Trinidad and Tobago highest court overturns gay sex ban

By Gael Camba Published on 11 November 2026 - 17:27 GMT+1 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp The island nation's highest court overturned a 1986 law criminalising consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex. A decade-long legal battle led by LGBT+ Trinidadian activists successfully ended as Trinidad and Tobago's highest court overturned a long-running law criminalising gay sex. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The UK-based final court of appeal for British dependencies and overseas territories issued a unanimous decision Tuesday that the 1986 Sexual Offences Act could not be used to prosecute private, consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex. Seen as a landmark ruling for LGBT+ rights in the Caribbean, this law had previously carried sentences of two years for "serious indecency" and five years for "buggery". "What I'm going to be doing in the coming months is very targeted activism about how the Caribbean, not just Trinidad and Tobago, deals with endemic homophobia," said LGBT+ Trinidadian activist Jason Jones after the verdict was read. 'Phenomenal victory for gay rights' Freedom Law Chambers, the law firm that represented Jones, said in a statement that the judgement represented a "phenomenal victory for gay rights, equal dignity and respect for private and family life in Trinidad and Tobago." The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which issued the decision, said constitutional rights must be interpreted in a way that makes them "practical and effective in the present day, not in the past." The judgement was welcomed by UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk, who called it a significant milestone for rights and equality. "I hope the judgment will help remove a longstanding source of stigma, exclusion, barriers and violence experienced by Trinidadians and Tobagonians based on sexual orientation and gender identity," Turk said. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Russia’s ‘unfriendly countries’ list now targets property, child custody and debts US military will livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, 'torture' for UN Russia's jury reform draws fire for handing verdicts back to the state Justice Gay rights Caribbean Comments