Channel Islands

The Channel Islands or Channel Isles are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies near the coast of France, considered to be the last remaining parts of the Duchy of Normandy. Administratively they comprise two Bailiwicks, with their own laws and governments:


 * The Bailiwick of Guernsey (comprising the islands of Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, plus some smaller islands)
 * The Bailiwick of Jersey (comprising the island of Jersey).

The Channel Isles are not part of the United Kingdom, but are included in this Wiki for convenience.

LGBT rights
LGBT rights in the Channel Isles have developed more slowly than in the United Kingdom.

In the Bailiwick of Guernsey, male homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1983, with the age of consent set at 21. In 1999 the age of consent was lowered to 18. In 2010, the age of consent was equalised at 16 for everyone regardless of gender and/or sexual orientation.

In the Bailiwick of Jersey, sodomy was illegal in Jersey for both men and women until 1990 although the age of consent for homosexual acts other than sodomy was the same as for heterosexual acts. In 1990, the age of consent for sodomy between consenting males was set at 21 as in the UK. The sodomy age of consent was reduced to 18 under the Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 1995. The Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 2007 set the age of consent at 16 for all sexual conduct, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender.