SEVERAL days ago, there were unfortunate reports that two young Guyanese men tragically lost their lives. Investigations into their deaths have raised some serious concerns, but I have been bewildered at how social media has seemingly run amok with aspersions cast on these men’s characters.

Though it really isn’t anyone’s business, social media was rife with comments about the men’s sexual orientation. Because of the close friendship they seemed to share, the narrative shifted from two men who tragically lost their lives (for reasons still unknown to any of us), to an apparently sordid tale of two male lovers. And for reasons entirely beyond my comprehension, many began rampantly policing the lives of the two men.

Let’s establish a few key things here. First, these two men died and that alone must be a truly tragic and traumatising ordeal for their loved ones. Second, again, their sexual orientation really is of no concern to any one of us (unless, of course, investigations conclude that their deaths were linked to some hate crime- in which case, I would hope that we are all truly enraged). Third, an individual’s sexual orientation-be it actual or perceived,especially outside of the bounds of seemingly heteronormative society-is never a reason or justification to cast aspersions. And finally, by policing the lives of these two men and adopting this insensitive and unacceptable posture, we might actually cause harm to many more people.

Permit me to expand on that final point, because it was something I myself was not mindful of. Though I was annoyed at the comments and the insensitivity towards the lives of these two men, I was able to exit Facebook and detach from the vitriol that had been emanating from that space. But that wasn’t the case for everyone.

Just after reports of the unfortunate incident emerged, I spent the day with a friend who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. And after scrolling through Facebook for just a few minutes and unavoidably witnessing the aspersions cast on these two men, my friend burst into tears. It was painfully obvious how people’s reactions to the men’s deaths and their perceptions of the relationship they shared made my friend feel uncomfortable.

He explained that every single comment that vilified these two men made him feel unsafe as a bisexual man living in Guyana. Each comment, he said, made him fearful of ‘coming out’ to more of his family members and friends- because it seemed as though anything outside of the bounds of heteronormativity was some sort of cardinal sin. That was truly sad to hear.

I don’t believe that Guyana is an entirely intolerant place. Yet, pervasive conservative ideals have made living in this space feel unsafe for many people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans +. With these dominant ideals, it is undoubted that people who belong to a sexual or gender identity face enormous amounts of fear, stigma and discrimination.

Beyond just what I’m saying here, in 2018, researchers from the Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute found that LGBTQ+ people in Guyana faced much violence and discrimination in their day-to-day lives.

I think the reactions to the death of these two men and the faux-sleuthing on social media are really microcosmic of our society’s enduring intolerance for people who belong to this community. Almost instantaneously, we discarded our sympathy for the two men and their loved ones and instead judged them and the private lives they lived (or that we believed they lived). And what’s worse is that it appears as though the general perception of their sexual orientation has made us lose sight of the truly unfortunate ordeal and seek justice for them both.

Beyond that, when we begin to cast aspersions on these two men and align their characters for no seemingly sensible or logical reason, it makes me think about how these actions contribute to the sustenance of an unsafe environment for an entire community of people. And I wonder- are we making matters worse?

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com