Lawrence urges inclusion of LGBT persons in promotion of equality

While acknowledging that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are not accorded equal rights in the work environment, Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence last week called for their inclusion in the promotion of gender equality.

“Yes, if we intend to promote gender equality, we cannot pretend that this group is non-existent. In our workplaces, in our institutions, we have to embrace these individuals and use their potential and skills for the benefit of economic, social and political progress. We must accord them the same process of inclusion, recognition and upward mobility irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity,” Lawrence said last Tuesday at a Women’s Empower-ment Cocktail and Reception, at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Georgetown.

The event was organised to celebrate marginalised women and was hosted by the British High Commission, Georgetown, in collaboration with Red Thread, Guyanese Women Roundtable (GWR), Guyana Trans United (GTU) and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) to