The decriminalisation of same sex relations between consenting men by year end and the inclusion of protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the constitution are among the 15 minimum demands being sought by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgen-der, and other Queer (LGBTQ+) community from all political parties contesting in the March 2nd general and regional elections.
The Society Against Sexual Orientation Dis-crimination (SASOD) yesterday launched the LGBTQ+ Manifesto, which comprises the list of minimum demands.
Addressing the media at the launching of the Manifesto, which was held at SASOD’s headquarters on Duncan Street, Lamaha Gardens, Managing Director of SASOD Joel Simpson said the document comprised 15 minimum demands for basic human rights. He noted that the demands in the Manifesto did not represent everything that the LGBTQ+ community is fighting for but SASOD will engage with the government beyond the Manifesto during the course of the next five years.
Simpson added that the Manifesto was developed after monthly consultations with members of the LBGTQ+ community during 2019. Simpson also stated that they have reached out to all parties contesting the March 2nd elections and have engaged with most of them during 2019. He said that he has received favourable responses from a majority of the contesting parties, with the exception of one, which is the People’s Republic Party. Regardless, he said, printed and electronic copies of the Manifesto will be sent to each political party. He added the parties are invited to an event later this month to discuss the Manifesto.
The Manifesto calls upon all political parties and the next government to make changes to the constitution to offer protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by 2025
It also calls for the repeal of sections of the Criminal Law Offences Act that criminalise same sex intimacy between consenting adult men in private by the end of 2020, along with the inclusion of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as grounds for discrimination in the Prevention of the Discrimination Act by the end of 2020.
“Guyana is party to international treaties that require the protection of basic human rights for everyone, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer (LGBTQ+) people. Guyana’s next government must engage in law reform efforts to bring Guyana’s law into compliance with its international obligations, and to ensure that the rights of every citizen are fully realised,” it says.
As it relates to sexual and gender-based violence, the manifesto asks that they fully implement and apply existing laws, which will ensure that there are adequate resources to provide services to all victims, including LGBTQ+ persons and to ensure all police, probation officers, social workers, and child protection officers are trained on gender, sexual diversity and human rights, which will make them more equipped to respond to instances of sexual and gender-based violence.
Under the Education section, the Manifesto states that in order to tackle bullying of LGBTQ+ persons, teachers should be trained from the level of the Cyril Potter College of Education on the issues students face and how to effectively address those issues.
Additionally, it states that LGBTQ+ persons should be safe, supported and included in the education system across Guyana as consultations have revealed that educational institutes are one of the places that LGBTQ+ persons have experienced the most discrimination.
Further, it states, the introduction of Comprehensive Sexuality Education to schools across Guyana could decrease bullying of LGBTQ+ students and provide persons with the tools they need to make more informed decisions to either delay their sexual debut or prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, if they choose to be sexually active. Additionally, the Manifesto requests that the Ministry of Education provide remedial and second-chance education programmes for all disadvantaged youth, including LGBTQ+ persons who did complete secondary level education.
Meanwhile, as it relates to Public Health, the Manifesto is calling on the Ministry of Public Health to make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) available in the public healthcare systems across the country for persons who are at substantial risk of contracting HIV, according to the World Health Organization guidelines, by 2021 and to allow all persons who have been exposed to HIV to access post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regardless of the circumstances of that exposure by the end of 2020.
In addition to that, the Manifesto also seeks the provision of quality, accessible and stigma-free mental and physical healthcare to those who have been discriminated against in public healthcare, especially the LGBTQ+ community, who face greater burden due to homophobia.
Under Social Protection, the Manifesto states that the government must provide comprehensive and accessible and entrepreneurial training programmes for vulnerable groups, including LGBTQ+ people, and to make capital accessible to start up small business through grants and low-interest lending schemes. Lastly, the Manifesto states that the government must provide access to housing for LGBTQ+ persons, especially children, who have been temporarily displaced or rendered homeless due to violence.
Simpson said that he is confident that the LGBTQ+ community’s requests will be considered by the various political parties because SASOD has met with a number of them. He especially acknowledged the Liberty and Justice party, which he says invited them to speak about the human rights aspects of the party’s manifesto during 2019 and earlier this year.
