These are the annotated slides of a lecture delivered remotely on 30 January, 2018 to students doing Sexualities and Queering the Caribbean: CCRB 603 Special Topics in Caribbean Studies at Ryerson University, Canada. The lecturer is Dr Wesley Crichlow. There is a video which includes the audio at https://youtu.be/UtM_ApxMAgs

1. Blistering Mohangu’s penis to protect morality : Some perspectives
from Guyana on Queering the Caribbean
Presenter : Vidyaratha Kissoon, Georgetown, Guyana
Email: vidyak1@gmail.com
Sexualities and Queering the Caribbean: CCRB 603 Special Topics in
Caribbean Studies
Ryerson University, Canada
Video available at https://youtu.be/UtM_ApxMAgs
30 January, 2018
(Creative Commons : shared with attribution
Annotated after discussion with the students)

2. Invocations
●
Invoking the LGBTIQQ people
– those who lived their truth, those who were killed, maimed, penalised for that
truth, those who managed to survive
– those who find a way to live in the Caribbean,
– and those who had to leave while maintaining connections
●
Invoking all those who have taught and who continue to educate me,
especially those activists who I might disagree with from time to time but
who have not blocked me from their social media accounts
●
Invoking the other people – activists, scholars, artists, academics, allies,
religious people, citizens who believe that the Caribbean can be a place
which accepts diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity
●
Invoking those who practice homophobia in different forms and wishing
them peace and enlightenment

3. Appreciation
●
To Dr Crichlow for inviting me to do this
●
This being :-
– A video creation instead of a remote lecture as I
was not sure of electricity and connectivity
●
Free screen recorder which has a watermark
●
Low quality video due to bandwidth issues
– Please forgive any quirks and variations in quality

4. About me..
●
Live and work in Guyana
●
Involved in work to promote
gender equality, child
protection and social justice
●
Work since 2001 on
equality for LGBTIQQ
citizens.
●
Various roles, including now
Co-ordinator of the
Caribbean IRN

5. In the next hour or less..
●
Locate Guyana within the Caribbean
●
Look at historical references to LGBTIQQ lives in
Guyana
●
Talk about the laws and living within the laws
●
Talk about God’s involvement in the work
●
Describe some Caribbean IRN resources
●
Q& A to follow, or we could pause and ask
questions

6. Caribbean and Guyana

7. Queering the Caribbean
Criminalisation of same-sex activity
Court cases in progress
No penalisation or positive judgement made
Recognition of gay marraiges/partnerships (DOMs, OT)
Legend

8. Queering the Caribbean
Criminalisation of same-sex activity
Court cases in progress
No penalisation or positive judgement made
Recognition of gay marraiges/partnerships (DOMs, OT)
Legend

9. Guyana
●
North coast of South America
●
Only English-speaking so linked to Anglo Caribbean
●
1966 Independence
●
750,000 or so people, 216,000 sq km
●
descendants of Indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples from
Africa, indentured and other immigrants from India, China and
Europe
●
Only South American country which criminalises same-sex
relations
●
Oil is being discovered....

10. Work in progress...Caribbean Map of LGBTIQQ
organisations

11. Guyanese organisations
●
Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GUYBOW)
– guybow99@gmail.com
●
Guyana Trans United
– guyanatransunitedco@yahoo.com
●
Society Against Sexual Orientation
Discrimination (SASOD)
– http://www.sasod.org.gy
●
Other allies, networks, groups

12. Criminal Law (Offences) Act -
Guyana
Section 351. Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the
commission, or procures or attempts to procure the commission, by any male person, of any
act of gross indecency with any other male person shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and
liable to imprisonment for two years.
Section 352. Everyone who-
(a) attempts to commit buggery; or
(b) assaults any person with intent to commit buggery; or
(c) being a male, indecently assaults any other male person,
shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for ten years.
Section 353. Everyone who commits buggery either with a human being or with any other
living creature, shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for life.

13. Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act
Guyana
Section 153 (1) (xlvii)
being a man, in any public way or public place, for
any improper purpose, appears in female attire or
being a woman, in any public way or public place,
for any improper purpose, appears in male attire

14. Other offences
(xi) in any public way or public place in any town,
beats or shakes any mat between seven in the
morning and six in the afternoon;
(xxix) in any public way flies any kite or plays at
any game

15. Mentions of LGBTIQQ lives in the archives
Available on http://dloc.com/icirn
http://caribbeanirn.blogspot.com/2013/05/british-
guiana-1898-punishment-for.html

16. 1898 : Blistering Mohangoo’s penis
on the Mersey

17. Archival reference
●
Shared by Gaiutra Bahadur, author of “Coolie
Woman : Odyssey of Indenture “
●
http://caribbeanirn.blogspot.com/2013/05/british
-guiana-1898-punishment-for.html

18. 1903 : 19 year old Rukmini on the ship Clyde,
listed as ‘hermaphrodite’

19. 1959 : All male “wedding of the Year
“The ‘bride’ wore white chantilly lace over slipper
satin. ‘Her’ headdress was a coronet of seed pearls.
‘She’ was bedecked with diamante necklace and
earrings to match. The wedding portrait was taken at
Lees Photo Studio of High Street, where mounted
Police were called out to control the huge crowd
which was gathered there. Later, two platoons of riot
squad men were rushed to the wedding reception
area to ease a traffic jam. (Guiana Graphic: Page
One, July 12, 1959)

20. 1966 : 65 year old Caroline Vaughn
(Guiana Graphic: April 1,
1966 )
‘CAROLINE’, a 65-year-old
patient whose a sex
abnormality created a stir
among doctors and nurses in
the New Amsterdam Hospital
as she lay dying, was neither
male nor female.
(Guyana Chronicle article)

21. 1968 : Psychiatric treatment for man
wearing mini skirt
Guyana Graphic January 16, 1968) and reprinted in
Guyana Chronicle "Tales from Way Back When,
Clifford Stanely"
12 May, 2013
A YOUNG man, Compton Bowen of Bagotsville,
West Bank Demerara, who was found wearing a
miniskirt on Sunday was yesterday ordered to be
sent to the Georgetown Hospital for psychiatric
treatment. The order was made by Magistrate
Aubrey Bishop when Bowen pleaded guilty to a
charge of wearing female clothing for an improper
purpose. The prosecutor, Sergeant Charles said
that the Police were on patrol on Sunday morning.
when they saw Bowen strolling along Water Street
wearing a miniskirt and carrying a wallet. The
prosecutor said that Bowen was twisting his waist
from side to side like a female.

22. 1978 : Sex change operations
SEX OPERATION SUCCESSFUL-DREAM COME TRUE
(The Citizen January 26,1978) reprinted in Guyana Chronicle 12 Sept, 2014
Guyana’s second transsexual in 13 months is now resting at the
Georgetown Hospital after what was described as a successful operation.
The 24-year-old described as a competent seamstress was wheeled into
the theatre a man and came out some ninety minutes later with all the
physical attributes of a woman thanks to the surgeon’s sharp knives.
“At last my dream has come true,” the 24-year-old said yesterday a few
hours after the sex change operation.
“And I have informed all the nursing staff here that I will now be known as
Sabrina,” the patient said.

23. 1979 : Counsel wants law to permit
homo relations
(Guyana Chronicle April 4, 1979)
Barrister-at-Law Stanley Moore has said that the criminal law in
Guyana should be amended to permit homosexual relations
between consenting adults.
He said that the United Kingdom had already amended laws to
permit this.
Mr. Moore a lecturer on criminal law at the University of Guyana
was at the time making a plea in mitigation before Principal
Magistrate Owen Fung-kee-Fung for former Minister of Labour
employee Wendell Brotherson who pleaded guilty to committing
an act of gross indecency with another male person...

