Guyana’s Historic Shift: Five major parties unite to repeal colonial anti-LGBTQ+ laws

Guyana: In a historical show of political agreement and value for human rights, 5 parties of 6 contesting in the upcoming Guyana elections have decided to abandon the archaic laws of Guyana which at present criminalize same sex intimacy along with advocating for the rights of the LGBTQIA+. 

The landmark decision was made on Tuesday as the five parties representatives spoke at the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana town hall meeting. With the agenda to eradicate all discrimination that relates to sexual orientation. 

Among the 5 parties supporting the reform include 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 who made the commitment on Tuesday. 

All parties expressed their intentions at reviewing Sections 351 to 353 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act that criminalizes same-sex intimacy between consenting adult men. 

Party Representatives speak at the meeting 

Among the first to take the stand at the meeting to speak on the issue was AFC Executive, Beverly Alert who expressed that the party supports the examining of the legislation that criminalizes same sex marriages.

Noting that the Guyana society has evolved not only economically but socially as well, and some of the laws that were created periodically no longer survey the society. 

APNU Candidate Ubraj Narine and Forward Guyana Movement Chairman, Dorwain Bess also expressed their parties support for the change of the legislature. With Bess calling for the current law to be “corrected” as it is unjust for criminalizing adult choices done in their own privacy. 

While Susan Rodrigues, a PPP/C candidate and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water affirmed that the PPP/C Government does not support discrimination. 

And highlighted that the Government has been taking steps to repeal and amend 200 pieces of legislation over the past 5 years in order to safeguard the LGBTQIA+ community. Noting that no one should be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. 

Odessa Primus, WIN’s General Secretary emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement in legal reform, that won’t be simply imposed on society by the Government. 

She further called for there to be assured workplace protections for the  LGBTQIA+ persons.

The meeting was followed by a SASOD Manifesto for 2025 that proposed the repealing of Section 351-353 of the Criminal Law ( Offences) Act accompanied with a want for a comprehensive legislature that eradicates all forms of discrimination whether direct or indirect, in every sector, including discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics to be in place by 2028. 

Guyana is the last South American country that is still under the old colonial laws that criminalizes same sex marriages. But the country looks forward to changing that legislature by 2026. 

The only party absent at the town hall meeting was Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), who have not expressed their support or opposing of the change.