Dominican Republic: Court Ends Security Forces Gay Sex Ban – Historic Ruling Affirms Dignity, Equality, and Privacy

(New York) – The Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court has struck down provisions in the Codes of Justice of the National Police and the Armed Forces that criminalized consensual same-sex conduct by officers, Human Rights Watch said today. The ruling, made public on November 18, 2025, is a landmark victory for equality, ending a regime of state-sanctioned discrimination that violated the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) officers. 

In Judgment TC/1225/25, the court held that article 210 of the Code of Justice of the National Police and article 260 of the Code of Justice of the Armed Forces violate constitutional guarantees to nondiscrimination, privacy, free development of personality, and the right to work. Both articles punished same-sex “sodomy” by officers with up to two years and one year in prison, respectively. No equivalent penalties existed for heterosexual sexual acts. 

More: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/20/dominican-republic-court-ends-security-forces-gay-sex-ban