Saint Lucia

Consensual same-sex sexual conduct between males is no longer criminalized in Saint Lucia. On July 29, 2025, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court declared that sections 133 of the Criminal Code criminalizing buggery and section 132 criminalizing gross indecency were unconstitutional. The laws violated the claimants’ rights to protection of the law, privacy, life, liberty and security of the person, freedom of expression, and non-discrimination on the basis of sex. The court modified sections 132 and 133 of the Criminal Code so that section 132 no longer applies to private consensual conduct between adults and section 133 no longer applies to private consensual conduct between persons 16 years of age or older.

The court’s ruling is a significant advance for the rights of LGBTIQ persons in Saint Lucia because even though the laws were rarely enforced, they contributed to the pervasive antipathy toward LGBTIQ people in Saint Lucia. LGBTIQ people are at risk for violence and discrimination based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

LGBTIQ visibility and activism have increased in the last decade, even as some Christian groups continue to campaign against the human rights of LGBTIQ people. Representation in the media is mixed, but there is a growing prevalence of curious, neutral, and even positive representation.

Notably, social protections for LGBTIQ people are expanding. A new Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2022, containing gender-neutral language and permitting persons in same-sex relationships to apply for protection orders and access support services. This Domestic Violence Act is the most progressive and inclusive gender-based violence legislation in the English-speaking Caribbean.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.