24. Previous materials available via IRN collection on
Digital Library of the Caribbean at
http://dloc.com/icirn

25. History after 2001
●
2001 – Constitutional Amendment to add Sexual Orientation to grounds for discrimination
(thrown out by President after prayers for him to do so)
●
2003 – Constitutional Amendment discussed in Parliament
●
2005 – First Painting the Spectrum : SASOD’s LGBT Film Festival
●
2010 – Constitutional challenge to cross dressing laws
●
2010 – UPR recommendation to Guyana for equality for LGBTQ
●
2012 – Parliamentary Select Committee formed to consider “THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF
CONSENSUAL ADULT SAME SEX RELATIONS AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LESBIANS,
GAYS, BI-SEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS “ amongst other things
●
2013 – Decision handed down in Cross Dressing Case
●
2013 – CADRES Survey finds that 58% of Guyanese are either tolerant or accepting of
homosexuals, while 17 per cent are undecided
– http://caribbeanirn.blogspot.com/2013/07/survey-report-attitudes-towards.html
●
2014 – Government official at a cocktail talks about the difficulty and so of gay rights
●
2014 - Protests against violence and lack of justice for victims of violence and against homophobic
comments by religious leaders

26. News clip video
Capitol News 29 July, 2014
http://www.capitolnewsgy.com/2014/07/29/lgbt-
community-fears-further-persecution/

27. 2015 – Elections Manifestos and sexual
orientation

28. 2015 to now - Nice talk from public officials

29. References
●
President to respect LGBT rights
– http://guyanachronicle.com/2016/01/06/president-to-respect-lgbt-r
ights
●
First Lady wants legal system to address needs of LGBT community, trafficking
victims
– https://newsroom.gy/2017/09/12/first-lady-wants-legal-system-to-address-need
s-of-lgbt-community-trafficking-victims/
●
Rights must be respected, people valued – First Lady
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/09/24/rights-must-be-respec
ted-people-valued-first-lady/
●
SASOD meets with Minister of Social Cohesion to discuss possible areas of
collaboration
– http://www.motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-
14/1374-sasod-meets-with-minister-of-social-cohesion-to-discuss-possible-
areas-of-collaboration

30. References cont’d..
●
SASOD, Lawrence meet on LGBT discrimination in social and economic
services
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/news/stories/02/28/sasod-lawrence-meet-lgbt-
discrimination-social-economic-services/
●
Lawrence bats for LGBT Community
– http://guyanachronicle.com/2016/03/18/lawrence-bats-for-lgbt-community
●
Legalising homosexuality no straightforward matter, says Greenidge
– http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/22/legalising-homosexuality-no-straightforward
-matter-says-greenidge
●
No fast track to gay rights in Guyana – Teixeira
– http://demerarawaves.com/2014/07/02/no-fast-track-to-gay-rights-in-guyana-teixeira/
●
Norton commits to addressing issues facing LGBT community -SASOD
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/02/11/norton-commits-addressing-
issues-facing-lgbt-community/

31. References cont’d
●
“IDAHOT Remarks by the Attorney General and Minister of
Legal Affairs, Hon. Basil Williams. S.C, M.P. (2017)” and AG
with rainbow flag in the background
– http://sasod.blogspot.com/2017/05/idahot-remarks-by-attorney-gene
ral-and.html
●
Gov’t never proposed referendum on gay sex laws – Harmon
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/06/03/govt-never-
proposed-referendum-gay-sex-laws-harmon/
●
Attorney General Commits to Review of Anti-Discrimination
Law to Protect LGBT Persons
– http://sasod.blogspot.com/2017/06/attorney-general-commits-to-
review-of.html

32. Ministry of Education

33. Protecting LGBT while abusing
children?
“Corporal punishment is lawful in schools under article 9 of the
Criminal Law (Offences) Act 1894 and article 7 of the Summary
Jurisdiction (Offences) Act 1894. The Education Act 1877 makes no
reference to corporal punishment. Ministerial Guidelines (2002)
state that corporal punishment must be administered only by the
head teacher, deputy head teacher or designated senior teacher
and only for certain offences (including fighting and use of indecent
language); boys should be punished on their hands or buttocks,
girls on their hands; the punishments should be inflicted with a cane
or strap no longer than 24 inches and not in the presence of other
learners, and all punishments should be recorded in the
Misdemeanours Book.” Global Initiative to end all corporal
punishment of Children

34. But not only the Government officials, here is
what the former President Jagdeo , now Leader of
the Opposition, had to say about God in 2017
Video of News clip – Evening News
24 May, 2017 available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FZr5ohZAI

