LGBT Activism and the Decriminalization of Homosexuality in Guyana

Abstract:

Guyana is currently the only country in South America to have a colonial law that criminalizes buggery (anal sex), which mainly affects the gay community. However, Guyana culturally identifies as part of the Caribbean, where such laws are, in many cases, still a reality. This research focuses on LGBT activism in Guyana, and its connections to the country’s colonial history. Based on interviews with LGBT activists and community members as well as document analysis, this study examines how the power dynamics between the West and Guyana affect the struggle for LGBT rights. I explore the tension between Guyana’s buggery law having been imposed as part of the British penal code and the way the West now presents itself as progressive while sometimes disproportionately portraying Guyana as poor, undeveloped, and homophobic in articles and reports. I discuss the relation between Guyanese identity—which many participants consider to be based on diversity, multiracial inclusion, and understanding—and the exclusion of homosexuality, which is sometimes portrayed as “foreign” or a “white man’s thing.” I put forward the differences between Western and Guyanese LGBT activism, and analyze whether Western officials or activists can influence the progress of LGBT rights in Guyana. Finally, I talk about the recent oil exploitation in the country by US company ExxonMobil and its implications for economic development and LGBT rights.