Guyana’s LGBTQIA+ Movement Hopeful New Pope Leo XIV will Continue the Path of Acceptance for LGBTQIA+ Families Initiated by Pope Francis

Celebrating International Day of Families under the theme “Family Oriented-Policies for Social Development,” LGBTQIA+ leaders in Guyana express hope that Pope Leo XIV will continue the path initiated by the late Pope Francis — one of openness, dialogue, and recognition of LGBTQIA+ families. Pope Francis welcomed LGBTQIA+ people, leading to increased visibility and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ families within and beyond Catholic institutions.

Pope Francis met with gay and transgender people many times, supported LGBTQIA+ ministries, opened baptism and the role of godparent to transgender people and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples. In his words, LGBTQIA+ people were recognised as “children of God.”

In early 2023, Pope Francis also made historic remarks calling the criminalisation of sexual and gender minorities “unjust” in an interview with the Associated Press. According to Vatican News, Pope Francis emphasised that “being homosexual is not a crime,” but rather is a “human condition.” 

At the time of Pope Francis’ statement on decriminalisation, Bishop Francis Alleyne, Head of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Guyana, responded positively. Bishop Alleyne stated that “the Legislature should not label consensual same-sex intimacy as a crime.”  Like Pope Francis, Bishop Alleyne contended that homosexuality is a ‘human condition.’ The Guyanese Catholic Church has a long history of opposition to the country’s anti-gay laws.

Guyana is one of only 65 jurisdictions worldwide that continue to criminalise private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity. Guyana remains the only country in South America and among the minority in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) criminalising consensual intimacy between adults, despite 2022 polling demonstrating the majority of people in Guyana support eliminating this outdated law. 

Joel Simpson, Managing Director of SASOD Guyana, said “Pope Francis built a bridge towards LGBTQIA+ families, acknowledging that queer and trans people are cherished members of families and communities. Pope Francis reached out to LGBTQIA+ families who in the past have felt invisible, and we hope to see the new Pope continue with this vision of an inclusive and accepting church.”

Joel Simpson

Despite this historic progress, there is still much to be done to ensure all families are truly accepted and protected in society. The arrival of Pope Leo XIV has renewed hope for some leaders in the Guyanese LGBTQIA+ movement. Savannah Williams, Co-Chairwoman of Sexualities Women and Genders (SWAG) shared that “the new Pope has a history of advocating for marginalised communities in his more than 20 years as a religious leader in Peru.” In his initial address, Pope Leo thanked his predecessor. “The Guyanese LGBTQIA+ movement remains hopeful that his leadership will continue on the path of increasing recognition and acceptance for all families,” Williams added. 

Savannah Williams

Marked on May 15, International Day of Families is an annual United Nations observance. The Day reflects the importance the international community attaches to families and provides an opportunity to raise awareness of issues related to families.

International Youth Day 2024: Safeguard the Rights of All Young People in Guyana

On the occasion of International Youth Day on August 12, SASOD Guyana calls attention to the importance of safeguarding the rights of all young people in Guyana, and the Americas region, including their rights to life, bodily autonomy and safe working environments in every industry. 

On July 11, 2024, in the early hours of the morning, Coil Bottle - a 27-year old transgender sex worker whose given name is Shawn Simon Hooper – was executed in downtown Georgetown. Currently, two of the alleged perpetrators have been charged and are before the courts. Despite this, there is said to be at least a third perpetrator allegedly involved in the killing who is yet to be arrested and charged, while the motive behind the shocking murder remains unclear.

Coil Bottle

It is vital that a full and comprehensive investigation is conducted by the Guyana Police Force, that the prosecution of this case is professional and sound, and that the judicial process is free from bias and prejudice. While there have been many documented cases of violence against young sexual and gender minorities in Guyana over the past decade, this is a rare case in which the alleged perpetrators have been clearly identified. If justice is not properly administered in this case, this could motivate more bad actors to commit similar crimes against marginalised youth, including LGBTIQ+ youth and young sex workers, in Guyana. Justice must serve as a deterrent to prevent acts of targeted violence against marginalised youth and other vulnerable groups in Guyana.

SASOD Guyana also takes this opportunity to applaud the Organisation of American States (OAS) for the creation of the role of Commissioner for the Rights of Sex Workers and the appointment of Gloria Angélica Careaga Peréz on August 6, 2024. This groundbreaking move highlights the commitment of the OAS to protecting the rights of sex workers across the Americas region. Gloria Careaga is a social psychologist, LGBTIQA+ activist and feminist advocate from Mexico. On her appointment, she emphasised that “sex work is a job that can be recognised as being as worthy as any other and this must be our task.” SASOD Guyana will engage Commissioner Peréz in her mandate to collect and report information to the situation of the rights of sex workers, and submit recommendations to the OAS Secretary General to address these findings.

"LGBTQ+ Activism in Guyana Stronger than Ever" - Dr. Nastassia Rambarran Tells SASOD Guyana's 21st Anniversary Research Symposium

(Georgetown, Guyana)

On Tuesday, July 16, SASOD Guyana hosted a Research Symposium, as part of the organisation’s twenty-first anniversary celebrations. The presenters were Alessandra Hereman, who presented the research proposal for her Master’s thesis of Alessandra Hereman titled “Gender, Generation, Genres: A Genealogy of a History of Transgressive Experiences and Embodiments in Postcolonial Guyana, circa 1970s to 1980s.” and Dr. Nastassia Rambarran, who presented the findings specifically related to Guyana from her doctoral thesis titled, “A Comparison of Guyana and Barbados with respect to Colonial Legacies, Transnational Processes and Decolonial Activities involved in Queer Activism.” The event was held at Herdmanston Lodge Hotel in Queenstown, Georgetown, and was well attended by the diplomatic corps, elected officials, civil society advocates, international aid workers and LGBTQ+ activists. 

Alessandra Hereman is a transgender Guyanese and a candidate for the Masters in Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at UWI St. Augustine. Hereman is the first openly transgender person to graduate from the University of Guyana in 201, with a Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree in Sociology (Pass with Distinction). She is an articulate activist for human rights of transgender people and other marginalised groups in Guyana and the Caribbean. Her thesis proposes to document the life stories of queer and trans people in early, post-colonial Guyana, in order to counter the false narratives of queer and trans Guyanese being a relatively recent import.

Alessandra Hereman

Dr. Nastassia Rambarran is a Guyanese-Barbadian researcher, writer, physician and public health consultant, based in Barbados. Her thesis is centred on a historical and sociological study of queer activism in Guyana and Barbados, and draws heavily from archival sources and interviews. She began her presentation by drawing attention to early LGBTQ+ organizing in Guyana during the early 2000s. At the time, there were only a couple organisations focused on promoting LGBTQ+ rights. Dr. Rambarran emphasised the vital role which SASOD Guyana during this period, especially in the context of promoting human rights through the use of international mechanisms at the level of the United Nations and the Inter-American human rights system. The evolution of SASOD Guyana progressed through public events such as the then “Painting the Spectrum” LGBTQ+ film festival, which Dr. Rambarran emphasised, is an important way to promote community. Over the 2006-2008 period, SASOD Guyana expanded its work and began engaging with international organisations. Dr. Rambarran also shared that the movement was initially perceived as upper-class organisation and not accessible to the masses and in response, SASOD Guyana held its first event aimed at a wider class audience in 2006.

Dr. Nastassia Rambarran

Although many strides have been made by LGBTQ+ organisations in Guyana, she noted that there are still areas for improvement. These include reducing movement fragmentation, increasing representation of women in the movement, and increasing inclusiveness as some organisations are perceived to be affiliated with one racial group. In particular, the low participation of persons from indigenous communities in the interior regions and their access to organisations like SASOD Guyana remain a significant challenge. “Despite these challenges, LGBTQ+ activism and organising in Guyana is stronger than ever,” Dr. Rambarran concluded. 

Press Release: "Defiant Bodies" Book Launched in Guyana to Celebrate SASOD's 21 Anniversary

(Georgetown, Guyana)

Last Tuesday, July 16, SASOD Guyana hosted a book launch of Dr. Nikoli Attai’s “Defiant Bodies: Making Queer Community in the Anglophone Caribbean” as part of the organisation’s twenty-first anniversary celebrations. The event was held at Herdmanston Lodge Hotel and was well attended by the diplomatic corps, elected officials, civil society advocates and the media.

A citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Attai is an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University (CSU) where he focuses on Black queer and feminist studies. Dr. Attai is also a co-manager of the CSU Collab Lab - a collaborative research hub that investigates the ways in which race, gender, and sexuality inform a sense of belonging in varied political, cultural, social, economic, and historical contexts.

Dr. Nikkoli Attai

Dr. Attai was motivated to write “Defiant Bodies” by his profound commitment to queer communities throughout the Caribbean, and to share their stories. Dr. Attai spent time in Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, where he observed how queer and trans people navigated life with limited resources. He also conducted research with transgender sex workers in these countries.

