Dominican Court Reviews Anti-Sodomy Laws

The Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic is deliberating a legal challenge against laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relationships among police and military personnel, which carry prison sentences of up to two years for police and one year for military. The challenge, brought forth by plaintiffs Anderson Javiel Dirocie de León and Patricia M. Santana Nina, argues that these laws violate multiple constitutional rights and international human rights treaties. Human Rights Watch has supported the challenge, stating that these laws perpetuate discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, representing a significant infringement on their rights. Despite rare prosecutions, the existence of these laws creates a climate of fear for LGBTQ+ service members, deterring them from coming forward. The Dominican Republic is one of the few nations in the Americas that still enforces such discriminatory laws, as it does not ban same-sex conduct among private individuals. Activists are calling for immediate legislative repeal of these outdated laws in anticipation of the court's ruling.