OP-ED: The power of civil society - working together to promote awareness, inclusion, and rights for all

Pride month has been observed and celebrated in Guyana for more than a decade now. As we reflect on pride month and the LGBTIQ+ movement in Guyana, there have been some substantial progress during the past decade, and this can mainly be accredited to the work of civil society organisations (CSOs). The LGBTIQ+ community has been hard at work even during a global pandemic and the recent national disaster in Guyana, to highlight the plight of LGBTIQ+ individuals and mobilise support for those who were affected. As we have learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, disasters do not discriminate, everyone is at risk regardless of their gender, sex, race, age, or any other status. However, vulnerable group can be at a higher risk because of their social and economic constraints.  

There are now nearly ten LGBTIQ-focused CSOs in Guyana. We pay homage, recognize and value the work of CSOs and their impact on communities and by extension, national development. These organisations have been on the front-line leading initiatives to combat discrimination against persons based on their actual or perceived gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Through public education, awareness programmes, training and capacity-building activities, community advocacy, lobbying authorities and other civil actions, these CSOs have been influencing policies, laws, and institutions.

The Caribbean Court of Justice’s ruling on the case of Quincy McEwan and others v the Attorney General of Guyana (2018) CCJ 30 (AJ), and subsequent tabling of a bill to amend section 153(1) (xlvii) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act to decriminalize ‘cross-dressing’ is an example of one reform that was driven by SASOD Guyana and Guyana Trans United (GTU), with support from wider civil society. While the case focused on addressing the criminalization of ‘cross-dressing’, it also highlighted several other human rights challenges such as access to justice, rights to due process, freedom of expression and discriminatory practices within the system. Equality before the law and access to justice have been areas of serious concern for many years now for LGBTIQ+ individuals. However, in recent times there has been a shift in approach by the Guyana Police Force. In 2019,  SASOD Guyana and GTU, in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force, facilitated a two-day training programme for over 100 police officers from across the country on gender, sexuality and human rights. The Deputy Police Commissioner at the time committed to continuous education and training for police officers to eradicate discrimination and protect human rights. Other CSOs including EQUAL and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) have collaborated with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat to provide support and training to the Guyana Police Force and other public entities to conduct training and awareness sessions.

CSOs have also been promoting and protecting the right to health, health care treatment and services for LGBTIQ+ individuals. LGBTIQ+ individuals have traditionally experienced varying forms of mistreatment in accessing health care treatment and services. This includes the quality and professionalism of services and treatment and in protecting privacy and other confidential information. In response, and in addition to advocating for the right to health, the Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GuyBow), GTU, SASOD Guyana and several other CSOs across Guyana stepped up and offered some critical services to LGBTIQ+ people such as mental health and counselling services, HIV and STI screening, and gender-based violence screening. These CSOs are providing safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ individuals and access services without fear of discrimination.

Access to education without stigma and discrimination is also a priority for the LGBTIQ+ movement. Cognizant of the challenges LGBTIQ+ students experience in the education sector, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association’s Youth Advocacy Movement (GRPA’s YAM) and SASOD Guyana have been advocating for the revision of the Code of Conduct for teachers to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination in an effort to address the bullying and harassment in schools.

More broadly, between 2018 and 2019, SASOD Guyana, with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guyana, developed a draft bill to amend the Prevention of Discrimination Act (1997) to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination in any employment or occupation. SASOD Guyana is presently engaging the government on tabling the proposed amendment in the National Assembly.

While work is ongoing for legislative and institutional reform, CSOs are also engaging communities in the process, taking a bottom-up approach. Many, if not all concerned CSOs, organize and conduct public awareness and sensitization, trainings, advocacy and communication around issues and challenges affecting LGBTIQ+ people. Public education and awareness are fundamental in protecting rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals in their homes, community and society at large. For instance, EQUAL Guyana uses a unique methodology, “artistic learning” which it describes as a continuous process of development of the personality through multiple forms of contact with art including through their three programmes: engagement, education, and empowerment. EQUAL believes that through strategic use of the arts for information, education and empowerment, and a less antagonistic approach to human rights, the LGBTIQ+ community can become more aware and empowered, and society; more understanding and respectful. Through a recently signed project with the Canadian High Commission in Guyana, EQUAL will advance their work towards promoting gender equality and rights of the LGBTIQ+ community, as they have for the past two years.

SASOD Guyana supports discrimination reporting and documentation, awareness, sensitization, training and direct engagement with key stakeholders through their Homophobia(s) Education Programme to cultivate positive changes in attitudes and end all forms of homophobia(s).

Public awareness and sensitization are a key part of Pride month celebrations, with CSOs hosting and participating in various panel discussions, film festivals, television talk shows, inter-faith forum, and social media campaigns. It is important that these discussions and actions continue until LGBTIQ+ persons effectively realize equal rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution to every citizen.

The United Nations continues to engage and work with LGBTIQ-led CSOs to strengthen human rights protection through legislative reform, policy implementation and public advocacy to counter discrimination. Currently, under UNDP, the Being LGBTI in the Caribbean (BLIC) Project provides support in research, facilitation of dialogues, and awareness and capacity building activities for members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Through this project, CSOs in Guyana received support to raise awareness on various topics, including LGBTI human rights issues and gender and sexuality; the specific health needs of LBQ women and promoting the uptake of health services among LBQ women; and the challenges faced by transgender people in Guyana, including mental health challenges. Support was also provided for CSOs to conduct stigma and discrimination awareness sessions with the Guyana Police Force, Health Workers and Faith-Based Organizations and to promote skills development of transgender women, such as sewing and pastry making skills.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) are also working with government entities and CSOs in Guyana to provide various forms of support, including HIV/AIDS counselling, prevention services and access to information and care services, psychosocial support and public sensitization initiatives. Additionally, the EU-UN’s Spotlight Initiative in Guyana, a partnership project that is focused on eliminating all forms of family violence and strategies to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, will include the LBT community.

The collective actions of the CSOs and international partners in Guyana have contributed to creating a more accepting environment for LGBTIQ+ persons in Guyana and opening spaces for dialogue, particularly around inclusion, diversity and equality. However, achieving human rights for all will require the support of government, international bodies, private sector, media, and society as a whole.