In his thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Attai drew attention to the difficult, and often violent situations, faced by queer people to promote discussion of how to resist these challenges both in the Caribbean and globally. Dr. Attai asserted that it is vital to consider the Caribbean’s colonial legacy in order to understand the current situation in which archaic laws continue to oppress these groups. “It is also important to challenge the false western perception of the Caribbean as a uniformly homophobic place where queer people are only suffering, when, in reality, there are defiant communities that are flourishing,” he said at last week’s launch. Dr. Attai notes that queer life is thriving “beneath the radar of the mainstream public space” and across contexts that differ in terms of race, class, gender, and other socio-economic factors. Increasingly, queer communities are moving into the open by utilizing different social spaces that contribute to building community.

The launch concluded with an engaging discussion with attendees, during which Dr. Attai discussed strategies for promoting human rights for queer people in Guyana and the Caribbean.

(Left to Right) SASOD Guyana's Joel Simpson, Author Dr. Nikkoli Attai, Shadow Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, M.P., Pan-American Development FOundation's Jermaine Grant, and Former Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine.

Photo Credits: Philip Drayton for DrayStudioGY

Guyana LGBTI Inclusion Index uncovers significant gaps in key sectors

A report which measures the inclusion of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Guyana found significant gaps in education, health, political and civic participation, economic empowerment and security and violence. 

The “Piloting the LGBTI Inclusion Index in Guyana” report was launched on February 20, 2023, marking World Day of Social Justice at the Herdmanston Lodge Hotel. The study was conducted and presented by Research Consultant and Attorney-at-Law Kesaundra Alves. The five strategic sectors were measured according to 22 indicators, compatible with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Kesaundra Alves

 

The index was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with support from the World Bank and other international development partners for implementation worldwide. 

The study was commissioned by the Guyana LGBTIQ+ Coalition, led by SASOD Guyana and comprised of Sexualities, Women and Genders (SWAG) and the Guyana Trans United (GTU). 

Ranked from 0 to 1 (with 0 representing no inclusion to 1 as greatest inclusion), Guyana's overall score for LGBTI inclusion is 0.241 and the specific sectoral scores are as follows: 

1. Education: 0
2. Political and civic participation: 0.426
3. Economic wellbeing: 0.11
4. Health: 0.67
5. Personal safety and violence: 0

In Guyana, LGBTI inclusion has proven to be strongest in the health sector (0.67), followed by the sphere of political and civic participation (0.426). The lack of LGBTI inclusion in the areas of economic
empowerment (0.11), education (0), and personal safety and violence (0) are most alarming.

Managing Director of SASOD Guyana, Joel Simpson, said this research provides a framework for prioritising policy advocacy. "For us, we will focus on protection from violence and education when it comes to policy advocacy because those were the lowest scores at zero. Dealing with hate crimes is particularly important and dealing with the growing epidemic of anti-LGBTI bullying in schools from a policy and legal perspective,” Simpson commented.

The media launched was livestreamed and can be viewed on the SASOD Guyana YouTube channel.

New 2022 Poll Finds LGBT Acceptance Has Soared in Guyana

Positive attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Guyana has increased significantly over the last 9 years. This was a key finding of the 2022 poll titled “A Study of Perceptions and Attitudes towards LGBT Persons in Guyana” which was conducted by RMK Consulting Enterprise and commissioned by SASOD Guyana. This year’s national poll was conducted almost a decade after the first-ever public opinion poll on LGBT people and issues was done by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) in 2013. According to results from the 2022 poll, LGBT acceptance in Guyana has soared since then, moving from 19% to 34.5% with an overall percentage of 72.4% of respondents stating that they accept and tolerate LGBT persons. Presenting at the launch of the findings last Tuesday, Dr. Marlon Anatol, a researcher with RMK Consulting Enterprise, noted that hatred of LGBT people had decreased by 50% from 25% in 2013 to 12% in 2022, which is quite significant.

 

Dr. Marlon Anatol presenting the polling results

Other key results include that nearly a majority of Guyanese believe the Government should prioritize legally protecting the rights of LGBT people with 49.6% of respondents replying positively that it should be a priority for the government to prioritize legally protecting LGBT people. Further, the poll found that a clear majority of 53.9% of the Guyanese population are likely to support the elimination of the law criminalizing sex between men. 

The results also showed that 72% of the population were likely to support legislation that ensures protection against workplace discrimination for LGBT people in Guyana. Remarking on the need for legislators to move with the times, SASOD Guyana’s Managing Director Joel Simpson was keen to note that “we have been in a place where politicians have been saying that the society isn’t ready for change, but these results clearly indicate that the society is way ahead of its leaders and Guyana has changed significantly over the past decade.” Simpson remarked that “the evidence is now available to the Government of Guyana to support including protection for LGBT people in workplace anti-discrimination legislation.”

