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Same Sex Couples - Comparative Insights on Marriage and Cohabitation pp 163–188Cite as

Same-Sex Marriage in the Commonwealth Caribbean: Is It Possible?

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Part of the book series: Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice ((IUSGENT,volume 42))

Abstract

Respect for LGBTI rights in the Commonwealth Caribbean is a fast-moving target. However, human rights advocates are working tirelessly to generate both legal reform and social tolerance for sexual minorities. LGBTI rights, or lack thereof, is evident in several bodies of law, including but not limited to sodomy law and marriage law. Additionally, a dialogue on LGBTI rights would be incomplete without an honest account of ongoing violence and other manifestations of homophobia and transphobia in the region. This chapter seeks to give as comprehensive a perspective as possible on the current state of LGBTI rights in the Caribbean regarding marriage. It looks at specific regulations in each country of the region and it shows that heteronormativity in family law is a vestige of British colonialism. Today Great Britain as other European countries, are moving away of the heterosexual paradigm in family law. Post colonialist Caribbean is not following this trend, at least not yet.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of sovereign nations who either share the common former colonial power, the United Kingdom, or have voluntarily joined the association. The Commonwealth Caribbean refers to those Commonwealth nations in the Caribbean. These include Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. See The website of The Commonwealth of Nations (available at www.commonwealthofnations.org) (last visited Dec. 1, 2013).

  2. 2.

    Carlisle Jno Baptiste, 2 US men arrested on gay cruise in Caribbean, MSNBC, Mar. 22, 2012.

  3. 3.

    Guy Ellis, St. Lucia Responds To Attack On 3 Gay American Tourists, Huffington Post, Mar. 14, 2012.

  4. 4.

    Associated Press, Rosie O’Donnell Cruise for Gay Families Cuts Bermuda Stop, Fearing Protests, FoxNews.com, Apr. 18, 2007.

  5. 5.

    Carlisle Jno Baptiste, 2 US men arrested on gay cruise in Caribbean, MSNBC, Mar. 22, 2012.

  6. 6.

    Tim Padgett, The Most Homophobic Place on Earth?, Time World, Apr. 12, 2006.

  7. 7.

    Human Rights Watch, Hated to Death: Homophobia, Violence and Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2 (November 2004).

  8. 8.

    IACHR Condemns Murder of Two Gay Men in Jamaica, Organization of American States, Jul. 9, 2012.

  9. 9.

    Mark Lacey, Anti-gay violence defies laid-back image of Jamaica, New York Times, Feb. 24, 2008.

  10. 10.

    Ibid.

  11. 11.

    Department of Sociology, Psychology, and Social Work – University of the West Indies, Mona, National Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions of Jamaicans Towards Same Sex Relationships 3 (September 2011).

  12. 12.

    Ibid.

  13. 13.

    Caribbean Rejects UK Justice, British Broadcasting Corporation, Feb. 15, 2001.

  14. 14.

    Global campaign to decriminalise homosexuality to kick off in Belize court, The Guardian, Nov. 16, 2011.

  15. 15.

    James Wilets, Conceptualizing Private Violence against Sexual Minorities as Gendered Violence: An International and Comparative Law Perspective, 60 Alb. L. Rev. 989, 1,028 (1997) (“In Asia and Africa the extensive list of countries with anti-sodomy laws can be traced back to the lingering effects of colonialism and Christianity, Islam, and Marxist-Leninism.”).

  16. 16.

    Ibid.

  17. 17.

    Note that homophobic lyrics plague dancehall music, which is a subgenre of reggae music. The distinction is important because several reggae artists have decried getting lumped together with the homophobic lyrics of dancehall artists, when they themselves have not espoused a homophobic view. See for example, Teino Evans, Artistes not ‘compassionate’ to the act – Reggae artistes want clauses changed, Jamaica Star, Jun. 29, 2007.

  18. 18.

    Eric Kreindler and Frank Heinz, Homophobic Lyrics Lead to Concert Cancellations, NBC Chicago, Aug. 31, 2009.

  19. 19.

    Christopher Thompson, Curbing Homophobia in Reggae, Time Entertainment, Aug. 7, 2007.

  20. 20.

    Ibid.

  21. 21.

    See for example Stephen Jackson, Reggae Artists Blacklisted, Jamaica Observer, Feb. 28, 2010. (Germany blacklisted at least 11 dancehall albums between 2008 and 2010 because of their homophobic and violent content).

  22. 22.

