The government should follow the lead of the army; the archaic laws against homosexuality violate our constitution

Dear Editor,

It is important that the decision of the GDF, as announced by Chief of Staff Commodore Best, that the army will not discriminate against soldiers on the basis of their sexual preference, be publicly acknowledged because it is such an important step forward in Guyana for human rights and human dignity. Commodore Best and his colleagues in the leadership of the GDF must be congratulated for their decision which must have taken courage in our homophobic society and region.

The next step is for the National Assembly, which includes the opposition, and the government to end the charade of “public consultation” which is a thinly veiled attempt to sidestep the issue because of the known public intolerance of alternative lifestyles which will be revealed and used as an excuse to avoid action.

The reality is that the archaic laws against homosexuality adopted from the UK over a century ago violate our constitution. Our young and forward looking Attorney General, who has been vociferous about the constitutional rights of high officials, should follow the example of Commodore Best and talk a bit about ordinary people who are forced to live in hiding because of fear of intolerance and worse. He ought to advise the government on behalf of those who have suffered and are continuing to suffer discrimination, and much violence, that the unconstitutional laws against homosexuality should not prevail and that Dr Luncheon’s invitation to advocates that they should make their presentations to the Special Select Committee is part of the government’s strategy, to which the opposition has willingly acceded, to do nothing about this issue.

The government should follow the courageous lead of the army and bring this matter to an end without further delay and excuse.

Yours faithfully,
Ralph Ramkarran