In June of this year, the upper and lower house members voted to amend the Human Rights Act 1981 (the “Act”) to include protection from discrimination against sexual orientation and age.
The amendments received Royal Assent from the Governor and the amended provisions in the Act became operative on 8 August 2013. Full text of amendments (68 KB PDF).
Notably, sexual orientation is included in section 2(2) of the Act which outlines the various grounds of discrimination. Therefore one cannot be discriminated against in Bermuda on the basis of their sexual orientation in the following areas:
- Display of notices
- Disposal of premises
- Provision of goods, facilities and services
- Employment.
Although age is also an included ground that one cannot be discriminated against, age discrimination is not included in employment or display of notices, which raised many concerns from seniors and for those who advocate on behalf of seniors.
So while a new day has dawned in Bermuda in our human rights laws, it can be said that equality for all still has much more ground to cover to ensure parity for all Bermudians and those who call our shores home.