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.
