A judge in Trinidad and Tobago this
week officially struck down a law that criminalized consensual sex
between two people of the same gender.
In April, High Court Judge Devindra
Rampersad ruled that Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act
criminalizing consensual adult same-sex activity were
unconstitutional.
“The court declares that sections 13
and 16 of the [Sexual Offences 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,” Rampersad wrote.
The Sexual Offences Act, a holdover
from British colonial rule, prohibits “buggery” and “serious
indecency” between two men in the Caribbean nation. Violators face
up to 25 years in prison.
In a 14-page ruling released
this week, Rampersad said that it was unnecessary to “strike
out” the laws. He said that the they should be modified to allow
consensual gay sex.
The government has indicated that it
will appeal the ruling.
In 2017, Jason Jones, an LGBT activist
who lives in Britain but was born in Trinidad and Tobago, challenged
the law.
(Related: India's
highest court strikes down law that criminalized gay sex.)