A British court has just laid down the law—literally and fabulously—by upholding a Cayman Islands statute that legalizes same-sex civil partnerships. In what many are calling a major win for LGBTQ+ rights across the British overseas territories, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council shot down a challenge arguing that the island’s governor overstepped his authority when he enacted the law back in 2020. Spoiler alert: He didn’t.
The law was first introduced after a lesbian couple, lawyer Chantelle Day and nurse Vickie Bodden Bush, were denied the right to marry. Their pushback sparked a legal firestorm that eventually led to then-governor Martyn Roper stepping in to introduce the Civil Partnership Law. Lawmakers had rejected a similar bill, but Roper declared that it was necessary to uphold basic human rights. Monday’s ruling confirms he was right to do so—and keeps the law firmly in place.
Day, visibly relieved, described the judgment as “an absolute relief.” She added, “The legal framework we all relied on won’t be pulled from underneath us.” For couples like her and Bodden Bush, this isn’t just a court case—it’s about dignity, recognition, and not having to justify their love to the state.
The court also rejected the appeal filed by Kattina Anglin, who argued that Roper’s action violated the island’s constitution. She’ll have to regroup—hopefully with less queerphobia and more legal clarity—after her legal team gets through the judgment.
Ripple Effect for Queer Justice
But the impact goes beyond the turquoise waters of the Caymans. Leonardo Raznovich of Colours Caribbean called the decision a “victory for all,” emphasizing that it could embolden LGBTQ+ litigation in other British overseas territories like the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Translation: other queer folks under the Union Jack may finally see some rainbow-colored light at the end of the tunnel.
Still, not all is sunny across the Caribbean. In places like Trinidad and Tobago, where laws still criminalize same-sex intimacy, the battle is far from over. Despite a 2018 ruling that overturned the country’s “buggery law,” a government appeal brought it back from the dead earlier this year, pushing campaigners to take their fight to the same Privy Council that just handed Cayman’s queers a win.
Legal quirks like “savings clauses”—colonial leftovers that protect old laws unless changed by parliament—continue to plague independent Caribbean nations. For LGBTQ+ people living under these outdated regimes, Monday’s ruling may feel like a cocktail served on the other side of the fence: refreshing, but just out of reach.
Still, Monday’s verdict is a rare and radiant victory. In a world where LGBTQ+ rights are under siege in too many jurisdictions, a British court just reminded its territories that queerness is not a loophole—it’s a human right.