THE Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) has called for the Prevention of Discrimination Act to be amended.

“We are working and lobbying with Parliament to introduce a bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Act in order to add protection for the LGBT community,” said Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson.

He was at the time speaking at a reception in commemoration of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) on Wednesday.

Simpson said the proposed amendment to the Act will create legal protection for the Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

He said there have been forward steps in this regard, starting with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)’s ruling that the law against cross-dressing is unconstitutional.
“We commend the government for its support. Last November, the government said that it respects the Caribbean Court of Justice’s landmark decision that found that Guyana’s law against cross-dressing was unconstitutional,” said US Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch.
She said the government of the United States understands that many people and even institutions consider LGBT rights to be a sensitive issue.

In Guyana and many other parts of the world, members of the LGBT community have sometime faced violence, harassment, intimidation and disregard of their basic human rights.

“More troubling is the fact that despite being signatories to the many United Nations human rights agreements, many governments still seem far from establishing real legal protections for members of the LGBT community,” said the US diplomat.
In the Caribbean, many LGBT youth face social, economic, educational and other disparities. Though Guyana has made a measure of progress in this regard, some issues persist.

The ambassador said, a mere decade ago in Guyana, gay men experienced harassment and other social consequences for cross-dressing; and it is still illegal for adult men to be involved in consensual same-sex sexual activity.

“Gay rights are human rights. I cannot emphasise this enough. If we as a society are committed to ensuring that all people are respected and treated equally, then it is imperative to remember that this includes the LGBT community as well,” said Ambassador Ann-Lynch.

Justice and protection must be for all. LGBT individuals, as well as other marginalised people, are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights, not because they belong to a distinct group, but because they are people.
She commended the Government of Guyana for signalling a softer tone towards the LGBT community by permitting the first gay pride parade in June 2018.