LGBT rights in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Se ...
face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. The Penal Code makes same-sex acts illegal with a punishment up to 10 years in prison, although the law is not enforced and is being challenged in the courts. In addition, it outlaws the practice of " buggery" (which is
anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving s ...
and
oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...
), whether homosexual or heterosexual and irrespective of whether the act was consensual. The country's laws also do not address discrimination or harassment on account of
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
or
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...
, nor recognize same-sex unions in any form, whether it be marriage or partnerships. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the same rights given to opposite-sex married couples.


Legality of same-sex sexual activity

Homosexuality is illegal in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Section 148 of the Criminal Code states that: Section 146 of the 1990 Criminal Code states that: Being gender-neutral, the " buggery" law applies universally to both heterosexual and homosexual conduct. Various reports state that these laws are unenforced. In May 2019, after being the victim of a transphobic attack in April 2019, a fraud charge against Leswan Stewart, a "cross-dressing gay" teen who was accused of defrauding a man by pretending to be a woman, was withdrawn by the prosecutor who gave no reason for the decision.


Decriminalisation efforts

In 2018,
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...
urged Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and other Eastern Caribbean countries to repeal colonial "buggery" laws. In September 2018, following physical attacks on three cross-dressing young men, Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
said that it is unbecoming and wrong for anyone to physically assault a person based on any prejudice they may have due to his/her sexual orientation. He also condemned the incident and said that such irrational homophobia is entirely unacceptable, and called for an open conversation on homosexuality. In July 2019, two gay men filed court proceedings to challenge the country's "buggery" and "gross indecency" laws. The two petitioners are unknown to each other. They are Javin Johnson, 22, who successfully claimed asylum in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
in 2017, having established that he could not live as a gay man in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Sean Macleish, 53, a Vincentian resident of
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in the
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. Macleish has publicly advocated to the Prime Minister for the removal of these laws so that he may return home with his partner, but to no effect. According to their affidavits, as a result of the legislation, they have been exiled from the Caribbean country due to the severely draconian and damaging effects of these laws. The two challenges are expected to be heard together in the High Court of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the capital Kingstown. The British
Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
may have ultimate say on these laws. Commenting on these legal challenges, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Ralph Gonsalves Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
, said "whatever happens here (in St Vincent and the Grenadines), it would be an OECS (
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ri ...
) decision... so it would apply, because all the legal provisions the constitutional provisions are similar and the legislation is basically similar. And if the legislation is unconstitutional here... it would be unconstitutional in other member states".


Living conditions

LGBT life in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is invisible and stigmatised. There are no associations or organisations dedicated to LGBT people, nor any sort of helpline or help centre for LGBT youth. In September 2011, a same-sex couple went public with their relationship, writing a short article in the ''Vinci Kallaloo'', entitled "Introduction: Not Easy Being Gay in St. Vincent and the Grenadines". The article received unprecedented attention, with over 3,400 hits in less than a day and over 50 comments, the third-highest of any article for the newspaper at the time. Several of the comments involved violent murderous threats (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has one of the highest homicide rates in the world). In 2011, three lecturers at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College were the victims of an orchestrated scheme by the college's director, who accused them of having "homosexual tendencies". A posting in the ''Vinci Kallaloo'' accuses the director of starting the rumour in an effort to fire the lecturers and rid the college of any partisan opponents, as the lecturers were either supporters of the opposition
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...
or had not expressed any particular political position.


Summary table


See also

* Human rights in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *
LGBT rights in the Americas Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are complex in the Americas, and acceptance of LGBT persons varies widely. Same-sex marriages are currently legal in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, ...


References

{{North America topic, LGBT rights in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Se ...
Human rights in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Society of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Se ...