SASOD meets with Minister Lawrence
From Left: Alana DaSilva, Secretary of the Board of SASOD; John Adams, Ministerial Adviser on Social Protection; Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence; Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson; SASOD Advocacy and Communications Officer, Schemel Patrick; SASOD Social Change Coordinator, Jairo Rodrigues
From Left: Alana DaSilva, Secretary of the Board of SASOD; John Adams, Ministerial Adviser on Social Protection; Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence; Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson; SASOD Advocacy and Communications Officer, Schemel Patrick; SASOD Social Change Coordinator, Jairo Rodrigues

THE Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) recently met with Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, and other officials to discuss a human rights approach to social protection issues in Guyana.A press release from the organization noted that it presented to the Minister a recently published Fact Sheet on Social Protection, while its Social Change Coordinator, Jairo Rodrigues, informed Minister Lawrence of the community’s dilemma, stating that same-sex intimacy between men is still criminalized under the laws of Guyana.

“While it has been noted that these laws are generally not prosecuted, the very fact that they exist inhibit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from seeking police protection when they face harassment, assault, intimate-partner violence, homophobic and transphobic violence because of fear of discrimination, re-victimization and threat of possible prosecution,” SASOD noted.

Rodrigues recalled that, in June 2014, the late Dr. Faith Harding, a child specialist and former government minister, had stated: “If people are being abused and dying because of such [anti-buggery] laws, and we are not doing anything about it, then we are all killing them; for every child that commits suicide because of rejection, we must all take the blame”.

The absence of specific prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 leaves LGBT persons exposed to discrimination with impunity in the workplace; allows employers to refuse to hire LGBT persons; to harass or otherwise discriminate against them during their employment, or to terminate their employment on these grounds, with essentially no consequences under the law,” Rodrigues expressed.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson, noted that many LGBT Guyanese who are open about their sexual orientation or gender identity at work regularly face discrimination. He spoke of a documentary published by SASOD about the working experiences of a transgender woman, who expressed that it was extremely hard for her to obtain work in the formal economy; and when she did, she was grossly underpaid and faced discrimination because of her transgender status.

“Transgender persons may face more discrimination when accessing employment, because of their visibility,” SASOD stated.

Simpson also cited a 2012 Report from the University of the West Indies’ Faculty of Law, titled “Collateral Damage: The Social Impact of Laws Affecting LGBT Persons in Guyana,” where Dr. Christopher Carrico reported that both men and women identifying as homosexual or bisexual “reported being denied access to jobs as well as being blocked from career advancement because of their sexual identity.”

He said that many LGBT Guyanese choose not to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity at work.

In response, Minister Lawrence said she is fully aware of her responsibility to bridge the gaps in society to foster better functioning services between the people and the government.

“We would like to see more collaboration; we need it. If we are to make a change, we must work together,” Minister Lawrence said.

According to the release, she discussed projects and initiatives of the Social Protection Ministry that would see more cooperation with civil society oraganisations such as SASOD, to work with people and other non-governmental organisations to foster better relationships, communication, and advocacy for marginalized groups.

SASOD recommended that the Government of Guyana amend section 4(2) of the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and health status as grounds for discrimination; and implement and support comprehensive workplace equality policies and education programmes aimed at curbing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and health status in the workplace, both in the Public Service and in the private sector.

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