OFFICIALS of the St George’s Cathedral have expressed their displeasure at the growing number of sex workers who gather outside the historic building and its surroundings at night to ply their trade.The officials who spoke to the Chronicle on condition of anonymity, posited that this is an insult to a national symbol of worship and it is a great stain upon the church to have the sex workers working within its vicinity.
While the cathedral officials have noted that they are not in any way against the sex workers’ trade, they are a bit disturbed that they have to besmirch the name of a holy place.
One official asserted that “It is highly unethical to have male prostitutes near a church, what are we trying to say to the public? That churches and religion is [sic] a joke?”
They noted that no one is against what they do for a living, but it is advisable to do so away from the cathedral and its surroundings.
The official said that this concern has been brought up many times before by seniors of the cathedral, but nothing has been done so far to remove these workers.
These officials are now asking once again that the relevant authorities get involved and work out a solution for these people to be relocated to continue their trade.
In a recently published letter in the Stabroek News, one citizen pointed out the negative impression that those displays are having on Guyana’s inhabitants, especially worshippers and younger people, as well as visitors to the country.
The citizen wrote: “I hope that this letter of concern will attract support from other concerned citizens, and we can go a step further and organise joint advocacy and action in order to stop this unsightly practice. Editor, I am quite conscious that I am putting myself out on a dangerous limb by making this call, since there are a variety of human beneficiaries from the occupation of St George’s Cathedral’s surroundings by the sex workers, but I believe that someone has to have the courage to bell the cat, and I have no hesitation as a political advocate, in doing so.”