Antigua and Barbuda has no choice but to respect the recent Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) ruling which said that its buggery law was unconstitutional.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne made this comment on Saturday as he expressed his opinion on the matter.
“The court has ruled that the provisions are discriminatory and we can’t build a society based on discrimination. Discrimination results in social tensions so we have to accept the position of the court,” he said.
“We also have to accept that even those who are different from us; those who are part of the LGBTQIA community, they are people. They are human beings just like us, they have rights and they should be treated like human beings and not like animals. They should not be discriminated against.” Browne stated
The ECSC ruled that Sections 12 and 15 of Antigua and Barbuda’s Sexual Offences Act, 1995, which criminalised consensual anal sex, were unconstitutional since they infringed on a person’s right to choose an intimate partner.
