Barbados, Caribbean

Section 23 of the Barbados Constitution provides that “no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect” and that “no person shall be treatedin a discriminatory manner by any person by virtue of any written law or in performance of the functions of any public office or any public authority.” Despite such a resounding proclamation against discrimination, LGBT individuals in Barbados face an ongoing battle for basic human rights which are denied on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The central, most egregious violation of LGBT rights in Barbados is the state’s criminalization of same sex sexual activity. The buggery laws, as they are known, typically apply in an arbitrary fashion only to homosexuals, reflecting a wider cultural consensus regarding the immorality of non-heterosexual human relationships. Barbados also supports the death penalty for juveniles under 18.

 

 

Barbados’ top court repeals laws that criminalize gay sex

San Juan, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex, becoming the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year. The ruling issued Monday by the Barbados High Court is a pivotal moment for activists and nonprofit organizations who have long… Read more »

Barbados’ top court repeals laws that criminalize gay sex

San Juan, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex, becoming the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year. The ruling issued Monday by the Barbados High Court is a pivotal moment for activists and nonprofit organizations who have long… Read more »

Barbados to finally recognise same-sex civil unions in a major breakthrough for LGBT+ rights in the Caribbean

Barbados has finally agreed to recognise same-sex civil unions in a major breakthrough for LGBT+ rights in the Caribbean. The tiny island nation has recently begun unpicking its colonial-era homosexuality laws in the face of growing criticism for its poor human rights record. Although the government asserted that it is not yet allowing same-sex marriage,… Read more »

Barbados invites same-sex couples to live on the island for a year as it begins unpicking colonial-era homophobia

Barbados’ prime minister has said same-sex couples are welcome on the island as it works to free itself from its colonial-era stance on LGBT+ rights. Barbados, one of the smallest but most-visited Caribbean islands, recently announced it would allow foreigners to live and work remotely on its shores for 12 months in an attempt to… Read more »

Barbadian immigrant makes history as his diocese’s first-ever openly gay Black bishop in 180 years

Reverend Deon Kevin Johnson, an immigrant from Barbados, has become the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri’s first-ever openly gay Black bishop in its 179-year history. Johnson was ordained and consecrated as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri in a ceremony on Saturday, June 13 at Christ Church Cathedral in St Louis, Missouri. Accoring… Read more »

Barbados holds first Pride parade and it’s as fabulous as you expect

The islanders of Barbados held their first Pride march in the capital of Bridgetown on Sunday, defying resistance from church authorities. The pride parade saw more than 120 people—members of the local LGBT+ community, allies and even a few tourists—marching and dancing through the streets in all the fabulousness you can expect from the Caribbean… Read more »

Did Rihanna help a pro-LGBTI politician become Barbados’ new leader?

Mia Mottley is Barbados’ first female prime minister The Caribbean island of Barbados has just elected its first female prime minister and pop superstar, Rihanna, might have had something to do with it. Mia Mottley of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won last week’s election, after a homophobic campaign from her opposition that used speculations… Read more »

An incredible court ruling just ordered 16 countries to make same-sex marriage legal

A landmark court ruling has ordered 16 new countries to make same-sex marriage legal. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights reached a decision today on a marriage equality petition submitted two years ago by Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solis. 20 countries agreed to follow the court’s rulings when they signed the American Convention on… Read more »

Growing up gay in the Caribbean, I was in constant survival mode

On an island where everything from pop music to the church demonises your sexuality, you police your every move It is a strange thing growing up in an island called “Little England”. You inherit the legal system, the educational system and even the old English mannerisms and words. But you also inherit something far more… Read more »

Barbados official says gays should be ‘left alone’ despite sodomy law

The Attorney General of Barbados has said that the country should protect gay people – even though gay sex is still technically illegal. Barbados law specifies that the punishment for male ‘buggery’ is life imprisonment, though the law is not regularly enforced. The ban initially dates back to the British colonial era, though it was… Read more »

7 battlefields: The fight for LGBTI rights in the Caribbean

A recap of recent gains, losses and ongoing battles over LGBTI rights in seven Caribbean nations (Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Belize, Barbados, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands), with help from coverage in the Caribbean IRN Blog of the International Resource Network: Areas With Anti-Gay Laws Guyana U.N. action: During Guyana’s recent Universal Periodic Review before the… Read more »

Queen Elizabeth II to personally give award to gay activist

A 24-year-old woman fighting for gay rights in a place where it is illegal to be gay will receive the award Queen Elizabeth II is to give an award to a young gay woman for her activism work. Donnya Piggott, a 24-year-old from Barbados, was chosen among hundreds as one of the 60 inspiring people… Read more »

From gay life to God’s glory

He’s a former homosexual now turned preacher, and he is waging war in a battle to help others. For 16 years, Eon Hendricks lived his life as a homosexual. Alcohol was his dear friend and being in and out of same-sex relationships was his weakness. However, at age 25, he turned his life around, forsook… Read more »

Change laws against gays!

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. (FP)BRIDGETOWN – As the world marked International Day Against Homophobia yesterday, Barbados and scores of other countries were again urged to repeal laws that discriminate against homosexuality as a matter of urgency. The call came from United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay… Read more »

Huffington Post says avoid Barbados… if you’re gay or lesbian

Huffington Post: Anti-gay laws a legacy of “outdated British colonial laws” Barbados’ criminalization of buggery continues to attract attention in human rights and tourism discussions. In 2010 Ethical Traveller Awards slammed Barbados for our anti-gay love law, and in 2011 Britain and the USA both criticized our country over this issue. Should buggery be illegal… Read more »

Gay laws an obstacle

Barbados’ Newest Knight Sir Errol Walrond says the time has come for Government to end the discrimination against men who prefer to have sex with men and women who have sex with women. Citing homophobia, stigma and discrimination as major obstacles still standing in the way of combatting the AIDS epidemic, Sir Errol, who was… Read more »

Gay Barbados News & Reports

Caribbean Anti Violence Project   1 Time to get rid of bigotry in our country 1/03 2 People & Things: Who is chi chi (gay) man? (Homophobic pop music) 3/03 3 Gay rights debate continues 6/03 4 Gay rights and legal questions (anti-gay commentary) 7/03 5 Life in Prison for Gay Sex vs Change the… Read more »

The Gay Agenda Threatens To Destablize Modern Societies

…the gay conversation Last night, I finally had a chance to respond to an email I received from Dan Savage, the editor of The Stranger – wittingly described by a friend as “the alternative” paper to Seattle’s alternative newspaper [Seattle Weekly]. As readers of this blog know, he authored what I thought to be a… Read more »