Professor Wintemute Lectures on Lesbian and Gay Human Rights in the Caribbean

Professor Wintemute (centre) at St Augustine (Trinidad) with Dr Arif Bulkan (right) and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine (left), Dean of the Faculty of Law and Commissioner, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Robert Wintemute, Professor of Human Rights Law in The Dickson Poon School of Law, gave lectures entitled “Lesbian and Gay Human Rights in the Caribbean:  Would Decriminalisation Restrict Religious Freedom?” at the Faculties of Law of the University of the West Indies in February 2014.

Professor Wintemute visited the Cave Hill Campus near Bridgetown, Barbados (7 Feb), the Mona Campus near Kingston, Jamaica (10 Feb),and the St. Augustine Campus near Port of Spain, Trinidad (12 Feb).

During his lectures,  Rob noted that 71 of 82 member states of the Organization of American States and the Council of Europe have decriminalised same-sex sexual activity, all member states except 11 (of the 12) independent English-speaking countries in the Caribbean (the exception to the Caribbean exception is the Bahamas). 

Professor Wintemute said: “Criminal laws banning all private, adult, consensual sexual activity between men or between women clearly violate international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights.  These laws cannot be justified as protecting the religious beliefs of Christians in these countries who consider same-sexsexual activity sinful.  Christian activists have urged these countries not to decriminalise, because it would quickly lead to marriage for same-sex couples.” 

Professor Wintemute faced hostile comments from some members of the audience at each campus, but had the impression that the majority of the law students attending understood the need for change.  Rob reassured his audiences of 100 to 200 that each country would be able to take its time and consider each proposed law reform on its own merits.  In England and Wales, it took 46 years from decriminalisation in 1967 until the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. 

Rob greatly appreciated the hospitality of his UWIhosts:  Westmin James in Barbados, Tracy Robinson and Janeille Matthews inJamaica, and Arif Bulkan in Trinidad.

The Trinidad lecture is available on YouTube