A law that criminalizes consensual gay sex in St. Kitts and Nevis was ruled unconstitutional on Monday.

According to Caribbean news outlet Loop, Justice Trevor M. Ward of the High Court of Justice in St. Kitts and Nevis struck down Sections 56 and 57 of the country's Offenses Against the Person Act.

In his opinion, Ward said that the colonial-era law violates a person's “right to protection of personal privacy” and “freedom of expression.”

LGBTQ rights group St. Kitts and Nevis Alliance for Equality challenged the law.

“This decision strongly establishes that a person's sexuality should never be the basis for any discrimination,” the group said in a statement.

St. Kitts and Nevis were among the first Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans. The nation gained independence from Britain in 1983.

According to Aljazeera, an association of 30 Christian churches defended the law in an affidavit submitted to the court.

Similar laws in other Caribbean nations are also being challenged.