The South Pacific country Niue decriminalized homosexuality last June. Niue is a tiny country of about 1,600 people that’s formally part of the Realm of New Zealand, and is not a UN member state, although it is generally recognized as sovereign. Niue inherited its buggery law upon independence from New Zealand in 1974, and although New Zealand’s parliament passed a bill repealing it in 2007, it was never accepted by Niue. Niue’s parliament passed the Niue (Sexual Offences) Amendment Act last May, and it took effect upon being signed by the Speaker in June 2024.
Niue’s decriminalization brings the total of nations criminalizing homosexuality back down to 65 – following recriminalization by Trinidad & Tobago last year. It also continues a decriminalization trend in the South Pacific, where Fiji (2010), Palau (2014), Nauru (2016) Cook Islands (2023) all decriminalized homosexuality in the last 15 years. Since religion is often cited as the reason for codified homophobia, the Queer God Squad wants to use religious values to affirm the decriminalization of queer folk.
