Barbados’ top court repeals laws that criminalise gay sex

By Shanieka Smith

Staff Writer

#Barbados, December 16, 2022 – Barbados is now the third Caribbean country in 2022 to decriminalize gay sex on the island.  The ruling was issued on Monday by the Barbados High Court.

In a phone interview, the Chief Executive of Human Dignity Trust in London, Tea Braun said the striking down of these laws will show society that gay sex is consensual and “is not a business of the law.”

“It’s gone from a certain ripple effect to a tidal wave in the Caribbean, which is what everyone involved set out to achieve,” she added.

UNAIDS said this decriminalisation will help to save lives as people in the LGBTQ community will now be able to get HIV tests and treatment without the negative stereotype.  Guyana, Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica are the only countries in the region that have not amended this law.

The Barbados High Court, having only issued an oral ruling, said a written judgement will be released by the end of January.  Braun said that while striking down these laws is a major step, the LGBTQ community still faces discrimination, and much more will have to be done to solve these problems.