 Principal and Director of RMK Consulting Enterprise, Dr. Mark Kirton, gave an overview of the study indicating that 1,070 respondents were interviewed in-person between June 18 and July 11, 2022, through a house-to-house exercise across most regions of Guyana. The stratified random sample was representative of the Guyanese population in terms of sex, age, race, religious affiliation and other demographics, based on the 2012 National Census for Guyana.

 

Dr. Mark Kirton providing an overview of the study

For over 19 years, SASOD Guyana has been at the forefront of calls to repeal the laws which criminalize same-sex intimacy and disproportionately affect LGBT people, leading to increased levels of discrimination in all areas of their lives. Simpson stated that SASOD Guyana intends to disseminate the polling results widely. He noted that “this information needs to be on the desk of every parliamentarian” and stated that SASOD Guyana is “going to continue our advocacy to bring this to the attention of the policymakers because we really want to see action, particularly now that we are seeing most of the population, 72%, saying they are supportive of non-discrimination protections for LGBT persons” as it relates to the right to work. SASOD Guyana has also been advocating for the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 to be amended to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as grounds of discrimination.

SASOD Guyana has noted with interest the positive rhetoric of the PPP/C administration on LGBT issues. However, Simpson repeated the call for decisive actions to be taken by parliamentarians and legislators. He confirmed that SASOD Guyana would be continuing to engage with the Government on these issues, noting the significant increase in support for LGBT people across Guyana.

 Video Recording of the Media Launch of the 2022 Poll: https://youtu.be/pGwgNIEtu3k

 

Link to the 2022 RMK Polling Report: https://original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu/AA00090502/00001/pdf

Visit Rupununi, Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition Ink Historic Agreement on LGBTQ+ Tourism

On Thursday, August 26, 2022, Visit Rupununi and the Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition together  signed a Memorandum of Understanding which signifies the beginning of a partnership to promote the Rupununi region of Guyana as a warm and welcoming destination for LGBTQ+ tourists.

 

Visit Rupununi is a non-profit regional destination marketing and management organization which has been developing sustainable eco-tourism products within the Rupununi region while conserving the nature-based, traditional heritage of local indigenous peoples and the wider Rupununi region.

 

The Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition is comprised of the Guyana Trans United (GTU), SASOD Guyana and SWAG. Together, these organizations have been tirelessly advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Guyana.

 

Providing brief remarks before signing the historic agreement, President of Visit Rupununi, Melanie McTurk, shared details about their eco-tourism products which are centered around nature, wildlife conservation and outstanding hospitality. And while the Rupununi region has always had a good history of hosting LGBTQ+ guests in the past, Mc Turk pointed out that being able to feel safe and be respected is what everyone desires when looking for a holiday destination. She said “with this in mind it is important for the Rupununi that we continue to equip ourselves with the skills and knowledge to appeal to an ever-growing market base to ensuring that all visitors to the Rupununi are treated with equal respect and consideration.”

 

The Memorandum of Understanding formalizes the partnership between these organizations whose common goal is to promote the Rupununi as a tourism destination that is LGBTQ+ friendly. One of the ways the parties to the agreement plan to do this is having the Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition train members of Visit Rupununi on LGBTQ+ issues in order to sensitize their representatives. The Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition will begin by training 15-20 Visit Rupununi trainers, and the training will teach them how to deliver the training themselves within their organization going forward.

 

Visit Rupununi’s Melanie McTurk (left) signs while GTU’s Miglon Braithwaite (second from right) SASOD Guyana’s Melina Harris (second from left) and Joel Simpson (right) look on.

[Photo Credit: Vishani Ragobeer / News Room]

 

Noting the importance and value of the “pink dollar” internationally, Mc Turk shared that “the LGBTQ+ travel market was worth more than USD$218 billion worldwide while the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S alone, spends 10 percent of its purchasing power, or nearly $100 billion US, on luxury travel.” Mc Turk went on to say that “through our collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Coalition we will be taking the first steps to ensuring that the Rupununi is a region that is safe and welcoming to all persons regardless of race, class, or sexual orientation.”

 

In supporting the sentiments of the Visit Rupununi President, Simpson said that “certainly from a business perspective, the private sector understands that there is no room for discrimination, money doesn’t discriminate, when you make money, you don’t make gay or straight money.”

 

He went on to say that “all of us will benefit the more inclusive our society becomes in every single, sector and this is something Guyanese believe, that if we allow everybody to participate in the economy, we allow everybody to work, to earn a living without discrimination, all of us will benefit, all of us will experience development.”

 

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding signifies the beginning of a strong partnership between the Guyana LGBTQ+ Coalition and Visit Rupununi. The parties are committed to promoting Guyana as a safe and warm tourism destination that is LGBTQ+ friendly for everyone within and outside of Guyana. 

 

The livestream is available on SASOD Guyana’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y8iMloTD2HU