Jamaica has been identified as one of the few countries in the Americas region where same-sex marriage is not permitted. Despite this, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has stated that the government will not be taking steps to legalize such unions.

During Tuesday’s Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, Chuck made a contribution to the discussion. He shared that “last year we issued 8,313 licences and we provided the Minister of Finance or the Tax Administration Jamaica with $33,252,000. We are doing well, but we don’t mind more marriages so we can provide more money to the Ministry of Finance”.

Continuing, the justice minister said “we enjoy when people come for their marriage licence because it means that a family will be created, hopefully, or at least husband and wife”.

According to Chuck, there has been a rise in the number of marriage applications from the LGBTQ community in Jamaica, despite the fact that same-sex marriages are not recognized as legal in the country. According to sources, it has been suggested that the government currently lacks the desire to pursue this direction in the near future.