Jamaica’s prime minister states strict gender policies will not change: ‘A man is a man and a woman is a woman’

Andrew Holness, Jamaica‘s prime minister, has stated that the country’s policies on strict gender laws will not change.

On Thursday afternoon (19 March), Holness spoke as part of the Budget Debate in Parliament, declaring: “A man is a man and a woman is a woman. We are not going to change on that.”

Since he began his second term as prime minister in 2016, Holness has shown some support for the LGBTQ+ community, saying sexual orientation should not disqualify someone from serving in Parliament.

Despite this, he is yet to move to legalise same-sex marriage, nor are trans people able to change their legal gender or the gender marker on their official documents.

A person’s gender identity is not legally recognised in Jamaica

As per Entry #3395: Right to change legal gender in Jamaica, last amended in 2025, a person’s gender identity is not legally recognised on the Caribbean island.

The ruling states: “For all official purposes, gender assigned at birth overrules gender identity. One does not have the right to change their legal gender.”

On Tuesday, Holness reaffirmed Jamaica’s stance on gender autonomy and trans identities, saying: “There are things we must resist when it comes to our values. There are things that defines us as Jamaicans that we are not going to change on those.”

“Foreign policy is about having a clear framework of principles and values” – Andrew Holness reaffirming Jamaican values

Holness said Jamaica continues to maintain a strong and strategic foreign policy, adapting to global shifts while holding onto core principles.

He explained: “Foreign policy is about having a clear framework of principles and values within which we pursue our interests, while treating with the interests and powers of others with whom we engage.”

The prime minister highlighted growing global fragmentation and shifting power dynamics in the current political climate, possibly amid America’s war with Iran. He said: “It must be reformed to take into consideration the new power dynamics that have emerged.”

Jamaica is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, made up of 56 independent, equal countries who should share similar values on equality and human rights.