St Lucia court strikes down anti-LGBTQ+ laws

St Lucia’s High Court has struck down colonial-era laws criminalising buggery and gross indecency, declaring them unconstitutional and incompatible with modern democratic values.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Francis H. Innocent, the court found that Sections 132 and 133 of the Criminal Code violated rights protected under St Lucia’s Constitution, including privacy, liberty, security of the person, freedom of expression, and protection from discrimination—interpreted to include sexual orientation.
The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE), which led the regional legal challenge, described the decision as historic. Executive Director Kenita Placide said the ruling was “deeply personal” and a long-overdue affirmation of the humanity and rights of LGBTQ+ St Lucians.
The case was argued by Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes and attorney Veronica Cenac. It marks the fourth such win for ECADE, following similar judgments in Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados.
Though rarely enforced, the struck-down laws had fuelled stigma, discrimination, and violence. ECADE said the ruling brings hope to a region still grappling with anti-LGBTQ+ hostility, especially after recent legal disappointments in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
ECADE praised the bravery of the claimants and reiterated its commitment to advancing justice and equality across the Eastern Caribbean.