Stephanie Joseph de Goes, Guyana’s Country
Coordinator for the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief –
PEPFAR, a United States governmental initiative to address the global
HIV epidemic with her office based at the US Embassy in Georgetown,
spoke on the dire need for Guyanese to come together to fight against
stigma and discrimination for those living and infected by HIV.
Her remarks made at Guyana’s 7th Annual AIDS Candlelight
Memorial held at the Catholic Life Centre by the Society Against Sexual
Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Sunday last gave an uplifting charge
for the future. “This year’s theme, to engage, educate, and empower,
emphasizes the need for each one of us – not just people living with HIV
or gender minorities –to join forces in the movement for human rights
and zero discrimination. We must put an end to the disease of stigma and
discrimination,” she said. “Stigma and discrimination eats at the soul
of a society. We know that eliminating stigma and discrimination will
positively affect a nation’s progress, well-being, and public health for
things like HIV prevention, care and treatment.”
“I ask you what is holding us back from zero discrimination. From
ensuring human rights, equal rights for all no matter a person’s health
status, gender identify or sexual orientation. When it comes down to it,
I think it’s our personal judgments about difference,” Joseph de Goes
remarked. She went on to say that we use belief, religion, culture, etc.
to judge others for difference; be it one’s skin color, sexual
identity, health status. “Whatever the difference might be that does not
fit into our worldview. Then we focus so much on those perceived
differences that we forget our ‘sameness’. We forget what unites us –
our ‘humanness,’” She pleaded.
She continued, “Why do we all deserve the right to health, dignity,
justice, safety and employment? Why do we all deserve human rights?
Seems like a silly question, right? Well, we must ask because legal and
social environments are still failing to address stigma and
discrimination against those most vulnerable to HIV and people living
with HIV.”
Joseph de Goes expressed that it is hard to get to zero
discrimination because we are so busy judging the differences instead of
recognizing the ‘strengths in our individual identities.’ “How can we
deny human rights, compassion and love?” she questioned.
The US diplomat remarked that in this 50th year
anniversary of Guyana, the country can truly make history by amending
the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 to include sexual orientation,
gender identity and health status, and repealing other laws that
perpetuate stigma and discrimination.
“Each one of us can play a role. Let us work to make history in the
Caribbean. Let Guyana lead the charge. Let us transform our silence into
action – collective action. We are here, today, because we share a
commitment to creating a world where people do not become infected with
HIV, or die of AIDS or endure the dehumanization of stigma and
discrimination. Let me repeat – the dehumanization of stigma and
discrimination. We know what happens when we dehumanize one another, it
breeds injustice,” the PEPFAR lead explained.
According to the US diplomat, “we cannot afford to say, we cannot
support amending the Prevention of Discrimination Act because of
religion, beliefs, culture, etc. “We know what has been done in the name
of belief – human atrocities and ‘man’s inhumanity to man. Will we
continue to allow injustices in the name of belief and ‘difference’?”
She charged the Guyanese society to work together for equality and
recognize that denying any one of us the right to justice, equity,
access, security, education, health and employment – human rights – is
denying all of us.
“Let us decide to work together towards a Guyana where laws protect
the human rights and the dignity of all. Guyana’s time is now. We are at
the 50-year mark. Let us join forces to support the amendment of not
just the 1997 Prevention of Discrimination Act but also all other
punitive laws,” Joseph de Goes said.
“In the next 50 years, Guyana can be a nation with zero
discrimination and 100% human rights so that every person whether
HIV-positive, HIV-negative, heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, lives
in dignity with the rights to employment, health, safety and security
because all lives really do matter,” she concluded
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