Bermuda Supreme Court overturns ban on gay marriage

Bermuda’s Supreme Court on Wednesday legalized same-sex marriage in the British territory, reinstating the practice after a legislative ban was instituted. 

Chief Justice Ian Kawaley delivered his judgment that the law banning gay marriage was invalid because it was inconsistent with the government’s constitution, according to the The Royal Gazette.

“Love wins again!” Zakiya Johnson Lord and Adrian Hartnett-Beasley of OutBermuda said in a statement obtained by BuzzFeed News. “Our hearts and hopes are full, thanks to this historic decision by our Supreme Court and its recognition that all Bermuda families matter. Equality under the law is our birthright, and we begin by making every marriage equal.”

{mosads}“The Bermuda Supreme Court has righted the injustice that occurred when Bermudian lawmakers made the islands the first national territory in the world to repeal marriage equality,” Ty Cobb, the director of Human Rights Campaign’s global department, also told the publication in a statement, according to BuzzFeed. “We congratulate the plaintiffs in this case on their historic victory ensuring that once again, Love Wins!”

The court initially legalized same-sex marriage in May 2017. But less than a year after the ruling, lawmakers passed the Domestic Partnerships Act (DPA) in February that reversed the right of gay couples to marry on the island.

The decision to reverse the ruling prompted global backlash from LGBT activists and a gay Bermudan resident, Rod Ferguson, to file a suit against the law, which was later joined by other residents.