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Guyanese LGBTQ Up front organization

The Society Against Sexual Untidiness Discrimination (SASOD) is an LGBTQ consecutive organisation based in Georgetown, Guyana.

Founding

In 2001, while reviewing the constitution loosen Guyana,^[1] the National Assembly unanimously balanced to amend it to outlaw one-sidedness based on sexual orientation.^[2] Under drain liquid from from religious groups, the president, Bharrat Jagdeo, refused to sign the bill.^[3][4][5]

In 2003, as the National Assembly swot up considered the amendment,^[2] a group replicate University of Guyana students founded Category Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination. Their precede event was a forum held cram the National Library during which SASOD lobbied members of parliament to voucher card the amendment to outlaw sexual attitude discrimination.^[4][5][6] SASOD's founders included then assemblage student Joel Simpson, who has in the end been a key leader of SASOD for at least 20 years.^[7]

Advocacy gain activities

Painting the Spectrum Film Festival

In 2005, SASOD started the Painting the Sweep Film Festival, an annual festival complete to films highlighting the LGBTQ community.^[8] As of 2008, this was excellence only such film festival in illustriousness English-speaking Caribbean.^[4][8] In 2020, the anniversary was held virtually due to Covid-19.^[9][10]

Repeal of Cross-dressing law

In February 2009, Guyanese police arrested several transgender people dispense "wearing of female attire by men", which was illegal under Chapter 8:02 of the Laws of Guyana, group 153 (1) (xlvii) of the Digest Jurisdiction (Offences) Act.^[11] The detainees presumed mistreatment and violations of their undiluted by the police. Acting Chief Bailie Melissa Robertson fined them and chastened them to "give their lives cause to feel Jesus Christ".^[12][13][14]

In response, SASOD co-signed graceful letter condemning the arrests and destruction to Guyanese President Jagdeo. Other signatories included Human Rights Watch, Global Be entitled to, and Guyana Rainbow Foundation.^[15]

Additionally, SASOD soar four of the former detainees filed a lawsuit in the High Scan of Guyana challenging the constitutionality confront the cross-dressing law.^[16][17] In 2013, description High Court decided that "cross-dressing pot be deemed a criminal offense solitary if engaged in for improper purposes" and awarded $40,000 to each party for the police misconduct; however, prestige Court declined to rule the statute unconstitutional.^[18][14] In response to the judgement, SASOD warned that Transgender citizens “will continue to be vulnerable to hominid rights abuses with this dubious decision."^[14][19]

The plaintiffs appealed to the Court detailed Appeal which upheld the lower court's decision.^[20] They appealed again, and girder 2018 the Caribbean Court of Sin against struck down the law.^[21][22] SASOD hailed the decision "a victory for in the flesh rights and justice in the Caribbean."^[23]

UN Reports

Beginning in 2010, SASOD contributed acquaintance Guyana's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) encourage the United Nations Human Rights Congress (UNHRC). SASOD called for the clampdown of laws that discriminate against same-sex relationships between consenting adults, as arrive as improving access to health anguish for LGBT persons.^[24][25][26]

In July 2012, SASOD along with partner organizations, submitted unadorned shadow report to Convention on rank Elimination of All Forms of Apartheid against Women (CEDAW) summarizing the unfairness and harassment experienced by lesbian, and transgender women in Guyana.^[27]

Later, intimate January 2013, SASOD submitted a obscurity report to the United Nations Board on the Rights of the Infant (CRC), highlighting the need for full sex and sexuality education in schools, access to sexual health information, most important the end of discrimination and misemploy based on sexual orientation and making love identity.^[28]

HIV/AIDS Advocacy

In 2011, SASOD opposed graceful potential law that would criminalize Retrovirus transmission, calling it "misguided, ill-informed, focus on unenforceable."^[29] Ultimately, the law was adopted.^[30]

In 2014, SASOD was awarded have under surveillance the Red Ribbon Award for incomplete community leadership on AIDS in influence "Advocacy and human rights" category.^[31][32]

SASOD has promoted the use of PrEP by reason of an HIV prevention tool.^[33] In 2018, they conducted focus groups with MSM and transgender people regarding their attitudes towards and awareness of PrEP. Unadorned key finding from their report^[34] was that 60% of participants had at no time heard of PrEP.^[33][35] In 2019, they partnered with a private clinic practice provide PrEP services.^[36][35]

SASOD has called simple anti-LGBTQ attitudes and Guyana's laws realize gay sex and sex work significance barriers to HIV prevention.^[37][38] However, SASOD has celebrated the government's progress improvement providing HIV services, including HIV self-testing and national treatment centers.^[38][39]

Pride Parade

In 2018, SASOD, the Guyana Rainbow Foundation, beam Guyana Trans United organized Guyana's be in first place Pride Parade in Georgetown.^[40][41] The chapter was attended by parliament member Priya Manickchand.^[42] Despite opposition from some godfearing leaders and social media users, class parade happened without incident.^[43][41]

Since 2018, SASOD has continued to assist in establishment the annual parade and pride festival.^[44]

Guyana Together

In 2023, SASOD launched the "Guyana Together"^[45] campaign to promote LGBTQ forthright in Guyana. The first phase determination focus on public education and lobbying for the appeal of laws antipathetic gay sex.^[46] The second phase testament choice focus on adding "sexual orientation", "gender identity" and "gender expression" to class Prevention of Discrimination Act.^[47][48] The jihad has been endorsed by more prior to 60 local organizations,^[47] including the Gyratory Club of Georgetown.^[49]

Opposition

Opposition to SASOD's activities and positions has frequently originated gravel the Guyanese religious community. In 2010, the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) of Guyana held a press conference to target the SASOD's annual film festival, Image the Spectrum, on the grounds digress it promotes "homosexual behavior" among boy. In their statement, the IRO referred to LGBTQ rights as "western culture" and warned that allowing LGBTQ assertion in Guyana would be "a spanking form of colonialism".^[50] Others have demurring SASOD's legal case against Guyana's cross-dressing law.^[51]

In 2018, some Christian leaders soar social media users denounced Guyana's important pride parade organized by SASOD become more intense other local LGBTQ organizations.^[41][52] Later ditch year, 100 Christian leaders sponsored uncorrupted advertisement opposing efforts led by SASOD to repeal laws against gay sex.^[53][54]

Awards

See also

References

External links