The 1893 Laws of the islands, the oldest codified set of laws, did not mention homosexuality.[1] Pitcairn Island was designated as part of the British Western Pacific Territories in 1898.[2] The 1904 laws, written by R. T. Simons, made it a crime for "[u]nmarried persons of either sex" to "[congregate] together in such a manner as to cause scandal or to endanger the morals of the younger members of the community".[3]
In 1961, the Judicature Ordinance 1961 extended the law of England to the islands.[4] Therefore, homosexual activity was expressly illegal in Pitcairn until the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1967.
- ^ "Laws and Regulations of the Pitcairn Islanders (1893 Laws) - Excerpt from Appendix A of H.L. Shapiro, The Heritage of the Bounty: The Story of Pitcairn Through Six Generations (New York, 1936)". whalesite.org. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ Eshelman, Michael (2012). "Law in Isolation: The Legal History of Pitcairn Island, 1900-2010" (PDF). ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law. 18 (1): 17–71. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "1904 Laws and later additions, from Pitcairn Island Civil Recorder (pp. 80-96) (May 19, 1904 - March 15, 1915)". whalesite.org. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ Farran, Sue (2007). "The Case of Pitcairn: A Small Island, Many Questions" (PDF). Journal of South Pacific Law. 11 (2): 124–150. Retrieved 28 September 2024.