Following in the wake of Hurricane Earl, a wind of change blew through Belize last week in the form of a widely anticipated oral court decision. On August 10, 2016, Honorable Chief Justice of Belize Kenneth Benjamin struck down Section 53 of the Criminal Code, a colonial-era legacy that makes anal sex or ‘buggery’ (described as “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”) illegal for men and women and punishable by ten years’ imprisonment. The chief justice decided that Section 53 is inconsistent with the country's constitution, as it violates the rights to human dignity, privacy, freedom of expression, non-discrimination, equality and equal protection under the law. The court then read down Section 53 of the Criminal Code to exclude “consensual sexual acts between adults in private.” The ruling also declared that the definition of sex in Section 16 (3) of the Constitution of Belize — which states that the expression ‘discriminatory’ refers to treating people differently due to sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed — includes ‘sexual orientation’, consistent with Belize's international obligations. The court case to challenge Section 53 was brought in July 2010 by Caleb Orozco, a gay Belizean man and founder and executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM). Orozco was represented by lawyers with the University of the West Indies Rights Advocacy Project with the support of the International Commission of Jurists, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, and the Human Dignity Trust. The country's prime minister and attorney general, as well as an alliance of local churches, supported Section 53. An appeal against the ruling is likely. UNIBAM tweeted on August 10: We won on all counts. Speechless. Omg. Speechless — UniBAM Belize (@UNIBAMSupport) August 10, 2016 Human rights advocates across the region hailed the Belize ruling as a watershed victory that may have implications for the ten other Commonwealth Caribbean countries, all former British colonies, where ‘buggery’ remains a crime punishable by terms of imprisonment of varying lengths. Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago retain such laws. The Human Dignity Trust notes that there are still 76 legal jurisdictions across the world that make same-sex intimacy between consenting adults a crime, 38 of them Commonwealth members. Dane Lewis, the executive director of the Jamaica-based LGBT rights lobby group J-FLAG, observed: The feedback from the community is that the win is a win for the region. We are very proud of Caleb Orozco, who was very bold in his claim to be recognized as an equal citizen in his country… He pointed out that the Belize case will serve as a reference in terms of jurisprudence for any case in the rest of the region, especially given the similarities of the laws across the countries. Rodje Malcolm of Jamaicans for Justice pointed out: IMPORTANT: #OrozcoCase ruling reminds that “buggery laws” are not ONLY “gay issues” but impact privacy 4 all couples https://t.co/77HsY6ISLf — Rodjé Malcolm (@Rodje_) August 10, 2016 Executive Director of Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, enthused: Day Dignity and Respect granted to all regardless Sexual orientation @cliffnationwide @Petchary @suezeecue https://t.co/e6GWcA6soo — Carolyn Gomes (@CarolynMusing) August 10, 2016 Christopher Hamel-Smith, who as lead counsel for Orozco, commented: Good law always reflects common sense, and common sense has prevailed in Belize. The Court has confirmed that the Constitution recognises the inherent dignity of each and every human being, regardless of sexual orientation. Today’s decision shines a powerful light to guide us along the path we must take towards a more just, tolerant and inclusive Caribbean. Thank you, Belize. Christina Coc, an indigenous leader and program director of the Julian Cho Society in Punta Gorda, Belize, observed: The claim being made is that this law is inconsistent with the Supreme Law of Belize – the Belize CONSITITUTION. While citizens may have divergent views on the issue of freedom for sexual orientation, we must not fail to address the crux of the issue. If we allow a law to remain unconstitutional, then who is to guarantee that more laws will not be written that equally infringe on other fundamental human rights and freedoms? We are equally responsible to ensure STATE Accountability to protect the human rights of ALL and not SOME! Therefore, all laws, policies and actions must be consistent with the CONSTITUTION Erika Castellanos, a Belizean trans advocate, commented: As a trans woman living with HIV I am happy with the decision today.