Today we have a guest column by Evie Kanhai-Gurchuran. She is a multi-award-winning tech entrepreneur with a strong focus on social innovation and corporate social mission strategy. She is also a Brand Specialist and Consultant. Her work has been recognised with multiple awards, including a National Youth Award, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Woman in Business Award and most recently the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. She is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of emtec and the Managing Director of Girls in Tech
(Guyana Chapter).
I am proud to support Guyana Together, a campaign which hopes to start a nationwide conversation about respect, unity and inclusion in Guyana. This campaign matches closely our Guyanese values of unity, harmony, respect and togetherness. We are a diverse country known for bringing everyone together, and the acceptance of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends and neighbours is just another step towards a more unified country. The campaign hopes to build a more inclusive, kinder and more compassionate Guyana and to emphasize how we all play a part in making this positive change.
In our diverse and vibrant communities, we find friends, neighbours, family members and coworkers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender The Guyana Together campaign is working to recognise their presence, share their stories and champion their rights as an essential step of building a more inclusive, kinder and more compassionate Guyana. They are part of the rich tapestry of our society and integral part of our lives.
As a wife, mother and daughter, I know family plays a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of love and support. While progress has been made in embracing diversity within many families and communities, it is time to extend the conversation publicly. Respecting and treating our gay and trans neighbours is not just a moral imperative, it is fundamental for the well-being of our families, success of our businesses, resilience of our communities and development of a stronger and more united Guyana.
As an ally, I know that I may not always fully understand the discrimination or harm that our gay, bisexual, and trans neighbours experience. I grew up in a very religious home where conversations around sexuality were not always met with openness. I remember many years ago, in my early twenties, when a best friend, comforting me after a first heartbreak, hugged me tightly and held me closely. We were sitting at the National Cultural Centre with friends and family. Returning home a family member spoke negatively to me. They interpreted this act of kindness as sending a wrong impression and I was told this act of affection should not be done in public. I can only imagine the trauma or harm remarks like this, over time, can cause to our gay, bisexual, and trans neighbours.
We’re all human beings deserving of respect. As the mother of five children, I’m committed to instilling in them the Golden Rule – to treat others the way they would want to be treated. No member of anyone’s family should be treated differently because of who they are. And while many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are embraced by their families and friends, it is now time for us to talk publicly about everyone in our lives. I’m proud to be part of this effort to speak out and share my support for the Guyana Together campaign and for the respect and dignity of all Guyanese.
At the end of the day, I want to approach everyone and everything I do with kindness and compassion, because I believe in life kindness will be returned to those you love and for those which you represent. This principle applies universally, fostering empathy and understanding.
In the realm of business, discriminatory laws and biases have long hindered the participation of gay and trans people in the Guyanese job market. It is time for a paradigm shift: a new commitment to maximizing our country’s labour force and affirming that every citizen deserves the chance to work hard and provide for their families. It is time for our government to take action to eliminate the discriminatory and outdated laws that treat our gay neighbours differently and move toward a system of respect and equal treatment for all citizens.
I am proud to be among the nearly 100 businesses and organisations that have endorsed Guyana Together’s campaign, with the understanding that a striving business is one where all team members have the support they need to succeed. Endorsers include large and small businesses, trade unions, community organisations, and educational institutions, among others.
Additionally, Guyana Together is led by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Black Entrepreneurs Association (BEA), the Guyana Press Association (GPA) and SASOD Guyana. Just last week I was honoured to speak to the Rotary Club of Georgetown for the launch of their collaborative Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Project with Guyana Together at Palm Court and I look forward to their leadership on issues of inclusion in our country.
As someone who has been in branding for over twenty years, I’ve seen businesses leverage their stories, their brand identities and the people who make up their business to be wildly successful by recognising that we need diversity and inclusion.
The broad endorsements from businesses and organizations across Guyana is not surprising, considering public support. A 2022 national survey, commissioned by SASOD Guyana and conducted by RMK Consulting Enterprise, indicated that almost three-quarters (72.4%) of Guyanese have positive attitudes towards LGBT persons. And support is growing quickly. The 2022 results represent a 28% increase in support for LGBT persons from a previous public opinion study in 2013.
The Guyanese people are ready for our laws to treat our gay and transgender people with respect. And the high acceptance among young people makes clear that future generations will further the cause of respect and inclusion for their gay and trans neighbours, family, and friends. The same poll shows that a clear 53.9% majority of Guyanese agree it’s time to overturn the country’s law criminalizing intimacy between two men. Further, 76.3% of respondents said that eliminating the law criminalizing sex between men would have a positive or no impact in their lives. Our government should eliminate laws that subject any citizen to unfair treatment and harassment.
Worldwide, the trend is also clear. Successful businesses, and competitive economies, operate under a principle of inclusion – not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s simply good business. Modernising our laws to end discrimination against gay, bisexual, and trans people is an investment in the long-term sustainability and growth of our economy.
Guyana should no longer be an outlier in the region, as one of the few remaining countries with a law on the books that criminalises intimacy between consenting, adult men in private. It’s time for the laws of our country to match the values of our people.
Our efforts to secure justice for everyone are stronger and more powerful when we work together, and I’m proud to be a part of this campaign and to help achieve that goal. Together let us continue to champion the cause of equality, justice and inclusivity as we work towards a better future for all Guyanese.
