Trinidad and Tobago’s Sexual Offenses Act, or “buggery law” outlawing homosexuality, is a legacy of British Colonialism. Trinidad and Tobago has been an independent, sovereign nation since 1962. And, although England and Wales decriminalized consensual same-sex in 1967, it is currently illegal in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2018, activist Jason Jones successfully brought a lawsuit saying the law was. In 2025, the Court of Appeals reversed the decision. Now Jones is taking his appeal to London’s Judicial Committee of the Privy Council* where a decision should be made in a few months.
In other good news, The Netherlands banned conversion therapy, Australia allows gay men to donate blood, trans Kenyans win (limited) legal gender recognition in court, and Japan will roll out it first LGBTQ+ education program.
*The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an independent sovereign nation and is part of the Commonwealth of Nations (mostly former British territories). The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London is currently the highest court of appeals for the country, but T&T is gradually transitioning to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
