Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago decriminalized same-sex relations in 2018 when the High Court repealed Sexual Offenses Act sections for breaching the rights to privacy, liberty and equality. In 2025 the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling by a two-to-one majority and left the offences on the books with a 5-year maximum, unenforced. The Privy Council heard the appeal on 8 July 2026 and judgment is still pending. No marriage recognition or anti-discrimination. 15.4% supported marriage (2010) · Pride Trinidad exists since 2018 · mixed Christian-Hindu society.
LGBTQI+ legal framework · Trinidad and Tobago
Social context · Trinidad and Tobago
AmericasBarometer: ~15% back marriage equality (2010) · 38% reject discrimination by SO (2013 survey)
Source →No specific information on hate crimes in the article. Caribbean context with present social discrimination.
Source →Indicative data as of 2026-10-20. Check the destination country's official sources before travelling.
Experiences
gay friendly · Trinidad and Tobago
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Evolution
LGBTQI+ · Trinidad and Tobago
Privy Council hears the appeal; judgment pending
On 8 July 2026 the UK Judicial Committee of the Privy Council — Trinidad and Tobago's highest court of appeal — heard activist Jason Jones's appeal against the reversal of decriminalization. Five judges sat: Lords Reed, Briggs, Sales and Lloyd-Jones, with Lady Rose. "The case deals with complex issues of law which would take us some time to go through," Reed said. "We will let you know our decision in due course." As of 20 October 2026 no judgment has been handed down and none is listed as scheduled. It could reinstate the 2018 decriminalization or confirm the recriminalization. The country's safety verdict is unchanged in the meantime.
The 2018 ruling reversed, two to one
The Court of Appeal overturned, two to one, the 2018 High Court ruling that had declared sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act unconstitutional. Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux and Charmaine Pemberton accepted that the provisions conflict with fundamental rights and discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation, but held that they are protected by the savings clause in section 6(2) of the Constitution, which shields legislation inherited from the colonial era. Justice of Appeal Vasheist Kokaram dissented. The same ruling cut the penalty for buggery from 25 to 5 years, the colonial-era figure, and disapplied the section 16 exemption that excluded homosexuals.
Destinations
gay friendly near Trinidad and Tobago
If you're going to move around the region, these countries also fit on the route.
Barbados
Barbados decriminalized same-sex relations in December 2022, when courts ruled colonial 'buggery' and 'gross indecency' laws…
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia decriminalized same-sex relations in July 2025, when the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruled colonial 'buggery' and 'gross…
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Consensual relations between adults of the same sex were decriminalized in August 2022 following an Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruling…
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