In a landmark ruling just days ahead of the August 9 PrideFête Celebration in Wilton Manors, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has struck down St. Lucia’s colonial-era laws criminalizing same-sex intimacy. The court declared that laws prohibiting so-called “gross indecency” and “buggery” are unconstitutional, ending decades of legal threats against LGBTQ+ people in the island nation.
While the St. Lucian government had stopped enforcing these laws, activists say their very existence was harmful. The suit was filed in 2019 by the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality, which has also helped overturn similar laws in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica.
Only Grenada still retains its law among those originally challenged. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s decriminalization was reversed earlier this year on appeal, and countries like Jamaica, Guyana, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines continue to criminalize same-sex relations.
Kenita Placide, executive director of the Alliance, called the ruling more than a legal win.
“Today’s 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.”
This human rights victory resonates powerfully with the queer community across the world, especially across South Florida as the Caribbean LGBTQ community gets ready to celebrate PrideFête. It is South Florida’s only Caribbean queer festival. From St. Lucia to Wilton Manors, the message is clear: Pride is resistance, and change is possible. You can celebrate St Lucia’s big social justice win and the entire diversity of South Florida’s LGBTQ Caribbean community by attending Hotspots Happening Out’s PrideFete this Saturday in Wilton Manors. You can get complete details at PrideFete.lgbt