Up to 10 years in prison with hard labour;[1] (not enforced, legalization proposed)
Gender identity
None
Discrimination protections
None
Family rights
Recognition of relationships
None
Restrictions
Same-sex marriage is constitutionally banned since 2011 (ban challenged in courts)
Adoption
No
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Consensual sexual intercourse between same-sex partners is legally punishable by imprisonment.[1][2][3]
Jamaica has long held strongly conservative views towards homosexuality, with recent polls stating that the majority of Jamaicans are against the acceptance of homosexuality. Most of the population is affiliated with Christianity and the Rastafari movement, which have both encouraged negative feelings towards homosexuality. Discrimination and violence against LGBT persons are very common and LGBT people in Jamaica often remain closeted to avoid discrimination or harassment. In 2006, Time magazine labelled Jamaica "the most homophobic place on Earth",[4] and in 2013 the majority of LGBT people in the country said they were subject to homophobic violence in public.[5][6]
The government of Jamaica said in 2012 that it "is committed to the equal and fair treatment of its citizens and affirms that any individual whose rights are alleged to have been infringed has a right to seek redress." The government also claimed that "there is no legal discrimination against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation" though there is widespread homophobia and a sodomy law (The Offenses Against the Person Act of 1864) that is still in effect.[7]
^ ab"Jamaica’s Prime Minister says he’d be open to a gay person serving in his government", PinkNews, 20 April 2018.
^"41-year-old Gay Man Was Murdered and Burnt By Unknown Assailants In Jamaica". Archived from the original on 11 November 2013.
^"Jamaica's Gays: Protection from Homophobes Urgently Needed". Amnesty International, compiled by GayToday.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^Padgett, Tim (12 April 2006). "The Most Homophobic Place on Earth?". Time. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2006.
^"2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Jamaica" (PDF). Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State. pp. 20–22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
^Tom Faber, "Welcome to Jamaica – no longer 'the most homophobic place on Earth'", The Guardian, 6 December 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference WPR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
and 28 Related for: LGBT rights in Jamaica information
gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons inJamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Consensual sexual intercourse...
brought increased scrutiny to the status of LGBTrightsinJamaica. Perceived as effeminate, Jones was bullied in school and, at the age of 14, was forced...
among LGBT. A notable example is Jamaica, that has laws prohibiting anal sex as well as intimacy between same-sex individuals. LGBTrightsin the Americas...
Conversely, the JamaicanLGBT community held a secret memorial for him, while protests against the killing were held by LGBTrights groups in the United Kingdom...
This is a list of LGBTrights organizations around the world. For social and support groups or organizations affiliated with mainstream religious organizations...
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition...
Human rightsinJamaica is an ongoing process of development that has to consider the realities of high poverty levels, high violence, fluctuating economic...
declaration in favour of LGBTrights. ‡Signed alternative Statement against LGBTrights. Buggery Act LGBTrights by country or territory LGBTrightsin La Francophonie...
A list of notable LGBTrights activists who have worked to advance LGBTrights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically...
transgender (LGBT) persons in Belize face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens, although attitudes have been changing in recent years...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Dominica face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality has been legal...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rightsin Saba are very progressive by Caribbean standards. Saba forms part of the Caribbean Netherlands...
transgender (LGBT) people in Guyana face legal and societal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Guyana is the only country in South America...
same-sex couples. Same-sex marriages and civil unions are not legal in the Bahamas. LGBTrights groups never challenged the country's marriage laws, and the...
Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to decriminalise homosexuality. LGBT activists in these countries...
(LGBT) rightsin Cuba have significantly varied throughout modern history. Cuba is now considered generally progressive, with vast improvements in the...
Tatchell of the British LGBTrights organisation OutRage!, "It is thanks to the efforts of Steve and his colleagues that many Jamaican men and women - both...
opinion tends to be opposed to LGBTrights, which is why LGBT people are not protected from discrimination, are not included in hate crime laws, and households...
transgender (LGBT) rights are complex and diverse in the Americas, and acceptance of LGBT persons varies widely. Same-sex marriages are currently legal in Argentina...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rightsin Mexico expanded in the 21st century, keeping with worldwide legal trends. The intellectual influence...
transgender (LGBT) people in Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory, face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in Bermuda...
1971) is a Jamaican lawyer, law professor, and gay rights activist currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a leading gay rights and HIV...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rightsin Estonia have advanced significantly over the course of the last few decades, especially since...
gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Barbados do not possess the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. In December 2022, the courts ruled Barbados'...
in his Ali G character, including in a 2002 interview that led to an apology by the BBC for Cohen's foul language. Stop Murder Music LGBTrightsin Jamaica...
gender identity. LGBT portal Politics of Grenada LGBTrightsin the Commonwealth of Nations LGBTrightsin the Americas LGBTrights by country or territory...
Global Information