-says Executive Director

EXECUTIVE Director of Trans Guyana United, Candacy McEwan, says that while the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many sectors in the world, it has brought Guyana’s trans community together, noting that the pandemic highlighted the need for more cohesion and cooperation amongst Guyana’s transgendered community.
She made this statement during a recent virtual roundtable under the theme, “Opportunities and Challenges for the LGBTQI+ Community in Guyana.”
McEwan stated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, getting a job in Guyana was difficult for trans persons, noting that this would have pushed many trans women to take up sex work as a way to make a living. She explained that as a result of the national COVID-19 curfew, trans persons who had taken up jobs as sex workers were forced to stop, leaving their bills and responsibilities to pile up. “Even though COVID came as a bad thing, we learnt from it. There’s a lot that we need to do for our community. I think at one point we wanted to ‘wish COVID away’, but it taught us more how to work with our community.”

She further stated that the stigma attached to transgenders in Guyana has prevented the organisation from being able to connect with some of its members and offer them support. She noted that due to persons’ fear of not being accepted, they may not always make their status known unless it is an absolute necessity.
Further, McEwan noted that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, outreaches were the organisation’s main way to meet with other transgendered Guyanese.
“We might hear a government official or some person from an entity say, ‘we have a policy that won’t discriminate’, but the real issue is, will that policy filter down to every individual in the organisation that’s under your watch? “So those are some of the challenges with trans persons and getting jobs. Of course, in some areas like theatre entertainment, there may be a place for a trans actor and they may be accepted, but that’s not the case in every job field.”
She noted that Guyana Trans United is currently creating innovative ways to reach out to transgendered Guyanese in an effort to provide them with a level of relief during this period.

Other health issues
LGBT+ advocate and Director of Artistes in Direct Support (A. I. D. S.), Desiree Edghill, noted that one of the major issues that was overlooked in the LGBT+ community during the pandemic was an emphasis on LGBT+ health services that cater to issues other than HIV/AIDS. She explained that although the COVID-19 virus has taken a spotlight during this period, the LGBT+ community is still faced with other health issues, such as hypertension and diabetes.
Edghill stated that the synergy between the LGBT+ community and HIV/AIDS is one that needs to be addressed in a holistic manner, noting that the virus is not exclusively linked to persons in the community. She stated that her Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) provides for health care services for persons who are part of the LGBT+ spectrum, which includes medical checkups, testing for STDs and even psychiatrists.

She stated, however, that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the outreaches have been put on hold. Edghill further noted that the monies in the programme were redirected to provide assistance to those persons who were affected by the pandemic and who may not be able to work right now.
Edghill noted that she was proud to listen to President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s speech on Tuesday last, at a United Nations’ high-level meeting on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), where he recommitted Guyana’s efforts to provide universal access to prevention, care, and treatment for persons living with HIV.
President Ali further related that during the upcoming period, Guyana’s HIV efforts will focus heavily on a number of areas, including making the discrimination of HIV unacceptable, illegal, and punitive, throughout society. The Head of State also said that reaching out to vulnerable groups such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) community, sex workers, and immigrants would be a priority. This, according to Edghill, was a significant move for the LGBT+ community.