Same-sex marriage is officially legal in the Cayman Islands.
The British territory’s Grand Court ruled in favor of the measure on Friday morning, reports Cayman Compass.
The ruling was a response to a lawsuit filed by Cayman citizens Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden Bush after they were denied a marriage license last year.
“This Court is … bound not to allow the violation of the Petitioners’ rights to continue without redress,” said Chief Justice Anthony Smellie.
“The Constitution, in its mandatory requirement that the Law be brought into conformity, must prevail. The Petitioners and their daughter are entitled to the indignities to which they have been subjected being put to an immediate end by the Court.”
The couple shared their excitement about the outcome as they left a courtroom after the ruling.
“It shows that love wins and I am really happy that the right result was received today,” Day said.
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Ben Tonner, their attorney, also released a statement on their behalf.
“Chantelle and Vickie are delighted that their relationship has been recognized at long last,” Tonner said. “The Chief Justice’s decision demonstrates in unequivocal terms that the rule of law and the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom are alive and well in the Cayman Islands.”
The women filed a petition last April after their marriage application was rejected. According to their GoFundMe page, the family moved to London so they could live harmoniously with their daughter.
“It’s funny, because they do actually recognize same-sex unions for foreigners in the Islands,” Day told Pink News last year.
“That alone is completely unjust. They’re turning down Caymanian same-sex marriages from abroad and rejecting the recognition of those when they’ve set the precedent and recognized it for expatriates.”
Homosexuality was decriminalized in 2001 when the United Kingdom mandated fair treatment for the LGBTQ community in its overseas territories.
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