Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Guyana is the only country in South America where gay sex acts remain illegal. Last week recently elected Guyana President David Granger indicated his willingness to change that. The Guyana Chronicle reports:
Granger said that he is prepared to respect the rights of any adult to indulge in any practice which is not harmful to others.
This revelation was made on Thursday last when the President engaged reporters following his weekly televised show “The Public Interest” which is aired on the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN). It comes against the backdrop of countless calls for the reexamination of laws which discriminate against persons comprising the LGBT community.
According to the Head of State, the issue has been one which has existed throughout human history and given the fact that this period is considered a “modern age,” he is of the conviction that human rights should prevail. “I am prepared to respect the rights of any adult to indulge in any practice which is not harmful to others” he said.
More from Erasing 76 Crimes:
Granger has taken no steps to repeal the law, which a leader of Guyana’s LGBT organization, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), criticized yesterday.
Joel Simpson, managing director of SASOD, told the Guyana News Network that Granger’s words were a step in the right direction, but criticized Granger for not presenting the issue in a cabinet meeting or elsewhere.
The government needs to demonstrate political will and leadership on LGBT issues, he said. “Repealing these archaic laws is the first step towards respect for human rights of LGBT Guyanese,” Simpson said.
Under Guyana’s colonial era “buggery” laws, males convicted of homosexual acts face a potential life sentence, although such punishments have not been enforced. Guyana gained independence from the UK in 1966.