SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Activists supporting same-sex marriage in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda have received a heavy blow following a ruling by a top appeals court in London.
The United Kingdom’s Privy Council, which serves as the final court of appeals for several islands in the Caribbean, sided on Monday with the government of Bermuda, which had fought a local court’s decision to allow gay marriage.
One of the plaintiffs in the case released a statement after the ruling.
“To my fellow LGBTQ+ Bermudians, I wish to say to you what I also need to hear at this moment: you matter. Your hurt matters. You deserve better than this," Roderick Ferguson said, according to The Royal Gazette. "The Bermuda Government’s crusade against same-sex marriage was waged to convince you that there’s something shameful about your sexuality. Don’t believe that tired old lie.”
The Privy Council also ruled that gays do not have the right to marry in the Cayman Islands based on its Constitution.
Attorneys in the Cayman Islands plan to fight the ruling.