    Teino Evans, Artistes not ‘compassionate’ to the act – Reggae artistes want clauses changed, Jamaica Star, Jun. 29, 2007.

  23. 23.

    Rosie Swash, Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton renounce homophobia, The Guardian, Jun. 14, 2007.

  24. 24.

    Belgian gays grant reprieve to Beenie, Sizzla and Shabba, Jamaica Observer, May 18, 2012.

  25. 25.

    Christopher Thompson, Curbing Homophobia in Reggae, Time Entertainment, Aug. 7, 2007.

  26. 26.

    Department of Sociology, Psychology, and Social Work – University of the West Indies, Mona, National Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions of Jamaicans Towards Same Sex Relationships 3 (September 2011).

  27. 27.

    U.S. Department of State, 2010 Human Rights Report: Trinidad (Apr. 2011).

  28. 28.

    Julie Bolcer, Jamaica Police Commissioner Blames Gays for Violence, Advocate.com, Jul. 13, 2012.

  29. 29.

    Ibid.

  30. 30.

    Human Rights Watch, Jamaica: Combat Homophobia, July 18, 2012.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    UTech, Marksman Condemn Beating Of Alleged Gay Student, Jamaica Gleaner, Nov. 2, 2012. See also Associated Press, 2 guards in Jamaica accused of beating gay student, Fox News, Nov. 3, 2012.

  33. 33.

    Ibid.

  34. 34.

    U.S. Department of State, 2010 Human Rights Report: Antigua and Barbuda (May 2012).

  35. 35.

    Sarah Boseley, Jamaican gay rights activists hopeful of repealing anti-homosexuality law, The Guardian, Feb. 10, 2012.

  36. 36.

    Toni Holness, Jamaica’s Portia Simpson Miller: Out with the Old and in with the New, Intlawgrrls.com, Jan. 18, 2012.

  37. 37.

    Yvette D. Clarke, 2012 Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World – Portia Simpson Miller, Time Magazine, Apr. 18, 2012.

  38. 38.

    IACHR Welcomes Anti-Discrimination Statement by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Organization of American States, Dec. 20, 2012.

  39. 39.

    Andrew Bainham Ed., The International Survey of Family Law, (1995), p. 52.

  40. 40.

    Ibid.

  41. 41.

    Marriage Act, Part V: Solemnization or Celebration of Marriage, 1925, Cap. 261, Sec. 47(b) (Antigua and Barbuda) (available at http://www.laws.gov.ag/acts/chapters/cap-261.pdf)

  42. 42.

    Marriage Act, 1925, Cap. 261 (Antigua and Barbuda) (available at http://www.laws.gov.ag/acts/chapters/cap-261.pdf)

  43. 43.

    Marriage Act, 1995, Cap. 218A (Barbados).

  44. 44.

    Application for Marriage Certificate, Barbados (available at http://www.lawcourts.gov.bb/Documents/Application%20for%20Marriage%20Certificate.pdf)

  45. 45.

    Marriage Act, 1998, Cap. 45:01 (Guyana) (available at http://www.jafbase.fr/DocAmeriques/Guyana/LoiMariage.pdf)

  46. 46.

    Ibid.

  47. 47.

    Gay laws an obstacle, Nation News, Dec. 2, 2011.

  48. 48.

    Martina Johnson, Same sex marriages off the radar, Antigua Observer, Dec. 21, 2012.

  49. 49.

    Loi n° 99–944 du 15 novembre 1999 relative au pacte civil de solidarité. See also Scott Sayare and Maia De Law Baume, In France, Civil Unions Gain Favor Over Marriage, New York Times, Dec. 15, 2010.

  50. 50.

    Vanessa Agard-Jones, Le Jeu de Qui? Sexual Politics at Play in the French Caribbean, Caribbean Review of Gender Studies (Issue 3 – 2009).

  51. 51.

    Popularity of Caribbean island soars after gay wedding, Jamaica Observer, Dec. 15, 2012.

  52. 52.

    Ibid.

  53. 53.

    Boris O. Dittrich, Gay marriage’s diamond anniversary, Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 2011.

  54. 54.

    Marriage Act, 1907, Cap. 106 (The Bahamas) (available at http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1908/1908-0004/MarriageAct_1.pdf)

  55. 55.

    Ibid.

  56. 56.

    Marriage with Deceased Wife’s Sister Act, 1907, Cap. 122 (The Bahamas).

  57. 57.

    Matrimonial Causes Act, 1879, Cap. 125 (The Bahamas).

  58. 58.

    Marriage Act, Supra note 55.

  59. 59.

