Belize Supreme Court overturns sodomy law
BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) – The Belize Supreme Court Wednesday overturned the country’s sodomy law with Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin ruling that Section 53 of the Criminal Code which criminalises consenting intercourse between adults of the same sex contravenes the right granted by the Belize Constitution.
Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LBGT) activist Caleb Orozco and his United Belize Action Movement (UNIBAM) had in 2010 challenged the law claiming it contravened the country’s constitution of no interference with a person’s dignity and personal privacy, as well as equality and equal treatment of all persons before the law.
In a statement on his Twitter account, Orozco said “we won on all counts. Speechless.
“The Chief Justice of Belize. Kenneth Benjamin have found that Section 53 of the criminal code is unconstitutional and must be struck down”
“He said sex extended to sexual orientation in our constitution, amplifying our rights,” Orozco tweeted.
Belize has had the law in place since its days as a British colony and the President of the National Evangelical Association of Belize, Pastor Lance Lewis, in an immediate reaction, said Christians must now resist the coming changes to the society.
““We have come to the bottom. The only way out is up, and we will get up when we get down on our knees,” he said.
Patrick Menzies of BelizeCan Patriots and the Alliance of Church Leaders and Ministers of Belize held the Belizean flag upside down, declaring that it was “all over” for Belize.
The written judgement in the case was not immediately available but the Chief Justice said that the Court had an obligation to amend the law to bring it in conformity with the Constitution, and ordered an amendment specifying that the section does not apply to consenting sexual acts between adults of the same gender.
In his new two hour ruling, Chief Justice Benjamin said the Court could consider, but could not act on majority and publicly held views, particularly religious views.
He also said that removing the section would help accelerate the fight against HIV, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM), and who are stigmatised and thus refuse to participate in testing and treatment programmes.
