WBD man P

Granger is still gambling for resurrection

Back in March, when Granger called for a recount after the Mingo debacle - which he could not deny because the entire western block had witnessed his perfidy - we wrote bluntly, “The recount is just a ploy.” We still do not see Granger letting go of power even now that the recount has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that the PPP won the elections.

We pointed out that Granger and the PNC are using a strategy called appropriately in game theory and politics, “gambling for resurrection” (GFR). Here, leaders who see defeat staring them in the face of Ravi Dev competition or conflict, take high risk actions that would be considered “irrational” in normal circumstance because the high costs of defeat “objectively” outweigh the low probability of victory.

But in this specific instance, the Gambling for Resurrection PNC leaders, Granger and Harmon, figure that while high, the risks are not insurmountable. First of all, they had already polarized its African-Guyanese constituency with their mobilization strategy during the campaign: exploiting historical fears of being “swamped and subordinated” by “circling the wagons” against the PPP, who are presented as devils literally planning to exterminate them. They have deployed classic tactics like personalising their hatred, not only onto their Indian Guyanese ethnic rivals, but moreso onto their leader Bharat Jagdeo. The talk-show hosts have migrated from the local TV screens to the far more powerful social media platforms from where they whip up ethnic fears of their group. Granger and the PNC have the support of their core group.

Secondly, Granger and the PNC know that domestically, the PPP are in no position to challenge their illegal squatting in office. They occupy the seat of authority (the government) and have the ethnic loyalty of all the power centres of the state: the Police Force; the GDF; the Peoples Militia; the Civil Service; the Government corporations where they have appointed ex-army squaddies as Heads of Department plus even supposedly independent institutions like GECOM etc. And just as importantly, they can always call out the lumpen urban elements who have historically rioted on their behalf, such as the post-1997 ethnic riots , to intimidate the Indian-Guyanese business class, who are considered as financial backers of the PPP. It for these reasons that the PNC can confidently announce that they will not “allow” the PPP to return to office.

The only fly in the ointment in the PNC’s gamble is the position of the international community – especially the US. Back in 2011, just before the elections of that year, some PNCfriendly academics, such as Ivelaw Griffith who was later to be appointed VC of UG as a reward, had crafted a document on the “Strategic Culture of Guyana”. This posited that the PNC better satisfied that criterion, which the US was using to evaluate allies after the fall of international communism. This conclusion had been presented to the US administration, especially the US Army Southern Command, which is closely affiliated with the sponsoring Florida International University. The US, in fact did tilt towards the PNC in the 2011 and 2015 elections, when the latter captured office in coalition with the AFC.

The more even-handed approach of the US Administration in the subsequent years can only be attributed to the PNC coalition’s inept handling of the domestic situation – especially the economy and politically, with its obdurate refusal to modify its policies to practice consultative coalition politics. The US must have concluded “this is déjà vu all over again” as they remembered the disaster the PNC under Burnham had wreaked in Guyana. The PPP, on the other hand, had demonstrated they were not going to challenge US interests locally and hemispherically and they were better suited to maintain stability in a country that neighbours the strategically vital Venezuelan oil reserves.

Granger had carefully phrased his commitment on the recount on Chairperson Claudette Singh’s declaration. Going by his history, he would have already gamed the system in his favour. In this situation the PNC leadership is gambling for resurrection by taking on the Americans and the west which have consistently called for the results of the recount to be respected.

As such Granger and the PNC are almost certainly taking the country down the road to sanctions – most likely personal. This will not end well.

WBD man kills brother with scissors …surrenders after committing the act

three to four time but I didn’t see no response until he died…They does normally argue but last night was real terrible,” the man related.

The police, Ezra noted, had difficulty finding the house, which is located in an alleyway. He contended that the younger Hodge would have survived if pect] come home, he would always be beating him because of his hand. It so happened that it continue for the whole week and this morning [Saturday], he break off a wood from the bed and charge [the suspect] who was in his bed sleeping. Like they had a scuffle and I don’t know where the scissors come

Dead: Timothy Hodge

Ascuffle between two brothers had a deadly ending early Saturday morning at Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD), after the older sibling picked up a pair of scissors and slit the other’s throat.

Dead is 22-year-old Timothy Hodge of Lot 29 Sisters Village, WBD. His 36-year-old brother later surrendered to law enforcement.

Based on information received, the incident occurred at about 02:00h.

Uncle of the two men, Ezra (only name provided) told this publication that he lives just next door to the family. He said that the brothers were involved in a heated argument which prompted him to call to the police. According to the uncle, the brothers would usually have small squabbles, but this time around, it sounded serious. As the situation escalated, the older sibling grabbed a pair of scissors and slashed his brother's throat.