    Marriage Act, Supra note 55.

  60. 60.

    Marriage Act, Supra note 55, Cap. 106, ¶23.

  61. 61.

    Matrimonial Causes Act, 1879, Cap. 125 (The Bahamas).

  62. 62.

    Ibid.

  63. 63.

    Bahamian Application for Marriage Certificate (available at http://www.bahamas.com/sites/bahamas.com/files/pdf/APPLICATION_FOR_MARRIAGE_CERTIFICATE.pdf) (last visited Feb 1, 2013).

  64. 64.

    Marriage Act, Supra note 55, Cap. 106, ¶25.

  65. 65.

    Glen Ferguson, Bahamas Cruise Weddings to Get Boost from Maritime Marriage Legislations, The Bahamas Weekly, Jul. 14, 2011.

  66. 66.

    The FNM Attempted to Make Same Sex Marriage Legal Last Night in the House, Bahamas Press, Jul. 8, 2011.

  67. 67.

    Chester Robarbs, Government against gay marriages, The Nassau Guardian, Jul. 8, 2011.

  68. 68.

    UN rights body hits out against violence based on sexual orientation, UN News Center, Jun. 17, 2011.

  69. 69.

    Juan MCartney, Bahamas backs gay rights, The Nassau Guardian, Jun. 18, 2011.

  70. 70.

    Marriage Act, 1897, Cap237 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Marriage%20Act.pdf); Maintenance Act, 2005 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Maintenance%20Act.pdf); Muslim Marriage Act, 1957 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Muslin%20Marriage%20Act.pdf); Property (Rights of Spouse) Act, 2006 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Property%20%28Rights%20of%20Spouse%29%20Act.pdf); Deceased Wife’s Sister or Brother’s Widow Act, 1914 (Jamaica).

  71. 71.

    Marriage Act, 1897, Cap 237 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Marriage%20Act.pdf); Matrimonial Causes Act, 1989 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Matrimonial%20Causes%20Act.pdf)

  72. 72.

    Maintenance Act, 2005 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Maintenance%20Act.pdf)

  73. 73.

    Matrimonial Causes Act, 1989 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.moj.gov.jm/sites/default/files/laws/Matrimonial%20Causes%20Act.pdf). Emphasis added.

  74. 74.

    The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011 (Jamaica). Emphasis added.

  75. 75.

    Including Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, 1961, Cap 45:02 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/45.02.pdf ; Hindu Marriage Act, 1945, Cap 45:03 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/45.03.pdf)

  76. 76.

    Marriage Act, 1923, Cap 45:01 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/45.01.pdf)

  77. 77.

    Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, 1972, Cap 45:51 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/45.51.pdf). Emphasis added.

  78. 78.

    Cohabitational Relationships Act, 1998, Cap 45:55 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://www.ttparliament.org/legislations/a1998-30.pdf)

  79. 79.

    Parliamentary Legislative Session, Jun. 12, 2008 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://www.ttparliament.org/hansards/hh19980612.pdf)

  80. 80.

    Ibid.

  81. 81.

    Gyasi Gonzales and Julien Neaves, Govt to make decision on gay and lesbian marriages, Trinidad Express, May 11, 2012.

  82. 82.

    Yvonne Baboolal, PM promises rights for gays in gender policy, Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Online, Dec. 18, 2012.

  83. 83.

    Ibid.

  84. 84.

    In fact, worldwide, colonial influences are largely to blame for homophobic legislation that persists today. As of 2008, more than 80 nations criminalized consensual homosexual conduct and more than half of these countries inherited their anti-sodomy laws from former colonial powers Human Rights Watch, This Alien Legacy: The Origins of “Sodomy” Laws in British Colonialism 5 (December 2008).

  85. 85.

    Human Rights Watch, This Alien Legacy: The Origins of “Sodomy” Laws in British Colonialism 18 (December 2008).

  86. 86.

    Bart Rwezaura, To Be or Not To Be: Recognition of Same-Sex Partnerships in Hong Kong, 34 Hong Kong L. J. 557, 564 n. 38 (2004).

  87. 87.

    Bart Rwezaura, To Be or Not To Be: Recognition of Same-Sex Partnerships in Hong Kong, 34 Hong Kong L. J. 557, 564 n. 38 (2004).

  88. 88.

    Ibid.

  89. 89.

    Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act, 2006, Cap 99 (The Bahamas).

  90. 90.

    Sexual Offences Act, 1986, Cap 11:28 (Trinidad and Tobago) (available at http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/11.28.pdf)

  91. 91.

