Bermuda

Regrettably we have not had any reply from the Attorney General in Bermuda to confirm our information, but according to our research Section 175 of the Penal Code in Bermuda used to prohibit homosexual activity between men with a penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment and was revoked in March 1999. In 1994 Bermuda's House of Assembly voted to legalize sex between men over age 18. It seems that this legislation was also passed by the Senate - a written reply to a Parliamentary Question dated 22 March 1999 does not include Bermuda amongst the British "dependent territories" where homosexuality is still illegal. At a local press conference in February 2004 with the theme "International Year of the Family" the topic of Gay Unions in Bermuda were dismissed. This topic is not on any agenda. The Family Services Minister, Mrs. Patrice Minors, appears to have a moral problem accepting homosexuality and stated clearly that gay lobby groups can not count on her support. Gay rights will have to be patient in Bermuda, hardly surprising considering that interracial marriage was only legalized in the 1960's. Bermuda is not in the Caribbean. The island is situated in the western Atlantic Ocean, nearly 600 nautical miles off the coast of North Carolina, USA.