According to the uncle, Timothy was discovered alive by family members and several calls to emergency services were made yet again. However, no one arrived until 04:00h.

“The two of them had a lil story and then I hear a scuffling with the two of them. When I come out after, I see Timothy lying down on the floor with his face down. I call the police about

The Sister’s Village residence which the brothers shared with their mother

help had arrived on time.

“If they had come when I called them at 02:15h, this wouldn’t happen right now. I called them and that’s when the story started happening. I decided to call the police at that time because I said like something might happen but at the time, they said they don’t know is where. I went out on the road waiting on them to come and I never see them come until Timothy dead,” he uncle recalled.

Meanwhile, an aunt of the brothers told Guyana Times that the deceased would imbibe on a regular basis, reportedly causing conflicts with the suspect, who has a hand deformity. She spoke about their unstable relationship, alleging that the older Hodge was subjected to physical abuse by the now dead man.

“The small brother does drink and he always take advantage of the big brother. Every time the boy [the sus

from,” she detailed.

After the intense episode, the suspect went over to the Wales Police Station where he surrendered. As Police continue their investigation, the man is still in Police custody. Both men resided with their mother.

This is the second incident in one week, whereby a man died at the hands of his brother. Last Sunday, a Shieldstown, West Bank Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) labourer was fatally stabbed to the chest by his younger brother during a row over land.

Sarananand Bisnath, 45, of Back Street, Shieldstown, and his 44-yearold brother were imbibing when a verbal disagreement erupted over their father’s land. The younger brother armed himself with a knife and attacked Sarananand, who was still sitting in the hammock. He was stabbed to the chest in the vicinity of his heart.

12 ELECTIONS 2020 RECOUNT SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM Mingo’s fraudulent declarations further exposed

13 SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

By Lakhram Bhagirat

The trans community in Guyana is unjustly discriminated against. They are mocked for revealing their true selves as well as stereotyped as only being worthy of doing sex work or low-level jobs. The trans community is painted with a broad brush as being uneducated and rambunctious.

Those stereotypes are far from the truth. The fact remains that trans people in Guyana undergo immense discrimination and are starved of the opportunities to excel. The trans community quite often is reduced to economic dependency.

Trans woman Alessandra Hereman has been working with her fellow trans brothers and sisters in an effort to bring awareness to the issues this vulnerable community faces on a daily basis. Hereman is presently employed with the Guyana Trans United (GTU) -- the only registered trans-led NonGovernmental Organisation in Guyana. The GTU is involved in gender and social justice work.

Hereman, in sharing her journey as a trans woman, told the Sunday Times Magazine that she grew up within a supportive family. From a young age when she began exhibiting gender non -conformity behaviours, her family never made her feel as though she was different.

Coming from the Ancient County of Berbice meant that she was not exposed to most of the challenges facing trans people in Guyana and particularly in the city. She began recognising that she was different from the other children when she was in primary school. Hereman would often be teased and taunted by her fellow students because of the fact she spoke, walked, and acted “differently”.

However, things took a drastic turn when she moved to secondary school and began experiencing gender dysphoria – which is the condition of identifying as the opposite of one’s assigned sex.

“But it wasn’t until a few years after high school that I actually understood what my experiences meant, that is, I was a trans person - someone whose assigned gender is incongruent from [A1] their internal or lived gender experience. This wasn’t a walk in the park, though, I have had moments in my life where I struggled to make sense of my experiences which also included denying them. After understanding and making sense of who I am, I made the decision to affirm my gender. For a lot of trans people, gender transitioning or affirmation is a life-long journey and comes in various forms including medical-hormone therapy and non-medical (name change) transitioning,” she recounted.

Hereman knew that the route she was taking would not be an easy one, but she was prepared to fight the good fight. As a trans woman, she experienced endless discrimination, verbal assaults, and even harassment on the street. However, she was not prepared for the level of discrimination she would experience when she applied for a government job.

Recounting the experience, Hereman says that she saw an advertisement for a job she was qualified for, so she applied. She was called for an interview, but that interview turned into a gender interrogation session after the interviewing panel became aware of the fact that she was trans. They inquired about her name change and even made degrading remarks to her.

“They made remarks like ‘we can spice things up a bit by hiring two males, two females, and a trans…and you can wear your heels and stockings and come to work… we will install a washroom for trans.’ They even mentioned that because it was a high-profile job that requires confidentiality I cannot go at the Cathedral.”

Hereman had no idea what the interviewing panel meant when they told her she could not go to the ‘Cathedral’. She took this to mean that she was now forbidden from visiting the place of worship, but little did she know that she was being insulted at the time. Later, she would find out from a colleague that the remark meant that they considered her to be a sex worker since the ‘Cathedral’ is a hub for sex workers.