    Sexual Offences Act, 2009 (Jamaica) (available at http://www.japarliament.gov.jm/attachments/341_The%20Sexual%20Offences%20Act,%202009.pdf)

  92. 92.

    The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011 (Jamaica).

  93. 93.

    AIDS Free World, Unnatural Connexion: Creating Societal Conflict Through Legal Tools, 17 (2004).

  94. 94.

    Criminal Code, 2004, Cap 273 (St. Lucia) (available at http://www.rslpf.com/site/criminal%20code%202004.pdf)

  95. 95.

    Sexual Offences Act, 1995 (Antigua and Barbuda) (available at http://laws.gov.ag/acts/1995/a1995-9.pdf)

  96. 96.

    Ibid.

  97. 97.

    Sexual Offences Act, 1998 (Dominica) (available at http://www.dominica.gov.dm/laws/1998/act1-1998.pdf)

  98. 98.

    Criminal Code, 1958, Cap 76 (Grenada).

  99. 99.

    AIDS Free World, Unnatural Connexion: Creating Societal Conflict Through Legal Tools, 62 (2004).

  100. 100.

    Ibid.

  101. 101.

    Scrap Caribbean Anti-Gay Laws, CBS News, Feb. 11, 2009.

  102. 102.

    Ibid.

  103. 103.

    Sexuality and the law, Jamaica Gleaner, Jul. 25, 2001.

  104. 104.

    Petition and Case System: Informational Brochure, Organization of American States (2010).

  105. 105.

    Petition and Case System: Informational Brochure, Organization of American States (2010).

  106. 106.

    IACHR Creates Unit on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Persons, Organization of American States, Nov. 3, 2011.

  107. 107.

    IACHR Creates Unit on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Persons, Organization of American States, Nov. 3, 2011.

  108. 108.

    Karen Atala and Daughters v. Chile, (IACHR Sept. 17, 2010).

  109. 109.

    Marta Lucía Álvarez Giraldo v. Colombia (IACHR My 4, 1999) (Admissibility Report).

  110. 110.

    Ibid.

  111. 111.

    IACHR Concludes its 140th Period of Sessions, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Nov. 5, 2010.

  112. 112.

    Ibid.

  113. 113.

    Website of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (available at http://www.jcpc.gov.uk/)(last visited Feb. 3, 2013).

  114. 114.

    Ibid.

  115. 115.

    Website of the Caribbean Court of Justice (available at http://www.caribbeancourtofjustice.org/court-instruments)(last visited January 22, 2013).

  116. 116.

    Ibid. (Signatories to the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice include Antigua & Barbuda; Barbados; Belize; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; St. Kitts & Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent & The Grenadines; Suriname; and Trinidad & Tobago).

  117. 117.

    Jamaicans for Justice, Brochure on the Privy Council and the Proposed Caribbean Court of Justice, June 5, 2006 (available at http://www.jamaicansforjustice.org) (last visited Feb. 3, 2013).

  118. 118.

    See for example Leonard Birdsong, Formation of the Caribbean Court of Justice: the Sunset of British Colonial Rule in the English Speaking Caribbean, 36 U. Miami Inter-Am. L. Rev. 197, 200 (Winter-Spring 2005).

  119. 119.

    Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights (1998) Limited and Others v. Hon. Syringa Marshall- Burnett and Attorney General of Jamaica, Privy Council Appeal No. 41 of 2004 (Feb. 3, 2005).

  120. 120.

    Owen Bowcott, Jamaica’s colonial-era ties to UK legal system continue to fray, The Guardian, Jan. 6, 2012.

  121. 121.

    Sexuality and the law, Jamaica Gleaner, Jul. 25, 2001.

  122. 122.

    Nadine Rodriguez v. Minister of Housing of the Government and The Housing Allocation Committee, Privy Council Appeal No 0028 of 2009 (Dec. 14, 2009).

  123. 123.

    Dudgeon v United Kingdom (1981) 4 EHRR 149.

  124. 124.

    Gay Activist Vows To Fight Belize’s Immigration Law, Jamaica Gleaner, Dec. 27, 2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 3600 Clipper Mill Rd, Suite 350, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA

    Toni Holness

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  1. Toni Holness
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Correspondence to Toni Holness .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Macarena Sáez

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Holness, T. (2015). Same-Sex Marriage in the Commonwealth Caribbean: Is It Possible?. In: Sáez, M. (eds) Same Sex Couples - Comparative Insights on Marriage and Cohabitation. Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, vol 42. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9774-0_7

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