Gay rights activist Jason Jones believes it will take between three to four years for Justice Devindra Rampersad’s landmark judgement on this country’s homophobic buggery laws to take full effect.
In a interview outside the Hall of Justice moments after he scored the legal victory over the constitutionality of the laws, Jones said he expected that Office of the Attorney General to take the case all the way to the country’s final appellate court - the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.
“I knew going into this that this would take about a decade of my life and I am committed to seeing it through to the end,” Jones, who holds dual citizenship between T&T and the UK, said. Describing Rampersad’s judgement as stunning, Jones expressed the hope that it would inspire other LGBTQI activists to continue their struggle for equality.
“I think it is a defining moment. I think we do need moments like that where an individual stands up and people can relate to that. The right of the individual can not be superseded by the majority,” Jones said, as he noted gay marriage and adoption were still issues affecting the community.
“I will not stop until I have full equality. I am not going to tolerate second class citizenship any more.”
Jones said another important issue the community needed to meet and strategise on is getting Parliament to amend the Equal Opportunities Act to include discrimination against people based on sexual orientation. Asked whether he was affected by protests from religious groups against his lawsuit, including yesterday, Jones said no.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and their religious beliefs and practices, but we have to be cognizant of the fact that we are a multi-cultural melting pot of a nation,” he said. (DA)