US diplomat tells Guyana to legalize gay rights
The US Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt said that country’s government take action and repeal anti-gay laws and introduce LGBT rights.
Hardt told a media workshop held over the weekend in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital, that he believes there could be more cooperation to increase support for LGBT rights in the country, reported the portal News Source.
He said that Guyana’s government took a positive step with a recent National Consultation on LGBT issues, but noted that ‘conversation and dialogue must lead to action and specifically to legislation that replaces antiquated colonial laws with modern, national laws that advance the rights of all Guyanese people’.
Guyana is the last country in South America that criminalizes same-sex acts using very severe anti-gay British colonial codes which punishes offenders with two years in prison for ‘gross indecency’ between men, 10 years in prison for attempted ‘buggery’ and life in prison for ‘buggery’.
Guyana, a former British colony in South America, has been pressed by the international community and human rights groups to repeal the colonial anti-gay laws it inherited.
Hardt told the journalists gathered at the workshop that the government must lead the people on this issue.
He challenged local politicians to show courage when addressing the issue: ‘It requires courage in standing up for the dignity of all fellow citizens and persuading others to do the same.
‘And that is what is now required in the National Assembly and among all parties’, said Hardt.
He further stated: ‘beyond legislative progress, it is vital to recognize that the lives of our gay brothers and sisters are shaped not only by laws, but also by the way they are treated and accepted every day’.
He promised that the US Embassy in Guyana would continue to support LGBT human rights defenders and civil society groups.
The media workshop was organized by the US Embassy through USAID and the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD).
It was also supported by the Guyana Press Association.
