Barbados’ top court repeals laws that criminalize gay sex
By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex. It is the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year. The ruling issued Monday by the Barbados High Court is a pivotal moment for activists and nonprofit organizations who have long fought against such laws on the eastern Caribbean island. One law demands up to a life sentence for gay men found guilty of having sex. Téa Braun is chief executive of the London-based Human Dignity Trust, a human rights organization. She says that while the laws were rarely invoked, they signaled that LGBTQ people are criminal and lesser citizens.
