Activists have hailed a historic judgment striking down colonial-era laws that criminalised gay sex in St Lucia as a step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in the Caribbean country.

This week the Eastern Caribbean supreme court found that the island’s so-called buggery and gross indecency laws, which criminalised consensual anal sex, were unconstitutional.

In a joint statement to the Guardian, a group of activists who were the claimants in the case described the judgment as “deeply personal” but added that there was “still work to be done”.

“We know not everyone will agree with the ruling – and that’s OK. We’re not asking anyone to change their beliefs. What we are asking for