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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Male to Male relationships: Not Legal
Punishments for male to male relationships: Imprisonment of 10 years or more
Female to Female Relationships: Not Legal
Marriage and Substitutes for Marriage: No law

Your Views

Are you LGBTI? We want to hear from you! Help us inform other users of the site with your views on this country. Below is a random question about this country. If it is relevant to you please answer it.

Are you out in TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO about your HIV/AIDS status?
Yes (0 %) Yes, but not at work (0 %) Yes, only to my friends (0 %) Yes, but only to my family (0 %) Yes, but only to my friends and family (0 %) No (0 %)

The TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO country survey is populated by LGBTI groups who have acted as liaisons with ILGA to identify issues affecting the LGBTI community.

Organizations were asked to discuss 4 broad subjects: the law, the mood (the social climate), the LGBTI movement as well as what would be, according to them, the most pressing campaign in their country.

Please write to countryreport@ilga.org if you have comments regarding this page.

LAW
What are the laws and policies like for LGBTI people in your country?

Male to Male Relationships

Are male to male sexual relationships legal?
Not Legal

What is the name of this law? (if applicable - please give chapter and section)
Sexual Offences Act 1986, Consolidated Version 2000
Section 13 and 16.

What is the full text of this law?
Section 13.
"(1) A person who commits buggery is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment
(a) if committed by an adult on a minor, for life;
(b) if committed by an adult on another adult, for twenty-five years;
(c) if committed by a minor, for five years.

(2) In this section "buggery" means sexual intercourse per anum by a male person with a male person or by a male person with a female person."

Section 16.
(1) A person who commits an act of serious indecency on or towards another is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment
(a)if committed on or towards a minor under sixteen years of age for ten years for a first
offence and to imprisonment for fifteen years for a subsequent offence;
(b) if committed on or towards a person sixteen years of age or more for five years.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an act of serious indecency committed in private between
(a) a husband and his wife; or
(b) a male person and a female person each of whom is sixteen years of age or more, both of
whom consent to the commission of the act.

(3) An act of "serious indecency" is an act, other than sexual intercourse (whether natural or unnatural), by a person involving the use of the genital organ for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire."

What are the punishments?
Imprisonment of 10 years or more

Female to Female Relationships

Are female to female sexual relations legal?
Not Legal

Age of Consent

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Freedom of association, of expression

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Marriage and Substitutes for Marriage

What types of same sex partnerships are recognized?
No law

LGBTI Families/Parenting

Can same sex couples adopt children together?
No

Anti-discrimination laws

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Armed forces

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Asylum and Immigration

Prohibition on entry into the country by LGB people
Yes

Blood donation

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Gender identity

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

HIV/AIDS

Unfortunately this part of the law questionnaire is currently empty. If you are a group and want to update this please contact countryreport@ilga.org.

Information contributed by last modified 26/03/2009
This part of the country profile has been originally written in English, it would be helpful if you can speak one of our other languages to help maintain the translated versions of this document. To French To Spanish To Portuguese
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