Religious members of the Georgetown Ministers’ Fellowship on Friday made several calls for Government to intervene and stop the pride festival and parade organised by the Guyana LGBT (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Community) which is slated for Saturday.
According to the Fellowship, “the Christian community which makes up more than 60 per cent of the population is concerned by efforts to pressure the government to legalize buggery.”
As such, they are demanding that Government make known where their support lies with regards to the decriminalisation of homosexuality, while threatening to withhold their votes during elections.
At a press conference on Friday, Pastor Desmond Rogers asserted that with the LGBT Community only being a mere 10 per cent of Guyana’s population, their political support- which is also being used as leverage against Government- should not place pressure on the administration to “legalise buggery.”
According to him, his Fellowship will not support this move as it is deemed “immoral.”
Meanwhile, organiser of the gay parade and the Managing Director of the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD), Joel Simpson was quietly among the gathering at the Fellowship conference.
He maintained that their protests will not deter the members from carrying out the pride festival celebrations.
“It’s really a protest and an opportunity for the LGBT community to continue its empowerment work,” he told media operatives, while noting that his community is still waiting on Government to fulfill their 2015 campaign promise.
“We are still looking for legislative change promised in 2015 elections. We are voting, tax paying law abiding citizens like everyone… We are not asking for anything special. We should enjoy protection from discrimination”, he posited.
