https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/breaking-news-dominica-high-court-rules-punishment-of-homosexual-acts-as-unconstitutional/The Dominica High Court has ruled that sections 14 & 16 of the Sexual Offences Act which punishes homosexual sex, is unconstitutional.
The judgement was made via Zoom this morning.
That decision makes the country part of a global community that recognizes the right of same-sex adults to have consenting sexual activities in privacy.
Cara Shillingford represented the Claimants, the Attorney General Office represented the Defendant, Joelle Harris represented the Bishop of Roseau (Catholic Church) and the Anglican Church, and Joshua Francis represented the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches as intervening parties.
The ruling effectively decriminalizes homosexual sex in the country. The decision has far-reaching implications for human rights and the role of religion in Dominica.
The case was first brought before the court in 2022 by a gay man who sought to have two sections of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) that criminalize consensual same-sex activities ruled unconstitutional. The case to end the criminalization of LGBT people in Dominica was supported by Minority Rights Dominica (MiRiDom) and the HIV Legal Network, working alongside the claimant who was not named because of risk to his safety, according to the claimants.
