title: LGBT rights in Anguilla
text: # LGBT rights in Anguilla
  
  Part of a series on :
  
  LGBT rights in the United Kingdom :
  
  By location :
  
  United Kingdom Scotland Northern Ireland :
  
  Crown dependencies Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man :
  
  Overseas Territories Anguilla Akrotiri and Dhekelia Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands :
  
  Same-sex marriage by territory United Kingdom Scotland Northern Ireland Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man Akrotiri and Dhekelia Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands :
  
  Policy aspects :
  
  Sexual orientation
  
  Adoption
  
  Age of consent
  
  Blood donation
  
  Christian nation
  
  Civil partnership
  
  History of violence
  
  HIV/AIDS
  
  Military policy
  
  Same-sex marriage :
  
  Gender identity, sex and intersex
  
  Transgender rights
  
  Intersex rights
  
  NHS Gender Identity Development Service
  
  Gender Recognition Panel :
  
  Legislation :
  
  Criminality
  
  Buggery Act 1533
  
  Offences Against the Person Act 1828
  
  Offences Against the Person Act 1861
  
  Labouchere Amendment
  
  Wolfenden report
  
  Sexual Offences Act 1967
  
  Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980
  
  Homosexual Offences Order 1982
  
  Section 28
  
  Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
  
  Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
  
  Sexual Offences Act 2003
  
  Policing and Crime Act 2017
  
  Alan Turing law
  
  Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Act 2017
  
  Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018 :
  
  Protection and recognition
  
  Public Order Act 1986
  
  Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999
  
  Adoption and Children Act 2002
  
  Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
  
  Civil Partnership Act 2004
  
  Gender Recognition Act 2004
  
  Equality Act 2006
  
  Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007
  
  Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
  
  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
  
  Equality Act 2010
  
  Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
  
  Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
  
  Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019
  
  Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 :
  
  Litigation
  
  Corbett v Corbett (1969)
  
  X v United Kingdom (1978)
  
  Dudgeon v United Kingdom (1981)
  
  R v Brown (1993)
  
  Sutherland v United Kingdom (1994)
  
  Smith and Grady v United Kingdom (1999)
  
  Goodwin & I v United Kingdom (2002)
  
  HJ and HT v Home Secretary (2010)
  
  National AIDS Trust v NHS Service Commissioning Board (2016) :
  
  Culture :
  
  By city
  
  Brighton
  
  Cardiff
  
  London
  
  Liverpool
  
  Leeds
  
  Manchester :
  
  Gay villages
  
  Birmingham Gay Village
  
  The Calls
  
  Canal Street (Manchester)
  
  Old Compton Street
  
  Pride Quarter, Liverpool
  
  Vauxhall :
  
  Gay male
  
  Polari
  
  Saunas
  
  Cruising :
  
  Organisations :
  
  LGBT advocacy & support
  
  Stonewall
  
  Hall–Carpenter Archives
  
  Black Gay Men's Advisory Group
  
  Akt
  
  Naz and Matt Foundation
  
  FFLAG
  
  LGBT Foundation
  
  LGBT Network
  
  Outright Scotland
  
  Switchboard (UK)
  
  NUS LGBT
  
  LGBT+ Liberal Democrats
  
  LGBT+ Conservatives
  
  LGBT+ Labour
  
  Labour Campaign for Trans Rights
  
  Mermaids
  
  Press for Change
  
  The Gender Trust :
  
  Pride events
  
  BiCon (UK)
  
  Big Gay Out
  
  Birmingham Pride
  
  Bourne Free
  
  Brighton Pride
  
  Bristol Pride
  
  Doncaster Pride
  
  GFest – gayWise LGBT Arts Festival
  
  Glasgay! Festival
  
  Homotopia (Liverpool)
  
  Leeds Pride
  
  Leicester Pride
  
  LGBT History Month
  
  BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival
  
  Manchester Pride
  
  Mr Gay UK
  
  Mr Gay Wales
  
  Northern Pride
  
  Nottinghamshire Pride
  
  Pride Cymru
  
  Pride Glasgow
  
  Pride in Hull
  
  Pride in Liverpool
  
  Pride in London
  
  Pride Scotia
  
  Reading Pride
  
  Swansea Pride
  
  Worthing Pride :
  
  Former groups
  
  OutRage!
  
