Country Overview
Barbados
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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In December 2022, Barbados decriminalized consensual same-sex conduct when the High Court of Barbados repealed the country’s buggery and gross indecency laws. Sections 9 and 12 of the Sexual Offences Act were found to be unconstitutional. Barbados also passed the Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Act, 2020, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, increasing protections for LGBTIQ people beyond decriminalization. However, Barbados still lacks comprehensive anti-discrimination protections for LGBTIQ people in circumstances outside employment, and same-sex unions are not legally recognized.
The Christian Church plays a strong cultural role in Barbados, influencing norms around gender and sexuality. Religious leaders perpetuate the misconception that same-sex relations are “unhealthy” and profess that LGBTIQ identities are a sinful choice and a threat to society. As a result, LGBTIQ people are subject to violent attacks, discrimination, harassment, and social stigmatization.
Despite this, public support for LGBTIQ people has increased. A Caribbean Development Research Services report found in 2017 that 82 percent of Barbadians condemned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Transgender people are particularly vulnerable and face significant challenges because there is no mechanism for legal gender recognition in the country. Only legal name changes are permitted. While some progress is being made on inclusive anti-discrimination protections, transgender people are still excluded from those protections.
A 2021 UNDP Report notes that intersex people are not explicitly acknowledged by the State of Barbados. Intersex people are largely made invisible by a lack of information and awareness. Narrow social concepts of gender identity and gender expression result in exclusion and discrimination. No medical protocols or legal protections exist to protect the bodily autonomy of intersex people, and non-consensual medical interventions on intersex children are not prohibited, leaving them vulnerable to violence.
*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.
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