Curaçao Pride 2025 highlights progress on equality, next steps on legal protection

Willemstad, Curaçao, October 3, 2025 — Curaçao Pride is underway with the rainbow flag flying across the island, symbolizing visibility and equality. Human Rights Caribbean highlighted recent gains in marriage equality and outlined the next steps needed to secure full and clear legal protection for all LGBTQI+ people.

Janice Tjon Sien Kie, chair of Human Rights Caribbean and initiator of the lawsuit that led to marriage equality in Curaçao, and attorney David Wever, who represented the foundation, both reflected on how far the island has come and what remains unfinished.

According to Human Rights Caribbean, the option to record an “X” instead of “M” or “F” in passports would better reflect social reality for people who do not identify as male or female, or who are intersex. “Some do not identify as male or female, based on their feelings, which we believe cannot be separated from the biology of those people,” said Tjon Sien Kie. “Others are intersex, which by definition means that they are born with reproductive organs from both men and women. The qualification M or F is not always correct. In this way, these people can feel better represented, and this helps to recognize their identity and therefore their social well-being.”

Human Rights Caribbean’s marriage equality case went all the way to the Supreme Court. “The ruling in 2024 led to marriage now being opened up to same-sex couples,” said Wever. “But this has not yet been codified, so the legislation has not yet been amended. This can lead to legal uncertainty in the implementation.” Adoption rights remain a key issue. “For same-sex couples, it is not yet possible to adopt a child together,” added Tjon Sien Kie. “That is contrary to the principle of equality, and therefore the possibility must also be opened on this point.”

Although Curaçao criminalizes insult, discrimination, and incitement to hatred on the basis of sexual orientation, there is still no explicit protection for gender identity. “It is precisely this group that is having a particularly difficult time at the moment,” said Tjon Sien Kie. “Partly due to developments abroad and a certain anti-woke mentality. This makes the group extra vulnerable and deserves protection now more than ever.”

Curaçao, together with Aruba, the BES islands, and several French territories, is seen as a regional leader in recognizing same-sex marriage and enforcing anti-discrimination measures based on sexual orientation. “However,” said Wever, “gender identity, as in most Caribbean islands and countries, is not explicitly protected by law.”

Human Rights Caribbean warns that the absence of full adoption rights, the incomplete codification of marriage, and limited access to trans-specific health care create structural inequality. “Same-sex couples cannot fully legally protect their families, leaving children vulnerable,” said Tjon Sien Kie. “The lack of complete marriage codification creates legal uncertainty. And without accessible, trans-specific health care, many people experience barriers to their well-being and self-determination. All this contributes to social exclusion and increased vulnerability of the community.”

According to Wever, the most urgent task is clear. “The Supreme Court’s ruling must be codified and partner adoption for same-sex couples must be introduced,” he said. “In addition, an equal treatment law is needed, in which discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, among other things, is further elaborated and gender identity is explicitly protected.”

Source: Caribisch Netwerk, “Curaçao Celebrates Pride: Visibility, New Rights and the Meaning of All Letters,” by Kim Hendriksen, October 3, 2025.

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