In a major win for LGBTQIA+ rights in the Caribbean, Saint Lucia\u2019s law banning homosexuality has been declared unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday (29 July), Saint Lucia\u2019s high court struck down colonial-era laws \u2014 \u201cbuggery\u201d and \u201cgross indecency\u201d \u2014 found in sections 132 and 133 of the Criminal Code, which criminalised same-sex relations. Consensual male homosexuality, even in private, was punishable by up to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n
The court found that the laws singled out LGBTQIA+ individuals in a way that violated basic human rights \u2014 including the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and protection from discrimination.<\/span><\/p>\n Saint Lucia is now the fifth country in the Eastern Caribbean to decriminalise same-sex activity, following Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and St Kitts & Nevis.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision is deeply personal. For many years we\u2019ve worked to see the rights, lives and dignity of LGBTQ+ persons in Saint Lucia and the OECS protected,\u201d said Kenita Placinde, Executive Director of ECADE (Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality).<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s ruling is not just a win in the courts, it also represents a step towards justice for the many lives lost to violence simply for being themselves. It signals that our Caribbean can and must be a place where all people are free and equal under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n ECADE celebrates this historic win affirming the dignity of LGBTQ+ people in Saint Lucia, the fourth major victory in our regional legal challenge, following Antigua & Barbuda (June 2022), St. Kitts and Nevis (August 2022) , and Barbados (December 2022). \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u2696\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/pOwaHhVYRs<\/a><\/p>\n — ECADE (@EC_Equality) July 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n