  Campaign for Homosexual Equality
  
  Homosexual Law Reform Society
  
  Gay Liberation Front
  
  Gay Rights Working Party
  
  Order of Chaeronea :
  
  History :
  
  Topics
  
  Timeline
  
  List of politicians
  
  First LGBT officeholders
  
  Violence against LGBT people
  
  HIV/AIDS crisis
  
  Death penalty :
  
  Timeline 342 MSM activity made illegal 1533 Death penalty introduced for MSM activity 1543 Buggery Act extended to Wales 1828 Offences Against the Person Act 1828 1835 James Pratt and John Smith executed 1861 Death penalty for buggery abolished 1885 Labouchere Amendment introduced 1889 Cleveland Street scandal 1895 Oscar Wilde found guilty of gross indecency 1912 The Cave of the Golden Calf opens 1921 Plans to make lesbian activity illegal defeated 1936 Mark Weston transitions 1952 John Nott-Bower begins crackdown 1954 Pitt-Rivers, Montagu, Wildeblood imprisoned 1954 Alan Turing commits suicide 1957 Wolfenden report released 1967 MSM activity made legal (England & Wales) 1972 First British Gay Pride Rally 1976 Jeremy Thorpe resigns as Liberal leader 1981 MSM activity made legal (Scotland) 1981 First case of AIDS reported in the UK 1982 MSM activity made legal (NI) 1983 Gay men barred from donating blood 1984 Chris Smith elected as first openly gay MP 1987 Operation Spanner begins 1988 Section 28 comes into force 1989 Stonewall UK forms 1994 Age of consent for MSM becomes 18 1997 Angela Eagle becomes first openly lesbian MP 1998 Bolton 7 found guilty 1998 Lord Alli becomes first openly gay Lord 1999 Admiral Duncan bombing 2000 Gay men allowed in HM Armed Forces 2001 Age of consent equalised to 16 2001 MSM activity involving multiple men legal 2002 Same sex couples granted equal rights to adopt 2003 Section 28 repealed 2004 Civil partnerships introduced 2004 Gender Recognition Act 2004 2006 Discrimination made illegal 2008 Equalised access to IVF for lesbian couples 2008 Incitement to homophobic hatred made a crime 2009 Public apology to Alan Turing 2010 Equality Act 2010 2011 Gay men allowed to donate blood (1 yr deferral) 2013 Nikki Sinclaire becomes first openly trans MEP 2013 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 2014 First same-sex marriages take place 2016 MSM activity not grounds for military discharge 2017 Turing law implemented 2017 Blood donation deferral 3 months (excl. NI) 2019 MPs legislate for gay marriage in NI 2020 Gay marriage legal across UK, incl. NI 2020 Blood donation deferral 3 months (incl. NI) 2021 Blood donation deferral equalised :
  
  LGBT portal :
  
  vte :
  
  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Anguilla face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Anguilla, but same-sex couples cannot marry or obtain civil partnerships. Anguillian law does not forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
  
  ## Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
  
  Same-sex sexual activities have been legal in Anguilla since 2001. The legalisation of homosexuality was the result of an order of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and affected the laws in four other overseas territories of the United Kingdom.
  
  The age of consent is higher for homosexuals (18) than it is for heterosexuals (16).
  
  ## Recognition of same-sex relationships
  
  Same-sex marriage and civil unions are not legal in Anguilla, and it is one of the British overseas territories not to have legislated for civil partnerships. Non-legal ceremonies of same-sex couples have occurred on the island.
  
  The Marriage Act states that "'marriage' means the union of a man and a woman as husband and wife".
  
  ## Discrimination protections
  
  No known legislative protections exist for LGBT people in Anguilla's local laws. The Constitution of Anguilla outlaws discrimination on the basis of "race, political opinions, colour, creed, sex or place of origin", though makes no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity.
  
  ## Living conditions
  
  Due to Anguilla's small population, there is virtually no gay scene on the island. There are no gay organisations, venues, bars and clubs, or pride events. A small protest occurred on 17 May 2011 in The Valley for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
  
  Several same-sex couples who have travelled to the island on vacation report that the island is "gay-friendly" and has "warm people, the best beaches and sunset in the world, and fantastic restaurants", but also "very quiet". The couples further said that "nobody was discriminatory in any way". However, the situation for locals might be different. Anguilla, much like other Caribbean islands, is believed to have a "subdued and subtle climate of homophobia", which has contributed to secrecy among LGBT locals.
  
  ## Summary table
  
  | Same-sex sexual activity legal | (Since 2001) |
  | - | - |
  | Equal age of consent | |
  | Anti-discrimination laws in employment | |
  | Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | |
  | Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | |
  | Same-sex marriage | |
  | Recognition of same-sex couples | |
  | Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples | |
  | Joint adoption by same-sex couples | |
  | LGBT people allowed to serve openly in the military | (UK responsible for defence) |
  | Right to change legal gender | |
  | Access to IVF for lesbians and automatic parenthood for both spouses after birth | |
  | Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples | (Banned for heterosexual couples as well) |
  | MSMs allowed to donate blood | |
  