She notes that when she looks back at that incident, she now realises that she was stereotyped and discriminated against based on her gender.

For Hereman, it is experiences such as those that lead the trans community to question their very existence as human beings.

The GTU and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) recently conducted a study which just reinforced what almost every trans person knows – that many of them are dealing with family rejec

t i o n , l o s s of formal education, unemployment, and are at an increased risk for violence and victimisation.

The GTU is Guyana’s only trans representative body and because of that, the trans movement is somewhat centralised. However, according to Hereman, the movement is evolving with various trans organising across the country.

“The trans community engages in activism especially around challenging the cross-dressing law which heightened the visibility of trans-Guyanese existence. But while we have been gaining increased visibility in the media, the community still suffers from the lack of economic and social resources. We don’t have many trans people completing high school because of transphobic bullying and lack of family support.”

She notes that more than often, trans people are forced to discontinue their education because of societal pressures, discrimination, and lack of familial support.

“Trans women don’t drop out of school, because they are not smart, they drop out of school because they are made to feel they don’t belong. The lack of formal qualification means it is harder for trans people to gain employment in the formal sector which results in many trans women engaging in domestic, part-time employment, and street-based sex work. Engaging in street-based sex work or domestic work, both of which provide subsistence income, increases trans women’s risk for violence and abuse because of economic dependency,” she posited.

Hereman is of the view that awareness can happen at the State and policy level and at the community level.

“A good place to start is by the State and State agencies recognising that trans people are part of Guyanese society. We have the Women and Gender Equality Commission. Historically, people who transgress gender have contributed much to feminist theory and praxis, because trans people’s existence demonstrates that gender is a social construct and is not restricted by our sexed body classification – a fundamental feminist ontology that has been used during the feminist movement to argue that biology is not destiny and a woman’s place is not in the home simply because she is assigned female.

“If the mantra of the Women’s and Gender Equality Commission is the liberation of people from gendered discrimination, gender inequality, and gender, then that would be an appropriate place where the awareness should be coming from. Also, we have the National Gender Policy. I am not sure what the status on this is, but it would be nice to know if trans people as a gender minority are reflected in such a policy and what recommendations are proposed to address some of the challenges trans people face because of their gender status,” Hereman said.

At the grassroots level, community-based organisations like the GTU continue with education and sensitisation workshops and training around gender and sexuality diversity. However, one can only expect significant change when the legal framework and the cultural environment are working concomitantly for a paradigm shift.

The challenges continue to shape how Hereman sees the trans community, and its marginalisation makes her even hungrier for change. She has a strong support network with people within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to that, she also facilitates gender and sexuality workshops which give her an avenue to speak more of these challenges.

Through her work, Hereman has been able to meet people who admit to having biases against the LGBTQ+ community, but she has also been able to shape their thoughts and extract their willingness to work on their attitude and behaviour.

“I know at times people who struggle with gender incongruent may feel lost or afraid or may even deny their experience, but it is always better to live your authentic self than to live a life of lie for society’s approval. This is easier said than done, but there is strength in choosing to live your life unapologetically,” she advises.

Swami Aksharanananda

Human Right Activist and lifelong Hindu, Vidyaratha Kissoon

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Hindus have the responsibility to ensure that every one of God’s creations is treated equally and with the respect they deserve. Hinduism by itself is a way of life. It guides its followers along the path of Sanatana dharma, which is basically a set of eternal duties a Hindu should fulfil.

One of the main tenets of Hinduism is equality. Not just selective equality, but complete equality. Every creation, in Hinduism, is revered and respected as documented in the various texts that serve as a guide for navigation of one’s duties.

In Hinduism, homosexuality is described as a biological condition and therefore, Hindus should not treat a homosexual person any differently. The very teachings of the various sacred texts stress the points of acceptance, love, and good karma.

Trinidadian-American Professor of Religion, Pandit Anantanand Rambachan eloquently explains the teachings of the Ramayana as it relates to the introduction of a third gender in Uttarakaanda 87 of the Shri Ramcharitmanas.

Uttarakaanda 87 of the Shri Ramcharitmanas states: “purusa napumsaka nari jiva caracara koi, sarba bhava bhaja kapata taji mohi parama pritya soi. Satya kahau khaga tohi suci sevaka mama pranapriya, asi bicari bhaju mohi parihari asa bharosa saba.”

This translates to Shri Ram saying: “Be it, man, woman or one lacking in the characteristics of both, or, for the matter of that, any living being, giving up all the guile, is supremely dear to me. O bird, I tell you in all sincerity that a guileless servant is dear to me as life. Realising this, worship me, abandoning all other hope and reliance.”

