MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon has made it clear that the issue of a referendum to legalise homosexuality and laws which discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and

identity, were not discussed at the level of Cabinet and as such, there is no official position on the matter.
Minister Harmon at a post-cabinet press briefing on Friday, said that “the government did not make an announcement on that matter.” According to the State Minister, “This is not an issue that has been ventilated at Cabinet and Cabinet has made no decision on that matter and so the question of a referendum, when it will occur and all of that…that is really not on the cards.”

When asked for clarification based on what Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge is reported to have said on the issue, the State Minister explained that he (Greenidge) had responded to a requirement for information by an international body, where he noted that a referendum will be the best way to go when it comes to issues of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community.

“And a referendum is the highest level of consultation in any country. But what I am saying to you is that, this is not that the government has taken a decision to have a referendum on LGBT rights. So this is the position of Cabinet. It is not something which our citizens should be worried about,” Minister Harmon told the media.

The State Minister referenced President David Granger’s last official position on the issue in January 2017, when the Head of State had said that he is prepared to respect the rights of adults who indulge in practices that are not harmful to others.
On his television programme ‘The Public Interest’, the President said: “I would like to feel that there should be some element, first, of respecting the human rights of individuals, and second, at the governmental level, free choice; that persons should be able to express their views freely without necessarily sticking to a party line.”

Here, homosexual acts carry a possible punishment of life imprisonment. Section 352 of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Section 352, states: any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the commission, or procures or attempts to procure the commission, by any male person, of any act of gross indecency with any other male person shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and liable to imprisonment for two years.
Section 353 states: everyone who (a) attempts to commit buggery; or (b) assaults any person with intent to commit buggery; or (c) being a male, indecently assaults any other male person, shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for 10 years. Section 354 and 355 further states that: Everyone who commits buggery… shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for life.

Meanwhile, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and its partners are opposed to a referendum on homosexuality in Guyana. Executive Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson, had told a recent news conference that Guyanese deserve basic human rights and the rights of a minority group should not be subject to a popular vote.
“This divisive referendum will deepen the marginalisation and isolation of LGBT persons as right-wing groups will undoubtedly heighten their homophobic rhetoric, as is already happening on social media,” he had said. Simpson said instead of strengthening social cohesion and building national unity, the move will further divide the country, causing more stress and “mental health burdens” to local LGBT members.