The Cook Islands, a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand, has lifted the ban on gay sex.
The Cook Island parliament voted on Friday to remove the law which banned “indecent acts between males” and threatened up to 10 years in jail. Though the law was never enforced, this marked a historic triumph for Cook Island’s LGBTQ community.
Shortly after it was passed, Prime Minister Mark Brown tweeted his excitement about this human rights feat:
A historical day in Parliament as my Party has fulfilled its pledge to stomp out discrimination of the LGBT community in our society and to uphold our Constitutional commitments to human rights. pic.twitter.com/u1nuwOEBYl
— Mark Brown (@MarkBrownPM) April 15, 2023
The outdated law will be amended on June 1st and include protections for victims of sexual abuse, assault, rape, and other crimes.
Pride Cook Island president Karla Eggelton spoke with New Zealand publication RNZ and expressed her relief that the law is finally annulled.
“We are so grateful for all the people and all the organizations throughout our community who have been working tirelessly to make this happen,” she said.
“I think the message that we want to tell people is – hug your friend, hug your neighbor, hug your niece, hug your daughter, because now we are truly equal.”
A draft of this bill was originally introduced in 2017 with grand opposition. Once it was eventually passed in 2019, pro-LGBTQ+ groups pointed out that the bill did not actually decriminalize homosexuality as promised.
Though homosexuality is decriminalized, gay marriage continues to be barred under the Marriage Amendment Act of 2000. However, the decriminalization of homosexuality is a significant achievement for the Cook Islands. It is a sign of the country’s commitment to equality and inclusion and it will help to ensure that LGBT people are treated equally under the law. It is also a positive step for the region as a whole and it is hoped that other Pacific Island countries will follow the Cook Islands’ lead.
Currently, there are 66 countries in the world that criminalize private, consensual same-sex activity, eleven of which use the death penalty as punishment.
What Do You Think?