Pandit Rambachan, says by introducing the third sex (napumsaka), Shri Ram is saying that gender is non-binary. He explicitly states that napumsaka refers to a gay person and adds that our very teaching implores Hindus to treat them with the respect they so deserve.

“There is no justification; there are no bases in our Hindu tradition for homophobia, for disrespecting, for ill-treating gay people, for denying them rights that we as people enjoy. You may disagree with me on this, but I stand by this to say that homophobia and the denigration of gays are inconsistent with the highest teachings of our Ramayana and not only that but the Upanishads (the ancient Sanskrit texts of the spiritual teachings and ideals of Hinduism),” Pandit Rambachan said during a yajna a few years ago.

He notes that Shri Tulsidas starts the Ramayana epic by saying that there are so many different beings in this world. So many that even Shri Ram cannot count them all, but appreciates the fact that there is divinity in every one of them. On that note, Shri Tulsidas pens his appreciation and respect for each one.

Hinduism’s traditions call for the respect and deem sacred, the worth of every human being. It speaks nothing about treating differently those who may be considered as different. The teachings are premised on the fact of service to humanity and good deeds beget good karma.

Nowhere, in Hinduism, does it discriminate against any of God’s creation.

Pandit Rambachan says, “Shri Ram acknowledges the third gender - the napumsukas, the people who are born different and they should not be treated differently or unfairly because they're different. Let us not engage in the verbal denigration of gay people, because it is not in our tradition. We have Sanatana dharma. Every human being should follow very basic dharmic rules.”

At no point does Hinduism condone immoral behaviour, but it also teaches the acceptance of those different from what one may consider as the norm. The teachings clearly state that people who have no choice about who they are should not be punished for being themselves. They should be afforded every opportunity there is.

Explaining the fact that homosexuality was referred to as a biological condition in Hinduism, Pandit Rambachan turned to another sacred epic – the Mahabharata.

“Arjuna, in Mahabharata when they were in exile, they had to live incognito… they had to live in disguise for one year and all of them took up different kinds of roles to conceal themselves. What was Arjuna's role? Arjuna pretended to be a gay person and worked in the Palace. The fact that he could have taken up that role showed that people knew what that role was and accepted that role,” he explained.

Though many Hindu priests are against performing vivah sanskar (wedding ceremony) for homosexual couples they tend to respect the choice of the individual.

Back in 2012, the then President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud condemned the legalising of homosexual unions. However, in the same breath, he informed that the GHDS has no intention of trampling on the freedom of choice as well as democratic rights of an individual.

“I have never read in any holy book of a man who marries a man or a woman marrying a woman; this is immoral and something we should not let into our society, but at the same time, we must not discriminate,” he was quoted as saying by Guyana Times.

Throughout the years, there have been various opinions brought forward by Hindu priests and notable among them was that of Swami Aksharananda. Swami Aksharananda would have, over the years, attended various symposiums where the topic of homosexuality dominated.

In 2013, he explicitly stated that homosexuality is not an abomination, adding that he was in no position to judge one’s lifestyle.

Swami Aksharananda, who is also the Principal of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School, stated that in Hinduism it is not one’s responsibility to judge since God does not judge. He reminded that it is the very teachings of Hinduism that informs everyone that they are an embodiment of the very God they serve so to discriminate against another individual for being different is tantamount to discriminating against God.

“The LGBTQ community has too long suffered from attacks, discriminations and injustices in society and the systematic alienation of their members by many faith communities has resulted in them losing hope in us as leaders, whom, they expect treatment of non-discrimination, nonjudgemental and non-derogatory innuendos. Dealing with who they are itself is a daily challenge; as such, we as a society ought not to be the judges of people's lifestyle; in this case, the context of morals,” Pandit Deodat Persaud said.

He, like many other Hindu scholars, notes that from the Hindu perspective the scriptures are generally very open and understanding of the

Pandit Deodat Persaud

Trinidadian-American Professor of Religion, Pandit Anantanand Rambachan

LGBTQ community, but questioned the difference at points between the open-mindedness of the scriptures and the lack of acceptance. Pandit Persaud, who hails from the Ancient County of Berbice, said he has seen LGBTQ persons being very helpful and co-existing harmoniously within the mandir structures and urged that their lives be respected as much as one would respect one's own.

Human rights activist and lifelong Hindu Vidyaratha Kissoon has been speaking about the correlation between Hinduism and homosexuality for a number of years. He notes that there is a need to explain to Hindus how laws which criminalise same-sex activity create an environment for discrimination and violence against LGBTQ citizens.

