DEAR EDITOR,

This letter is in response to Mr. Locke’s published letter titled, “Homosexuality is a mental disorder,” which appeared in the Guyana Chronicle on April 11th. Please allow me the space to respond. Mr. Locke’s letter is reminiscent of a series of letters that were published locally a few years ago. I am concerned to see that the discussion around homosexuality has not progressed since then. Mr. Locke’s letter seemed an anachronistic curiosity. Still, such invective opinions disseminated in a public newspaper should be qualified with newer information. Allow me to do so, using easily accessible information through Google, which I quickly looked up. I urge future letter writers to do the same before subjecting the Guyanese public to uninformed opinion.
In doing a search, I came across a publication by the American Psychological Association, “For a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality,” which can be found at: https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/orientation.pdf. Briefly, the document explains how prevailing negative attitudes and behaviors such as Mr. Locke’s create a social environment that is psychologically abusive to individuals of a marginalized group. Such attitudes held by the public, and given space in public and private media and conversation, perpetrate and perpetuate psychological traumas that instill self-hate, shame and fear into individuals who identify with such groups. In this case, individuals who are attracted to the same sex. Such prejudice, discrimination and even violence result in chronic stress causing mental health problems. The same document describes why homosexuality is not a mental disorder, as demonstrated by decades of research. It also covers how remarkably good parents homosexual couples tend to be, even in the challenging social circumstances that they live.
I hope Mr. Locke and others who might share his view avail themselves of such harmful anachronistic attitudes through education. The internet has been widely available in Guyana for almost 2 decades now, and a vast amount of information of varying views within easy access. I urge the Guyanese public to develop the habit of vetting the attitudes and opinions of others rather than blindly being captivated by them, even if they mirror one’s own. After all, a person’s attitudes are a reflection of what they were exposed to during their formative years. It takes effort to adapt and educate oneself. Things are changing in Guyana at a rapid pace, and I hope that change is infused with aspirations of progress through education.
Respectfully,
Gregory Kanhai