Belize

Status of Marriage Law 

Same-sex couples cannot marry.

History of Pro-Marriage Efforts

There have been limited conversations about civil marriage for same-sex couples in Belize. After the 2016 Section 53 ruling, there was a little bit of discussion, but there is still a need for a national dialogue about the importance of marriage for same-sex couples. 

Status of Other LGBTQ-Related Laws

  • Law criminalizing homosexuality ruled unconstitutional by Belize Supreme Court 8/10/2016 in the case of Caleb Orozco v. The Attorney General of Belize. The decision was authored by the Chief Justice.
  • The 2016 decision also found that laws prohibiting discrimination based on “sex” extend to discrimination based on sexual orientation, effectively prohibiting employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
  • The Belize government is not appealing the decriminalization ruling, but it is appealing the portion of the decision that declared that “sex” is the same as “sexual orientation.” Arguments were held in October 2018. 

Pending Marriage Litigation:

There is no pending litigation about marriage for same-sex couples. A court case around decriminalization is nearing completion, following the Supreme Court’s decriminalization ruling in 2016.