Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Belize High Court Strikes Down Sodomy Law
Source: The Advocate
Belize High Court Strikes Down Sodomy Law
BY TRUDY RING
AUGUST 10 2016 9:23 PM EDT
In a long-awaited decision, Belize’s Supreme Court today struck down a colonial-era antisodomy law, saying it violates constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, equality, and freedom from gender discrimination.
The decision came three years and three months after the case was heard, and six years after it was filed. It strikes down Section 53 of Belize’s Criminal Code, which banned “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” therefore primarily targeting gay and bisexual men. The law was a holdover from British colonial rule in the Central American nation, once known as British Honduras and located on the Caribbean coast.
“This is a history-making judgment for Belize, the country which I am proud to call home,” said a statement issued by Caleb Orozco, the plaintiff in the case and the executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), an LGBT rights group. The ruling from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin also says that the definition of sex under the law includes sexual orientation, paving the way for broader nondiscrimination protections.
Other activists hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling as well. “This is a momentous victory for Belize, and I congratulate the LGBTQ advocates of Belize as well as the countless legal experts and supporters who fought for this win,” said Ty Cobb, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s global arm, in a press release.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
BY TRUDY RING
AUGUST 10 2016 9:23 PM EDT
In a long-awaited decision, Belize’s Supreme Court today struck down a colonial-era antisodomy law, saying it violates constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, equality, and freedom from gender discrimination.
The decision came three years and three months after the case was heard, and six years after it was filed. It strikes down Section 53 of Belize’s Criminal Code, which banned “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” therefore primarily targeting gay and bisexual men. The law was a holdover from British colonial rule in the Central American nation, once known as British Honduras and located on the Caribbean coast.
“This is a history-making judgment for Belize, the country which I am proud to call home,” said a statement issued by Caleb Orozco, the plaintiff in the case and the executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), an LGBT rights group. The ruling from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin also says that the definition of sex under the law includes sexual orientation, paving the way for broader nondiscrimination protections.
Other activists hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling as well. “This is a momentous victory for Belize, and I congratulate the LGBTQ advocates of Belize as well as the countless legal experts and supporters who fought for this win,” said Ty Cobb, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s global arm, in a press release.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.advocate.com/world/2016/8/10/belize-high-court-strikes-down-sodomy-law
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
