T&T’s LGBTQ community will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Judiciary’s newly launched protocol document.

Speaking at the Judicial Education Institute’s ( JEI) launch of their gender equality protocol yesterday, Justice Judith Jones said one of the biggest concerns raised during consultations on the protocol was treating with LGBTQ matters.

Adjudicators were concerned about conflicts with their religious beliefs.

“The position taken by the committee was this was an issue that we, as a judiciary, had to face full frontally. The reality was that the LGBTQ community existed, were accessing the courts, and were entitled to a fair, unbiased court system as any other litigant,” she said.

“While we could not presume to change a judicial officer’s beliefs or values, nor would we attempt to do so, the protocol realises that by our oath as judicial officers we have all committed to provide justice for all—whether we approve of their lifestyle or not.”

Also speaking at the launch was Chief Justice Ivor Archie, who described the protocol as an educational tool to ensure that all judicial officers are fully aware of the need to be gender sensitive. Read more via Trinidad Guardian