The Government is pleased with the outcome of the appeal, which confirms that section 53 of the Domestic Partnership Act 2018 does not infringe the constitutional rights of the Respondents in the appeal.
However, I must reiterate that the Government is here to support all citizens. There are people in Bermuda who support same-sex marriage, and there are people in Bermuda that do not. What must be understood is that I, as the Minister responsible, support every person. I upheld and respected the rule of law and continued to support the courts when they saw fit to make allowances for same-sex marriage.
The Domestic Partnership Act 2018 gave all couples the same rights under the law. Today's judgement of the Privy Council cements the position supported by Bermuda's electorate as lawful. We move forward recognizing that Bermuda was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean that legislated full rights for same-sex couples, it was the correct decision, and we stand by it.