“In the Caribbean, religious leaders are often called on to pronounce on 'gay rights' and 'homosexuality'. Caribbean Hindu practice has been influenced by colonialism. There is a desire, where controversial issues arise, to appeal to conservative views so as not to be seen to be so 'morally' different from some forms of Christianity or Islam. Hindus around the world have been talking about human rights and homosexuality. Hindu practices and thoughts are diverse, and a critical feature of Hinduism is the questioning and adapting and application of the teachings based on time and geography,” he wrote in a 2013 post on his blog – Thoughts of a Minibus Traveller.

Kissoon notes that in the context of 'gay rights' there are going to be Pandits and Swamis who would talk about 'dirty Western imposi

tions' while other Swamis and Pandits have sought to have vivah ceremonies for samesex couples (not marriage) and have encouraged their LGBTQ devotees to live with integrity.

Hindu devotees are a diverse group, and they all have varying opinions on the topic of homosexuality.

Devotee Sumitra Singh says while she is on the fence about gay marriages, she does respect the right of an individual to choose who they wish to spend the rest of their life with. On the other hand, youngster Kevin Persaud said he was totally against the entire “gay thing”.

Hinduism is clear in its teachings that everyone should be respected and treated kindly. Most important of all is that we should share love.

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Every human being deserves to be treated with indifference and should be allowed to express themselves freely. The very foundation of humanity speaks about kindness, acceptance and most importantly, spreading love. Quite often, people would use various mediums as an excuse to stray away from those foundational principles.

Perhaps the most widely-used reason for straying from the foundational principle of acceptance is religion.

According to Pastor Marvin Junior Livan, this should not be. Religion should not be used in a way to oppress or to cast judgement on someone. He feels that kindness, acceptance and love should be afforded to every individual despite their perceived differences.

Pastor Livan ministers at the Hope of Christ Anglican Church. The Church falls under the United Anglo-Catholic Church umbrella.

According to the United Anglo-Catholic Church’s website, they are an inclusive Church Family. They have missions in the United States and South America which are continuing the Anglican tradition.

“We are traditional in faith and practice, with both Roman and Anglican liturgical traditions, but modern in our understanding of social justice

Some of the members of the church

and human nature. We are a Church that welcomes all men and women in the name of Christ; to join with us in adoration and worship of the Crucified and Risen Christ,” the website states.

It was those very values that drew Pastor Livan to the Church because as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) community he felt isolated from the other churches he was attending.

The 28-year-old grew up in an Anglican family, and church played a major role in his formative years. He went to Bible school in Guyana and was later commissioned as a Pastor in the Pentecostal church after marriage. However, he left the church after his marriage was dissolved and went on a self-realisation journey.

“After myself and wife had broken up and we divorced, I found myself in a same-sex relationship. I had always known my sexuality, but thought I could have suppressed it. I just had to be myself, so after I found myself in that same-sex relationship, I was not going to church because of the stigma and discrimination attached to it,” he recounted.

However, he felt lost most of the time and that something was missing from his life. After years of being a devout Christian, Pastor Livan was there trying to navigate between his true self and love for the church.

This led him to the World Wide Web where he came across the Anglican Episcopal Church where he learnt that everyone, despite their gender, sexual orientation and race,

was welcomed. He went back to his childhood church, this time with his same-sex partner. He immediately became involved in the church and served as one of the altar boys.

“Still yet, there were persons that showed me and my other half a bad face and with that, I started to question a lot of things within the church. I started to advocate with the Human Rights and Social Justice Commission that falls under the Anglican Diocese and it didn’t take me anywhere. Because I was a lone soldier there, because a lot of LGBT persons were afraid to come out and advocate alongside us. Me and my partner were the lone soldiers and we were not going anywhere. I began to question whether my same-sex partner can have our union be blessed there? Can

we be recognised as a couple?”

Pastor Livan, at that time, knew that there needed to be changes and work on a plan he always had.

He always envisioned a space where the LGBTQ community could be safe and from that vision came the Hope of Christ Anglican Church.

“I started to look on the Internet for LGBT-welcoming Anglican denominations which is independent. So, I found the United AngloCatholic Church and they are LGBT-welcoming. In that church, same-sex marriages are legal and recognised. I started my research and got hold of Father Rick, who is a former priest of the church and he gave me the information. He also submitted my name to the Bishop and explained what I wanted to do and I was welcomed,” Pastor Livan explained.

Last October, Pastor Livan gathered some of his friends and they formed the Trust Board to manage the church. They held several meetings and in January they held their first service.

