Anatomy of a bungled submission by gov’t on gay...

one, that you are progressive and modern and informed and so on but the reality is that this populace is a mixed one with a variety of preoccupations and prejudices in that case,” Greenidge said.

For Simpson this issue and how government has handled it is a representation of the inconsistent positions government has held on the LGBTI issue internationally.

He referenced the recently launched report, `Guyana’s Voting Records and Responses on LGBT Human Rights Issues at International Fora’ which was commissioned by SASOD. The report has accused the government of an inconsistent record on issues and resolutions related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and called on it to “turn its pro-LGBT rhetoric into action that is viable and meaningful.”

Simpson noted that Greenidge’s statement that government was ill prepared in Washington to respond to the concerns of the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF) is unfortunate since they would’ve been informed well in advance that a thematic meeting had been requested and would have received a copy of the submission before the IACHR meeting.

“The second secretary of the Washington D.C mission attended the meeting and indicated that a response would be forthcoming. The response arrived a day later and did not address the majority of the concerns raised by the GEF instead it spoke of the legality of same sex intimacy and a recommendation of a referendum,” he said.

For Simpson it is time for government to make a decision and act on it.

“Ministers have been saying different things, they need to start singing from the same hymn book and look to draft and implement actual policy,” Simpson stressed.