Two men have filed court proceedings challenging St Vincent and the Grenadines’ “buggery” and “gross indecency” laws, which criminalise homosexuality.

The men, who are being advised by Queen’s Counsel Jeremy Johnson and British-based Peter Laverack, argue that the laws strip their dignity and autonomy.

The challenges were filed by local lawyers, Zita Barnwell and Jomo Thomas, listing the two British attorneys as the intended trial advocates.

According to their affidavits, as a result of the legislation, they have been exiled from the Caribbean island due to the severely draconian and damaging effects of these laws.

Javin Johnson, 22, successfully claimed asylum in the United Kingdom in 2017 having established that he could not live as a gay man in St Vincent, while 53-year-old Sean Macleish, who resides in Chicago, in the United States, has failed in his public advocacy to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves for the removal of the laws so that he may return home with his partner. Read more via Barbados Today