– UN reps urge media operatives

MEDIA operatives in Guyana have been urged to join the movement aimed at addressing the stigma and discrimination faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people in the country.

Addressing a small number of reporters during a UNAIDS training workshop on Saturday at Signature Inn, UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka said the United Nations (UN) looks to the media to uphold the cardinal principles of journalism in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda which sets the stage for an inclusive society. Tanaka said reporters must be mindful that their reports do not cause harm to marginalized groups in society including the LGBTI people. Stigma and discrimination, she posited, drive LGBTI people underground and affect their uptake and utilization of HIV and other health services.

“The expectations are that [with] this media training, you will be more empowered to assist in upholding the human rights of LGBTI people and protecting them against abuses such as violence and discriminatory laws and practices which constitute serious violations of international human rights law.

“In this way the media will have a far-reaching impact on society, contributing to decreased vulnerability to ill health including HIV infection, social and economic exclusion, reducing strain on families and communities, and impacting positively on economic growth, decent work and progress towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Tanaka explained.

In 2014, a survey conducted here found that HIV prevalence in the country is highest among transgender persons with an overall prevalence of 8.4 per cent while transgender sex workers have an even higher prevalence of 10.2 per cent.

“The UN efforts to address inequalities experienced by LGBTI people have largely been advanced through the health lens and the work of our HIV, Health and Development Group. UNAIDS and UNDP are supporting national partners to promote inclusion of LGBTI people by working at the nexus of HIV, sexual orientation and gender identity,” the UN Resident Coordinator explained while noting the focus now is more on inclusive development and not only on HIV and its services.

UNAIDS Country Director for Guyana and Suriname, Dr. Martin Odiit said UNAIDS looks forward to partnering with the media to raise awareness on transgender – their challenges and successes. He is convinced that the initiative will make transgender more visible.
“Because transgender are living in a society where significant stigma and discrimination against transgender people exists, they are pushed into situations that may result in higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, sex work, incarceration, homelessness, suicide, unemployment, lack of familial support and violence,” Dr. Odiit explained.

SOCIAL PRESSURES
He noted that the social pressures greatly increase their HIV risk and severely limit their ability to obtain adequate care once infected.

“UNAIDS calls for special efforts to be made to intensify outreach in locations of high HIV transmission with services for populations at higher risk of infection. The media can bring the needed visibility to key populations most affected in different regions,” he told the reporters.

Executive Director of Guyana Trans United, Quincy McEwan, said it is hoped that the local media fraternity would help in removing the existing stereotype with respect to transgender people. “We realize that we as trans persons cannot advocate for ourselves without having the media meaningfully engaged, and one of the things is, we need to change the landscape of Guyana,” McEwan told reporters.

Alessandra Hereman told reporters that while transgender persons have recorded many successes, there are still some stumbling blocks in the areas of education, health and job. She recalled being a patient in 2005 at a public hospital and though identifying herself as a transgender, was placed in a male ward against her will. A final year student at the University of Guyana, Hereman said the discrimination faced there is a daily one. “It is my final year at university and unfortunately, for the past four years I have been entering the male washroom, just to use the washroom…because they don’t have a policy where trans people can use the washroom based on their gender,” Hereman explained.

In an effort to eliminate the stigma and discrimination faced by LGBTI people, which would see them accessing more healthcare services, recommendations coming out of a national dialogue on HIV and the Law in 2015 included decriminalizing cross-dressing and establishing a mechanism of support that ensures that the unique challenges faced by trans Guyanese are addressed.

A ‘cross-dressing’ case is currently before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Four transgender Guyanese women have asked that country’s final appellate court to strike down an 1893 post-slavery vagrancy provision which led to their convictions in 2009. Gulliver (Quincy) McEwan, Angel (Seon) Clarke, Peaches (Joseph) Fraser and Isabella (Seyon) Persaud were charged and fined in 2009 for wearing women’s clothing for an improper purpose under Section 153 (1) (XLVII) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act Chapter 8:02 – an 1893 vagrancy law. The one-day workshop was organized and supported by UNAIDS, Guyana Trans United and the Caribbean Vulnerable Coalition (CVC). UNAIDS Adviser from the Caribbean Office, Cedriann Martin facilitated the training seminar for reporters and other media operatives.

Pull quote: “Alessandra Hereman told reporters that while transgender persons have recorded many successes, there are still some stumbling blocks in the areas of education, health and jobs. She recalled being a patient in 2005 at a public hospital and, though identifying herself as a transgender, was placed in a male ward against her will.”