Guyana’s political parties commit to supporting gay rights
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Five of the six political parties contesting Guyana’s upcoming elections have signalled their willingness to support the repealing of laws that criminalise same sex intimacy.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the Alliance for Change (AFC), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), and Forward Guyana Movement on Tuesday committed to championing the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) people in Guyana. The commitment was made as rights organisation, SASOD Guyana, hosted its Town Hall meeting.
Guyana is the last remaining country in South America that still retains its colonial era laws criminalising same sex intimacy.
At the meeting, AFC Executive, Beverly Alert said the AFC supports the review of the legislation.
“As a party, we support engagement, we support review, we support examining where we are and very importantly, what it is that society wants because laws are not created in a vacuum or in a silo for any specific group but laws are created and periodically amended to suit a society that evolves,” Alert said.
Noting that Guyana is not only evolving economically, but also socially, Alert said the AFC will be guided by society.
Sections 351 to 353 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act criminalise same-sex intimacy between consenting adult men.
APNU Candidate Ubraj Narine and Forward Guyana Movement Chairman, Dorwain Bess said their parties support the repealing of the legislation.
Bess said the legislation must be “corrected.”
“When you look around Guyana today you find some of the people who look just like us being marginalised, that shouldn’t be. If you are going to criminalise someone, an adult for their personal act, in their personal room, that they decided to do or how they decide to live, then you should start arresting people, a husband for adultery. This has to be corrected. The act of an adult should not be anything that is considered criminal act,” he said.
A study conducted by SASOD revealed that 72% of Guyanese support the passing of legislation that protect the rights of LGBTQ to be meaningfully employed.
