Colours Caribbean alongside The Silver Lining Foundation, OUTBermuda, United Belize Advocacy Movement, and ILGA-North America and the Caribbean, has officially been granted intervener status by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in the upcoming matter of Jason Jones v The Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago.

This appeal concerns the compatibility of provisions criminalising consensual same-sex intimacy with the constitutional rights and freedoms guaranteed by a Caribbean constitution. This will be the first time that the JCPC considers the issue of decriminalisation of homosexuality and will likely be a landmark case for the LGBTQIA+ movement.

Together, the Interveners work with and represent LGBTQIA+ people, communities and organisations across the Caribbean and wider region. The intervention will allow the JCPC to hear independent submissions informed by regional experience, community insight and specialist expertise on behalf of communities that may be materially affected by the judgment.

The JCPC serves as the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, UK overseas territories, and Crown dependencies. Being permitted to intervene is a rare and significant privilege, reserved for third parties who can offer a unique and valuable perspective that directly assists the Court. This intervention ensures that wider regional human rights trends and arguments and the lived experience of the affected community is placed before the Court and taken into account in this important matter.

Enyo Law represents the Interveners alongside Anna Hoffmann (4 Pump Court), and McCarthy Tetrault LLP, all acting pro bono.