move to make gay sex legal was suddenly put on hold.

The Hon. John Stubbs' proposal was widely expected to be debated and even approved by MPs yesterday.

But he announced he was postponing it "with deep regret'', on the advice of fellow MPs who were attorneys.

It is now likely to be discussed in May.

Lawyers seem to be debating whether Dr. Stubbs' Criminal Code Amendment Bill could have made gay sex legal without giving protection to boys.

Last night, this was the apparent reason for the hold-up.

But Dr. Stubbs fuelled speculation about other reasons for the delay. He was heard telling the Hon. Pam Gordon, the Youth and Sport Minister: "I hope the media don't find out the truth.'' He refused to tell The Royal Gazette what other reasons could have led to the postponement.

"I just have some guesstimates that I don't want to share with the media, because they're mere conjecture,'' he said.

He denied he had been put under pressure to delay his bill. Asked if the Queen's visit had any bearing on the decision, he said: "I don't think that has much impact.'' Supporters and opponents of Dr. Stubbs' bill had been waiting in the public gallery of the House of Assembly.

Members of the Christian Coalition and the Valiant Ex-Gay Ministry, who oppose the bill, attempted to hand out white ribbons to MPs.

Politicians wearing them included Mr. Nelson Bascome (PLP), Mr. Reginald Burrows (PLP), the Hon. Wayne Furbert (UBP), the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge (UBP), the Hon. Maxwell Burgess (UBP) and the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto (UBP).

The Rev. Goodwin Smith of the Christian Coalition said that from Sunday, its supporters had been praying around the clock.

Dr. Stubbs told the Gazette the delay would be "unhappy for the people most intimately involved''. But it was the wiser action in the circumstances. He said he had been approached by fellow Government MPs Mr. Trevor Moniz and Mr.

John Barritt, both lawyers.

Other meetings, "including, by and large, people who would otherwise support the bill'', had convinced him to put it on hold.

He hoped to have amendments to his bill available by Friday, so MPs could study them during Parliament's Easter break.

He said amendments could involve making sure the law on sexual matters applied to men and women equally.

Another area possibly needing discussion was the laying down of a legal age of consent for homosexual relationships.

Mr. Moniz said Dr. Stubbs' original bill, which proposed removing laws against gay male sex from the Criminal Code, could have had knock-on effects. One view was that it could have permitted "undesirable'' acts, by making 16 or even 14 the age at which boys could legally consent to gay sex.

Another view was that the Criminal Code already covered the question of the age of consent and gave enough protection to youngsters.

Dr. Stubbs said "most of us'' favoured this view.