“I was overwhelmed when we had our first service because we finally have a place where the LGBT community can be safe and worship. We were free from the homophobic teachings and I was happy. At first, the community did not know much about us, but from our second service the word started to get out and we were getting the support. It was very important for us to have our safe place, because persons who were kicked out of their churches now had a place to worship God and be themselves rather than going to a homophobic church,” he said.

“The message I am trying to get out there is God is not homophobic. God loves everyone and being out there is not a sin. Being gay is not a sin. God won’t punish nobody for being gay,” he added.

Pastor Livan said the word of God is one that encourages kindness and non-judgment so those are the principles on which he bases his messages.

The church now provides an escape for LGBTQ persons who are uncomfortable with the messages being shared in their respective churches.

By Lakhram Bhagirat

One of the major misconceptions about trans people is that they have a choice in how they feel. Many persons often accuse them of choosing to be another gender when the fact remains that trans people cannot control how they feel.

Trans people are not choosing to become someone else, rather they are becoming their true selves.

No one can tell you about hating themself more than Alexander Augustus Caesar – a trans man.

Prior to his transition, Caesar suffered extensive gender dysphoria and hated the skin he was in. Now, he is proud of who he is and is an active member of the local trans community that continues to push for a change in the Guyanese trans landscape.

In sharing his journey with Sunday Times Magazine, Caesar said he grew up knowing he was different from a very young age. He would always be the father whenever he was engaged in a game of ‘dolly-house’ and always felt as though he was made for the role.

He remembered at some point in his childhood he was watching a talk show where the story of a child changing their sex was being discussed and how accepting the family was. Without knowing the gravity of what he was feeling, Caesar said to himself that when he grew older, he would get a beard and go on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss that.

“While growing, I always had an attraction to women and then again due to hearing homophobic remarks, I suppressed who I was and tried the heterosexual route. I remember going to High School and trying to be fit in…. at this point I walking like a boy and everything and this was something I had no control over because I didn’t even know it was happening. I tried to make a conscious effort to be a bit more feminine and not stand out as this boyish girl,” he said.

However, those efforts were futile since he would instinctively revert to his true self. When he was 19 years old and living with his family at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, Caesar had to leave home.

He explained that the decision to leave home was for ‘everyone’s sake’ since the environment was toxic. It was even abusive since his family had a tough time accepting him and the societal pressures of raising a ‘normal’ family were telling on his parents. It was around 21:00h that night when he moved out to be with his then partner and ever since he has been on his own.

However, the relationship with his family is slowly mending and Caesar said he is grateful.

“I was in Nursing School when I was walking down the street and a queer guy stopped me and asked me are you a boy or a girl? This was a strange man at the time and I said I am a boy. At that time, it just felt normal and I was dressed as one. I had on the jersey and jeans like a boy but I had still not known what it meant to say I was a boy. I had no knowledge of what being transgender was at that time,” he recounted.

That initial question led to a friendship and through that, Caesar was introduced to the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD). He drew confidence from his friend and they took part in a needs assessment. That was when his activism began.

He remembered that SASOD gave him the opportunity to attend an international meeting for transgendered persons. It was this activity that flooded his mind with the information he never knew he needed. At the meeting, participants from various countries were speaking about gender diversity and the challenges of being trans in society.

“I mean it was all just so crazy. It was new to me because all I always thought was that if you’re a girl and like girls, you’re a lesbian and if you’re a boy that likes boys, you’re gay. It never occurred to me that you could be anything different. So, by going there and getting information and educated, the puzzle started to fit together. It was there I realised that I could identify as a trans man.

“At that point, I said to myself I think I found who I am. I know who I am. It was a whole lot of back-andforth for me because now I have to unlearn what I’ve been learning and break down the vital constructs in my head of what I should be and what I am,” he related.

The internal battle waged on for a long time but then he started to tell people about his identity as a trans man. During that time he was experiencing severe gender dysphoria which is disassociation with your body. He hated the skin he was in because his gender identity did not match his physical construct.

At the meeting, Caesar had met a trans man from Jamaica and kept in contact. He was able to learn, from his trans brother, about his journey.

“I was like wait he’s doing it to the Caribbean. He is on testosterone and is on hormone treatment. It should be possible for me to start in my country too. I mean like even though I cannot get what I want, I can start on testosterone.”

Then began his journey. Caesar went to the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) where he explained what he wanted to do and was advised accordingly. Initially, the nurses he met at the GRPA thought that Caesar was a man wanting to transition to a woman and not a girl wanting to transition to a man.

However, they were helpful and took charge of him. There he met with a doctor who advised and recommended him to an endocrinologist – a doctor who specialises in glands, hormones and metabolism. He visited the endocrinologist who talked him through the process and repeatedly asked if he was sure about his decision to begin transitioning.

