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The Jamaican Supreme Court determined last Friday that the so-called “saving laws clause” in the Jamaican constitution prevents it from inquiring into the constitutionality of the three sections of the Offences Against the Person Act that criminalize same-sex intimacy. This misguided decision denies Jamaicans the means to protect their constitutional and human rights, and further … Read more

For more than eight years, Maurice Tomlinson and the HIV Legal Network have been in court fighting for rights that are denied to LGBTQ+ people living in Jamaica due to colonial-era laws that criminalize same-sex intimacy. Through this slow process, Maurice’s case has nonetheless been gaining momentum, and in recent years we have seen similar … Read more

STATEMENT: DOMINICA TO HEAR CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE ON LGBT RIGHTS For immediate release – The following can be attributed to Minority Rights Dominica (MiRiDom) and the HIV Legal Network. September 28, 2022 — Today, in a critical step forward for human rights, the High Court of Justice in Dominica will hear a constitutional challenge from a … Read more

LGBTQ RIGHTS AND THE CHURCH: Intimate Conviction 2 Volume Launches in Dominica Laws Criminalizing Consensual Same-Sex Intimacy Still Exist in More Than 60 Countries Worldwide For immediate release March 28, 2022 — Roseau, Dominica — On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, the launch of the Intimate Conviction 2: Continuing the Decriminalization Dialogue volume will be held in … Read more

WORLD AIDS DAY 2021: FORTY YEARS OF HIV, FORTY YEARS OF PROGRESS The following can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network.   November 30, 2021 – Toronto – Tomorrow is World AIDS Day — a day to reflect on the current state of HIV and AIDS in the world, where we started, and how … Read more

BREAKING: AIDS-Free World and HIV Legal Network Release Delayed IACHR Report Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Censures Jamaica for Violating the Rights of LGBTI Citizens, Recommends Repeal of Homophobic Law Criminalizing Consensual Sex   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   February 17, 2021—In response to the first-ever petition filed in this matter, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights … Read more

  JAMAICAN COURT ALLOWS TV STATIONS TO CENSOR ADVERTISEMENT URGING RESPECT FOR LGBT PEOPLE   October 30, 2020 — Today the Jamaican Court of Appeal delivered its decision in a landmark case by Jamaican-Canadian attorney and human rights activist, Maurice Tomlinson, who is also an LGBTQ rights consultant with the HIV Legal Network. The case, … Read more

The 49th General Assembly of the OAS (Organization of American States) demonstrated the increasing influence of groups opposed to the recognition of human rights for vulnerable and marginalized people across the Americas. This reflects the dangerous drift towards populism in the hemisphere. Despite these ominous signs and daunting odds, the Legal Network was privileged to … Read more

Lawsuit builds on the global push for decriminalisation of LGBT people and aims to end one of the last remaining anti-sodomy laws in Western Hemisphere   July 18, 2019 — A gay man, who must remain anonymous for his own protection, has today filed a landmark claim challenging Dominica’s homophobic laws that criminalise “buggery” and … Read more

Lawsuit launch will complete trifecta of legal challenges in Caribbean countries with many of the harshest anti-LGBT laws   June 24, 2019 — A gay man, who must remain anonymous for his own protection, is about to file a landmark case challenging Dominica’s homophobic laws that criminalise “buggery” and “gross indecency,” targeting the consensual sexual activity … Read more