In 2001, the government proposed an Employment Bill, which included a clause that banned workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Likewise, there are no national hate crime laws to prevent or punish violence directed toward people in the LGBT community. ĭiscrimination in areas such as employment, education, housing, healthcare, banking, and public businesses on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is not illegal. However, no government action has been taken to ensure that LGBT citizens are included in non-discrimination clauses in statute laws. On 17 June 2011, the Bahamian Government expressed support for the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity. Marriage in the Bahamas will be legal only if it is between a man and a woman, and male and female are determined at birth". In 2016, campaigning for the 2016 Bahamian constitutional referendum the former Prime Minister Perry Christie reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage saying: "I repeat: this referendum will not cause same-sex marriage to become legal in the Bahamas. In 2013, former Prime Minister Perry Christie said the Bahamas would not consider same-sex marriage saying "It’s something I don’t believe in". But our references to the views of justices of the United States are not limited to referring to those decisions in our own judgments". I also have no doubt that in deciding the issue we will have respect for the decisions that emanate not only from the Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia, but also from decisions of the courts of the United States of America. Barnett stated: "I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time when the courts of The Bahamas will address the issue of same sex marriage.
In 2013, former Bahamian Chief Justice Michael L. So, in this Maritime Marriage Bill we are stating this fact in the clear positive – a marriage must take place between a male and a female and we want that to be abundantly clear that, that is so and that is keeping with our community standard". A marriage is void if it took place between persons who were male and male or female and female.
In July 2011, after the ratification of the Maritime Marriage Law, former Minister of State for Finance, Zhivargo Laing, said, "As a community in The Bahamas we believe that a marriage must and should be and is between a man and a woman. LGBT rights groups never challenged the country's marriage laws, and the "Bahamas Marriage Act" states that a Bahamian marriage is composed of a man and woman. Same-sex marriages and civil unions are not legal in the Bahamas. The legal age of consent to engage in sexual activity is 16 for straight couples and 18 for same-sex couples.
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However, the criminal code still requires a higher age of consent for homosexual acts. Same-sex relationships between consenting adults became legal in the Bahamas in 1991.