UK High Court Overturns Trinidad and Tobago Buggery Law

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - The UK's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, overturned a law in Trinidad and Tobago that criminalized consensual same-sex acts between men. This ruling concludes a nearly 10-year legal battle, effectively ending the criminalization of such acts in the Caribbean nation.

The Privy Council, which serves as Trinidad and Tobago's highest court of appeal, affirmed a lower court's decision. It found that the legislation, which criminalized "buggery" and "indecency" between gay partners, violated constitutional rights. The law previously imposed potential prison sentences of up to five years for "buggery" and two years for "gross indecency." Privy Council Judge Philip Sales stated, "Those laws cannot be regarded as reasonably justifiable in a society that has a proper respect for the rights and freedoms of the individual." Trinidad and Tobago's government, its Council of Evangelical Churches, and the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha opposed the challenge.

LGBTQ+ rights activist Jason Jones initiated the legal challenge in February 2017, arguing that the colonial-era "buggery" laws were unconstitutional. In April 2018, Trinidad and Tobago's High Court ruled the laws unconstitutional. However, the country's Court of Appeal partially overturned this decision in March 2025, later allowing Jones to take his case to the Privy Council for a final appeal. England originally passed the "Buggery Act" in the 1500s, and Trinidad and Tobago enacted a version in 1925.

This decision marks a significant victory for LGBTQ+ rights and recognizes the fundamental right to respect for private and family life, encompassing sexual orientation and private consensual sexual activities. The ruling may establish a precedent for similar challenges in other former British colonies that continue to criminalize gay sex.