Having affirmed his readiness, Caesar did some tests and collected the prescription for his hormones, and began his medical transitioning journey on August 1, 2018.

It was not an easy ride for him since he had to overcome depression and realise that he was about to undergo a life-changing experience. He took the fact that he needed to decide who he was and to stop caring about what everybody wants. He knew that commencing his transition journey would result in even more loss of family support.

“After I took my first shot, I was fixated on feeling the drug. After a few, I remembered talking and I felt this itching in my throat. I thought like it was a sore throat or something but I noticed that my voice was deeper and getting even deeper. I went from not wanting to talk to talking all the time because I loved the sound of my voice.”

With that, his muscle tone began increasing as well as he started growing a beard. After about two months, under the guidance of his endocrinologist, Caesar took charge of his own treatment since he is a registered nurse. He knew what indicators to look for so he can know whether to increase his hormones or decrease.

In January of 2019, he received a very important call. It was a call from a hospital in New York informing him of the date for his surgery. He was anxious and immediately

began scrambling to acquire the necessary finances to support his flight. One of the overseas consultants from his Nursing School days offered to pay for his ticket to New York so that he could have his surgery done.

He had surgery on March 2, 2019, and said it was one of the most life-changing things that happened to him.

“On the morning of my surgery, I didn’t feel any different. I was excited. I got up feeling that today was the day and I went to the hospital. It didn’t bother me that I didn’t have my family there until I was in the pre-op room and I saw someone else who would’ve had some surgery with about 10 of their family members being all supportive. I was like here I am undergoing this life-changing procedure and have no family with me here but it didn’t really bother me because I knew I was going to come out as the man I was supposed to be and I was grateful for having that done,” he remembered.

After his surgery, he woke up to his friends at his side. They supported his recovery and within a few weeks, he was back in Guyana. Shortly after coming back, Caesar returned to his job as a Registered Nurse.

He is grateful to be working with people who understand his journey and give him the respect of his identity.

Caesar is actively building the relationship with his family while trekking through his journey as a trans man. He is grateful that his brother was brave enough to support him and walk with him at the Pride March in 2019.

For Caesar, his story is still writing and far from finished.

The month of June marks 17 years since the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) was formed and since then, it has been actively changing the landscape for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and other (LGBTQ+) community in Guyana.

SASOD has been leading Guyana’s charge in ensuring basic human rights are guaranteed for the LGBTQ+ community. It has also been leading change, educating and serving communities, to end discrimination based on sexuality and gender.

SASOD was formed in 2003 by mostly students from the University of Guyana calling themselves Students Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination at A scene from the first Pride Parade held on June 2, 2018 the time – advocating for the inclusion of sexual orientation as grounds for discrimination in Guyana’s Constitution. SASOD seeks to have discriminatory laws repealed which criminalise LGBTQ+ people while advocating for vices, such as health, education, work and housing is severely inhibited. This is where SASOD’s Human Services Programme kicks in. The body provides services, referrals and researches and develops solutions and services to the High Court of Guyana challenging this law on several grounds, including that it is discriminatory and inconsistent with the Constitution of Guyana. The case went all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) where the Court held that the law was also unconstitutionally vague, violated the appellants’ right to protection of the law and was contrary to the rule of law. A majority of the Judges also upheld the appeal on the basis that the law resulted in transgendered and gender non-conforming persons being treated unfavourably by criminalising their gender expression and gender identity.

Another major accomplishment for SASOD was the formation of the Guyana Trans United (GTU). The GTU was registered because of the constant community mobilisation that occurred during the eight and a half years of litigation for the McEwan case. This resulted in a full-blown movement specific to trans rights. GTU was registered in 2012 as an LGBTQ+ Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), specifically focusing on trans rights. GTU is a hub of care and self-improvement programmes.

As of recent, SASOD was able to successfully host Guyana’s first Pride Trans litigants Angel Clarke, Candacy McEwan, Pheches Fraser and

Isabella Persaud at the CCJ for the hearing on June 28, 2018

Parade in 2018 as part of its Pride Month activities. SASOD Guyana has been a leading partner of the Guyana State and non-State actors to respect, protect, and fulfil the human rights of these groups.

The organisation continues to be both proactive and responsive in supporting LGBTQ+ people by providing and linking these groups to critical services. There are three programmes which the organisation delivers to achieve its goals, namely Human Rights, Homophobia(s) Education and Human Services.

These three programmes have been coined as the 3 ‘H’ Agenda. The human rights aspect of SASOD’s goal includes address sexual health, mental health, literacy and remedial education, entrepreneurship and employment, and emergency shelter and housing for LGBTQ+ people.

