SOME 20 persons recently staged a march in the city against what they dubbed as “slow police probing” of cases in which homosexuals were murdered.

The march was held to coincide with the first anniversary of the murder of 19-year-old Wesley Holder on January 11, 2013 and the dumping of his body near St. Phillip’s Anglican Church.
The others were Delon Melville whose body was found aback Mocha in August and 36-year-old Nandkumar Purnwassie, also known as Vishaul, Champa and Darshinie, whose battered body was found on a street at Ankerville, Port Mourant, Corentyne in November.
Bearing placards with slogans that read, “Sex workers rights are human rights”, “Sex work is work”, “LGBT rights are human rights”, “Anti-man rights are human rights” and “We want justice”, members of the transgender and sex workers community marched through sections of Georgetown, demanding justice for homosexuals who were murdered over time.
Guyana Trans United (GTU) Director Quincy “Gulliver” Mc Ewan said that since Holder’s killing there has been an escalation in the number of homosexuals being killed.
He added that because of the stigma attached to homosexuality in Guyana, police are reluctant to properly investigate such matters.
Joel Simpson of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) said the police have shown little enthusiasm in solving those crimes, apparently because they have been committed against homosexuals.
The SASOD official said the sex workers and transgender community planned to seek recourse at the level of the Ombudsman and the constitutional Women and Gender Equality Commission.
The estimated 20 persons also carried placards that read “We are citizens, we must be protected”, “Stop the violence”, and “We are not the problem. We are part of the solution”.
Director of the Guyana Sex Worker Coalition, Miriam Edwards expressed solidarity with the plight facing the sex workers and transgender community, noting that the march was a good initiative. She added that the ‘trans community’ has been abused for many years and has mustered the courage to stage the march and stand up for their rights.