said.
It wasn't immediately clear if anyone planned to appeal the ruling.
