A recent ruling in the Bermuda High Court may be the first step towards legalizing gay marriage in the Caribbean territory.
The court on Friday, ruled that gays have a right to marry on the island and denying that right is equal to discrimination based on sexual orientation.
A Bermudian man Winston Godwin and his Canadian partner Greg DeRoche launched a legal challenge to the country’s Registrar-General’s decision to reject their application to marry in Bermuda. Their attorneys argued that the Human Rights Act took primacy in Bermuda and protected the couple’s right to marry.
Judge Charles-Etta Simmons agreed.
“The applicants were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation when the Registrar refused to process their notice of intended marriage,” the judge stated in her ruling.
“The applicants are entitled to an Order of Mandamus compelling the Registrar to act in accordance with the requirements of the Marriage Act and a declaration that same-sex couples are entitled to be married under the Marriage Act.”
Godwin, who was in Bermuda for the ruling, said the judge’s decision was “a big step in the right direction”.
“I cannot thank my legal team and my supporters enough…It has been a long time coming. This ruling, although it was in our favour…there is still so much more to do in Bermuda,” added the Bermudian who said that although DeRoche was in Canada at the time, he would join him soon to celebrate their victory.
