“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” – George Orwell

THE issue of a referendum is one that has been in the Guyanese media and the public sphere for several weeks now. This largely has to do with the proposition — backed up by two Members of Parliament so far — that the issue of decriminalisation of same-sex intimacy will be taken to a referendum.

More particularly, it is Section 351 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act that specifically criminalises any form of intimacy between Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) that is causing the uproar. It is unclear whether Sections 352 and 353 of the act would also be taken to the referendum, but it is interesting to note that no one seems too particularly concerned with it. It is interesting, because these two sections also criminalise buggery, but they are gender-neutral, meaning that anyone who engages in it, under the law, can be charged– whether they are homosexual or not.

Public dialogue regarding this aspect of the referendum has largely been an expected response. As a largely conservative country, it comes as no surprise that the majority want the laws to remain the same way with absolutely no change. This then causes me to wonder as to why in a representative democracy, where we vote our leaders in to make certain decisions, they think it wise to give the majority the mantle on deciding minority rights. Could it be that the coalition government is too afraid to alienate their populace given that they won by a very narrow margin?

Knowing how politics work and how insidious it is, my answer is yes. But then, there is also the issue of the Opposition who is posturing itself both as an advocate for LGBT rights, while simultaneously appealing to their own supporters by sitting on the fence with the issue. When asked about the decriminalisation of same-sex intimacy via the referendum, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that he does not believe the country is ready for such changes. Keep in mind that this was his exact response when he was president and then de-facto president under the Ramotar administration. Knowing how minority rights are skewed and castigated, there will never be “a time” when the majority will feel as if they should be equal with minorities.

Our leaders do not help with this issue as often they end up conflating it with something that was not even a part of the conversation. This was seen when Jagdeo stated, “I don’t think the country, based on what our consultations show among large numbers of people, is ready for the same-sex marriage and all of those things.” Same-sex marriage was not even being addressed and is definitely not going to referendum, but here he is conflating the two in an effort to further confuse the public. Would I like to see us have same-sex marriage? Yes, but the fact remains that that is not the issue at the moment. Homo and trans phobia are obviously too great political currencies for either the ruling coalition or opposition to give up at this time.

This referendum continues to expose the ugly underbelly of homophobia entrenched in Guyana. When we can have respected women and children rights activists, sitting on two commissions — the Women and Gender Equality Commission and the Rights of the Child Commission – referring to homosexuals as evil and possessed, we know we have a serious problem. Nicole Cole in all her wisdom tried to conflate the issues of homosexuality and paedophilia when she was challenged about her views relating to homosexuality. It apparently does not matter that heterosexuals are several times more likely to abuse and rape children. When this was pointed out to her, Cole came with a new argument of ‘heterophobia,’ which for all intents and purposes is not a thing.

This shows how strong belief systems are and how people will clutch at any opportunity they can to feel victimised if they feel their precious foundations of beliefs are being threatened. We cannot trust the Guyanese populace to vote on minority rights. No matter how they twist it and turn it, if this goes to referendum, whether same-sex intimacy is decriminalised or not, I will remember this government as one which is more concerned with political mileage rather than the human rights of its populace.