Bermuda Supreme Court overturns nation’s ban on same-sex marriage
This marks the first time a nation has repealed marraige equality
By Steve Brown
Bermuda Supreme Court has overturned the nation’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Back in 2017, the country legalised gay marriage but just a few months later, the Bermuda Assembly voted to re-ban same-sex marriage, according to the Washington Blade.
A new bill where same-sex couples can enter into a domestic partnership instead and offered the same rights as marriage between a man and a woman, but same-sex couples would not be able to perform it under the title of ‘marriage’.
This new legislation came into effect on Friday, but the issue went back to the Supreme Court as clauses in the Domestic Partnership Act were deemed unconstitutional.
But now in a historic move, the court has decided to repeal marriage equality become the first nation ever to do so.
LGBT+ and human rights activist, Peter Tatchell, said: “Bermuda’s Supreme Court was right to rule that the repeal of same-sex marriage by the country’s parliament was unconstitutional.
“Under Bermuda’s constitution and its international treaty obligations the state is duty-bound to guarantee equal treatment and non-discrimination to all its citizens.
“This ruling will encourage and empower legal challenges to criminalisation and marriage inequality across the Caribbean, many of which are bound to succeed.
“It is indicative of the unstoppable global trend towards LGBT+ equal human rights.”