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41 Loy. L.A. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 99 (2018)
A Triumphant Victory for Gay Rights in Belize Lays the Foundation for a Domino Effect throughout the Caribbean

handle is hein.journals/loyint41 and id is 107 raw text is: A Triumphant Victory for Gay Rights in Belize Lays the Foundation for a Domino Effect Throughout the Caribbean LAUREN TISDALE* I. INTRODUCTION Over the past decade, the gay rights movement has seen immense progress, particularly in North America, Western Europe, and Latin America. Social and legal reforms have developed beyond decriminali- zation to allow for equal civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons as well as legalization of same-sex sexual relations. I These progressive countries stand in stark contrast with the 72 remaining countries, which still have actively enforced laws that crimi- nalize same-sex sexual acts.) Over half of these countries are former Brit- ish Colonies, which inherited British buggery statutes in the 1800's.' These statutes criminalized acts committed by carnal knowledge against the ordinance of the Creator, and order of nature, by mankind with man- kind . .. or with brute beast.' During the age of exploration and discov- ery, these statutes were exported to British colonies and adopted locally, many with no modification even today.5 * Lauren Tisdale, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Juris Doctor, May 2018. 1. Dinusha Panditaratne, Decriminalizing Same Sex Relations in Asia: Sociocultural Factors Impeding Legal Refrln, 31 AM. U. INT'I L. RIv. 171, 173 (2016). 2. AENGUS CARROLL. STAll SPONSOIRD HOMOPiIOBIA: A WORLD StIRVEY OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION LAWS 36 (1 Ith ed. 2016). 3. HUMAN RIGIffS CONSORTIUM. UNIV. OF LONDON, HUMAN RIGHTS, SEXUAL ORIENIATION AND GENDER IDENTITY IN THE COMMONWEALTH: STRUGGLES FOR DiCRIMINA[IZATION AND CIIANGF 14-16 (Corinne Lennox & Matthew Waites eds., 2013), Joshua Hepple, Will Sexual Minorities Ever Be Equal? The Repercussions of British Colonial Sodomy Laws. 8 THE EQUAL RTs. REV. 50, 52. 4. Alok Gupta, Human Rights Watch, This Alien Legacy: The Origins of Sodomy Laws in British Colonialism 15 (2008). 5. Id. at 13-25. 99