English court to rule on final challenge to Trinidad’s gay sex ban
Summary
A court in England is set to hear the last appeal in a long legal fight over laws that make gay sex illegal in Trinidad and Tobago. The case challenges old laws from colonial times and could lead to decriminalizing gay sex in the country and influence other Caribbean nations with similar laws.Key Facts
- The case began in 2017, filed by Jason Jones who says Trinidad and Tobago’s "buggery" laws are unconstitutional.
- These laws, dating back to colonial times, can punish gay sex with up to five years in prison.
- Trinidad and Tobago’s courts have gone back and forth on the issue, with the High Court ruling the laws unconstitutional in 2018, but the appeals court partly reversing that in 2025.
- The final appeal is now before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
- Groups supporting Jones say criminalizing gay sex creates stigma and fear, affecting education, healthcare, and safety for LGBTQ people.
- Trinidad and Tobago, along with Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, still have laws criminalizing gay sex, unlike some other Caribbean nations that have repealed them.
- Jones left Trinidad and Tobago in 1996 due to discrimination and violence related to his sexuality.
- The Privy Council judges could give their decision soon, but they do not have a strict deadline.
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