Over the years, SASOD has been able to influence significant changes to the benefit of its members. Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments for SASOD was the decriminalisation of cross-dressing.

The case of Quincy McEwan, Seon Clarke, Joseph Fraser, Seyon Persaud and the Society Against Sexual LGBTQ coalition and has the responsibility of organising the Guyana Pride Parade. History was made as Guyana held its first Pride Parade – not only was it a first for Guyana but it was also the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Some other accomplishments for SASOD include its annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the launch of the Guyana Equality Forum, SASOD Women’s Arm Guyana (SWAG) and the introduction of Legal Aid for Vulnerable Groups.

For the March 2 General and advocacy for the changing of laws and policies that target the LGBTQ+ community. This programme aims to address the need to protect LGBTQ+ Guyanese from discrimination, achieve equality, equity and full citizenship. In the major components of this programme, SASOD engages in multi-pronged advocacy to challenge violence, discrimination and injustice, advocates to change policies and laws which exclude and discriminate against LGBTQ+ people and utilises the United Nations and InterAmerican Human Rights systems to pressure and hold the State accountable for its obligations to LGBTQ+ people.

Meanwhile, the Homophobia(s) Education programme signals the or

Members of SWAG at their launch event for International Women’s Day in March 2017

ganisation’s commitment to ending all forms of homophobia against its members. Through a discrimination reporting and documentation system, awareness, sensitisation, training and direct engagement with key stakeholders, the programme seeks to cultivate positive changes in attitudes, which drive stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Because LGBTQ+ people suffer pervasive discrimination in Guyana, their access to basic socio-economic serOrientation Discrimination (SASOD) v The Attorney General of Guyana began with the arrest of the first four appellants in February 2009 for ‘cross-dressing’. They all pleaded guilty to the cross-dressing charge based on the explanation rendered by the Magistrate. Upon imposing the sentence, the Magistrate told them that they must go to church and give their lives to Jesus Christ and advised them that they were confused about their sexuality. Resulting proceedings were brought in Regional Elections, SASOD, in an effort to ensure the rights of LGBTQ+ persons in Guyana are adequately represented, launched its manifesto which the organisation presented to political parties that contested elections. The manifesto focused on constitutional law and reform, sexual and gender-based violence, education, public health, and social protection.

SASOD continues to advocate for the rights of its members.

World Environment Day Message from Dr. Vincent Adams

At 24 years old, the E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Agency (EPA), although not in its prime, has come a long way over the past two years in its transformation to a culture of providing high quality customer service to the people of Guyana; with the highest degree of transparency, and investing heavily in our most valuable resource -- our human capital -- through aggressive recruitment, development of skills, and enhancing customer service. Such employee development includes exposure to local and international training opportunities; and networking and collaboration with international organisations through memberships and participation in technical conferences and workshops. Further, capacity building includes tripling the staff to over 300 employees, and building our own fully furnished laboratory by 2022 – all to accommodate the quadrupling of work load already being actualised by advent of the oil economy.

Other significant accomplishments over the last two years include the overhauling and restructuring of the Agency to accommodate the increased workload. For example, with the help of the World Bank, we have established an Oil and Gas Unit to comprise of 36 highly skilled employees to oversee the industry; and have similarly established other units to oversee each sector of the economy. Also, we have substantially improved accountability of development projects by bringing over 500 expired permits into compliance, and utilised the back revenues to recruit 20 skilled staff, and increase our fleet of field ready vehicles from two to nine, allowing for greater compliance monitoring and enforcement. In addition, we established a Central Registry to secure custody, accounting, and efficient processing of the voluminous amounts of documents supporting the 2,000 projects.

Another major important area of effort is the timely dispositioning of the approximately 15 complaints per day received by Agency. For this reason, we have put in place a Standard Operating Procedure for Complaints Management, including the set-up of a 24-hour hotline with an acknowledgement of the complaint within 24 hours, and an expeditious investigation, resolution and closure of the complaint.

We have also expanded our public awareness programmes covering new media outlets including a television show titled ‘The Environment Matters’ and the launch of the first ever Green Note magazine; and have moved apace with the development of Guyana by ensuring weekly radio programmes in the outlying regions.

Establishing an EPA office in every region by 2021, and revision of the outdated 1996 Environmental Protection Act which for example, did not consider the petroleum sector are amongst the most urgent priorities of the Agency. Additionally, we will be chartering a new course to address the post 2020 biodiversity agenda, plus the single-use plastics and mercury bans.

Special thanks to our diligent staff, all our partners and other stakeholders, without whom, such meaningful success would not be possible.

Happy World Environment Day and Happy 24th Anniversary to the EPA!