35. Question..
●
A student challenged Mr Jagdeo’s comments
that since the laws are not being enforced, they
are not a problem.
●
The report “Collateral Damage- The Social
Impact of Laws Affecting LGBT Persons in
Guyana” explains
http://www.u-rap.org/web2/index.php/2015-09-29
-01-14-11/u-rap-reports/item/54-carrico-collat
eral-damage-the-social-impact-of-laws-affectin
g-lgbt-persons-in-guyana

36. If so many politicians on all sides are opposed to
discrimination, then who are they afraid of?

37. God?

38. 2001 : Full Page
Advertisement

39. January 2017
Letter to Donald Trump

40. Letter to Donald Trump
●
165 Guyanese Christians, some very senior
and active in the society, hope Donald Trump
would save them from gay marriage?

41. References..
●
Caribbean Christians appeal to Donald Trump
– https://world.wng.org/2017/02/caribbean_pastors_to_trump_stop_lgb
t_coercion
●
Linden church leader stages march against homosexuality
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/08/20/linden-
church-leader-stages-march-against-homosexuality/
●
Religious leaders decry discrimination against LGBT
– https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/06/01/religious-
leaders-decry-discrimination-lgbt/
●
Bishop Holder for support of LGBT
– http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/93649/bishop-holder-
support-lgbt

42. God in Guyanese..
●
2002 Census religious affiliations
Anglican
Methodist
Pentecostal
Catholic
Jehovah Witness
Bahai
Muslim
Hindu
Rastafarian
Seventh Day Adventist
Other Christians
None
Other

43. Hindu views
●
Hinduism is the faith of thousands of citizens in Guyana,
Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname. There are Hindus in other
parts of the Caribbean .
●
Indian and Hindu traditions record diversity in sexual
orientation and gender identity. No punishment like the
blistering of the penis, or imprisonment
●
Some Hindus in the Caribbean have spoken against
discrimination
– April 2013 - Swami Aksharananda’s from Guyana
– June 2015 - “Queerying Hinduism The Alternative Hindu Discourse
on "Alternative" Lifestyles" which was held in Trinidad and Tobago
●

44. Hindu views
●
Hinduism is the faith of thousands of citizens in Guyana, Trinidad &
Tobago, Suriname. There are Hindus in other parts of the Caribbean .
●
Indian and Hindu traditions record diversity in sexual orientation and
gender identity. No punishment like the blistering of the penis, or
imprisonment
●
Some Hindus in the Caribbean have spoken against discrimination
– April 2013 - Swami Aksharananda’s from Guyana
– June 2015 - “Queerying Hinduism The Alternative Hindu Discourse on
"Alternative" Lifestyles" which was held in Trinidad and Tobago
●
References available at “LGBT rights are Human Rights : A Hindu
Perspective” http://churchroadman.blogspot.com/2017/12/lgbt-rights-
are-human-rights-hindu.html

45. Making the happy society.. without
changing laws
●
Gender neutral Domestic Violence Act 1996
●
Gender neutral Sexual Offences Act 2010
●
Ministry of Health Policy against Stigma & Discrimination
●
2008 National Domestic Violence Policy
●
University of Guyana policies
●
2014 Municipal declarations by Linden and New Amsterdam against
discrimination
– “ Respect the dignity and worth of every person, without distinction on the basis of race,
colour, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, religion, property, birth
or other status
– Renounce homophobia and support the rights and dignity of all persons regardless of
their gender, sexuality or employment to care, treatment and support as human rights
●
2015 Elections code of conduct for political parties

46. 2018..
Ministry of Finance/National Procurement and Tender Administration –
Guyana – Supplier Registration Form showing options Male, Female, Other
for gender

47. In conclusion..
●
The Caribbean and
Guyana are probably
not going to change
any laws soon.
●
There is fear of God ,
but people seem to
find ways of working
around the laws

48. Caribbean IRN resources
●
Theorizing Homophobias in the Caribbean collection
– http://www.caribbeanhomophobias.org
●
Caribbean Sexualities
– http://www.caribbeansexualities.org
●
IRN collections (including Gay Freedom Movement of
Jamaica, Rainbow Alliance of the Bahamas) on the
Digital Library of the Caribbean
– http://www.dloc.com/icirn
●
Caribbean IRN blog – http://caribbeanirn.blogspot.com/