Homosexuality in St. Lucia

Geographical location of St. Lucia

Homosexuality is illegal for men and women in St. Lucia . The law against homosexuals was only renewed in 2005 and is supported by large parts of the religious-conservative population. State- sanctioned homophobia promotes discrimination and aggressiveness against homosexuals and forces LGBT people underground.

illegality

On St. Lucia , anal intercourse has been punished with a prison sentence of up to ten years since 2005 according to Section 133 of the Criminal Code No. 9 . Section 132 provides for a punishment for all other same-sex sexual acts between men, as well as between women, with imprisonment of up to 5 years. Heterosexual acts are expressly excluded from punishment. This clearly anti-homosexual law was only introduced in 2005 to criminalize homosexuality.

Recognition of same-sex couples

Same-sex couples are not recognized either through registered partnerships or same-sex marriage .

Social situation

In St. Lucia, as in almost all former British colonies in the Caribbean , discriminatory laws and homophobic practices prevail that prevent homosexual people from accessing health services. The island nation's government has been repeatedly urged by human rights activists to reduce stigma and discrimination against people with a different sexual orientation.

The government rejected a proposal by Spain, France, Canada, Slovenia and the USA in 2011 that St. Lucia should decriminalize same-sex acts between responsible adults. The US recommendation of March 2011 to prevent human rights violations and acts of violence against persons based on their sexual orientation in the country and to ensure adequate protection for LGBT activists was also not accepted. The recommendation is accepted, but §§ 89 and 97 already condemn all forms of violence against all persons and there are no known cases of violence against human rights defenders in St. Lucia.

Observers define the country as a “heteronormative and patriarchal society that is deeply rooted in conservative cultural and religious values”. Homophobia among elected representatives and within the police and state bureaucracy is common and lesbians are exposed to the same stigmatization and discrimination as their male colleagues.

In 2008, St. Lucia was the only member of the United Nations on the American double continent that formally voted against the declarations and resolutions of the United Nations on sexual orientation and gender identity .

See also

• Laws on homosexuality
• Homophobia

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ILGA : ILGA State-Sponsored Homophobia Report ( Memento July 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed April 28, 2012
2. ^ ^{A b} UNHCR : Saint Lucia: Situation and treatment of bisexuals, including social attitudes; availability of state protection  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 28, 2012