LGBT rights in Saint Lucia

The Criminal Code (No. 9 of 2004; Effective 1 January 2005), states:[1]

Gross Indecency

• Section 132.
  • (1) Any person who commits an act of gross indecency with another person commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for ten years or on summary conviction to five years.
  • (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an act of gross indecency committed in private between an adult male person and an adult female person, both of whom consent.
  • (3) For the purposes of subsection (2) —
    • (a) an act shall be deemed not to have been committed in private if it is committed in a public place; and
    • (b) a person shall be deemed not to consent to the commission of such an act if —
      • (i) the consent is extorted by force, threats or fear of bodily harm or is obtained by false and fraudulent representations as to the nature of the act;
      • (ii) the consent is induced by the application or administration of any drug, matter or thing with intent to intoxicate or stupefy the person; or (iii) that person is, and the other party to the act knows or has good reason to believe that the person is suffering from a mental disorder.
  • (4) In this section "gross indecency" is an act other than sexual intercourse (whether natural or unnatural) by a person involving the use of the genital organs for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire".

Buggery

• Section 133.
  • (1) A person who commits buggery commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for —
    • (a) life, if committed with force and without the consent of the other person;
    • (b) ten years, in any other case.
  • (2) Any person who attempts to commit buggery, or commits an assault with intent to commit buggery, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for five years.
  • (3) In this section "buggery" means sexual intercourse per anus by a male person with another male person".

Multiple sources state that these laws are not enforced.[2][3][4]

In November 2017, while speaking at the Caribbean Center for Family and Human Rights (CARIFAM) meeting, External Affairs Minister Sarah Flood-Beaubrun has reiterated her position that government "will stick to its decision to refrain from decriminalising buggery and prostitution despite mounting pressure from international countries and organisations."[5]

In February 2019, after the murder by stabbing of a 27-year-old Guyanese Michael Pooran in Saint Lucia, the "Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality" (ECADE) and "United & Strong" organisations said it is alleged that Pooran's death is due to his perceived sexual orientation. They have urged the government of Saint Lucia to "strongly denounce any forms of violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression". and to "encourage the governments of St Lucia and the eastern Caribbean to re-examine the impact of the Buggery and Gross indecency Laws that are widely interpreted as criminalisation of the LGBT community".[6][7]

In March 2019, It was reported that Senator Hermangild Francis, the Justice and National Security Minister and the former Deputy Police Commissioner, supports a review of Saint Lucia's buggery law. He told reporters "If Saint Lucians want that to be revisited I have no problems with that. But I think the time has come when we really have to look at it. Too many young people are being maligned because of their sexual orientation. I don’t think that’s right. Everyone should be entitled to his or her own sexual, political and religious beliefs. I agree that we should have a review of it. Homosexuality with consenting adults in their privacy – I see no problem, but like I said, everybody is entitled to their opinion and we must respect everybody in that kind of discussion."[8]

In late March 2019, The head of the Catholic Church in Saint Lucia, Archbishop Robert Rivas, has asserted that the church is not against gays or lesbians and has expressed the hope that the governments in the region will 'do what is right' on the matter of the law against buggery. He said: "In some places, it is already removed. If it is a law that is distressing and it is not a law that is serving its purpose the way it ought to have served its purpose in the past, then it has to be reviewed and updated." He added that: "The church is not against gays or lesbians – the church is maybe against the activity where there is a moral issue, but in terms of the person, the church will always love the person and care for the person as Jesus did." and that "Whoever said the church is against [homosexuals] is probably misinformed about the church today, I have never said that in my preaching in Saint Lucia. I’ve been here eleven years and a bishop for 29 years. I’ve never preached that, and I’ve never heard our archdiocese preach that." saying that the time may be right to revisit the island's buggery.[9][10] Days later, in early April, Superintendent Methodist Minister, Seth Ampadu of the Methodist Church here welcomes gays and lesbians, but not their activities, he also said that the law is distressing and it is not serving its purpose, then it has to be reviewed and updated.[11] It has plans to decriminalize homosexuality by 2022.

The first gay pride parade was scheduled for 23–26 August 2019, with "Persist with pride" as a celebration theme. It included activities aimed at educating and sensitising the general public, as well as nurturing the dignity of LGBT people on Saint Lucia, and public activities included a panel on LGBT in Saint Lucia, and the Family Day and Health Fair, which included health talks and screenings, congratulatory speeches, performances and giveaways.[28][29] The Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI) voiced its objection to the pride event, however the Roman Catholic Archbishop Robert Rivas of the Archdiocese of Castries in Saint Lucia said his church was not opposed to the pride event.[30][31]