Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Encyclopedia
The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is a group which is committed to the removal of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, especially in Guyana
and the Caribbean
.
voted to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
. President Bharrat Jagdeo
of the People's Progressive Party
, refused to assent to the amendment bill and dissolved Parliament soon after for the 2001 General Elections
. In 2003, Parliament was scheduled to discuss the amendment again.
SASOD was formed in 2003 and organised around advocacy against homophobia
. There were two forums which were held in 2003 - one for the public, and another for the Members of the Parliament.
In July 2003, the amendment bill was proposed in the Guyanan Parliament, but a procedural dilemma was recognised when the ruling People's Progressive Party said that it would not vote for the bill that Parliament
was proposing. In response, SASOD continued its advocacy work and embarked on various activities.
and the more fundamentalist Christian
communities. SASOD contends that some parts of Guyana's sexual offences legislation are discriminatory and should be updated to review the definition of rape and to impose the same penalties for homosexual rape. For example:
Section 351, 352 and 353 of the Criminal Law Offences Act (8:01) states that
Those who wish to have these laws remain sometimes accuse SASOD of being lax regarding protection against the spread of HIV
and AIDS
, and demonise the gay and lesbian community by accusing them of supporting child sexual abuse
and even bestiality.
More recently, SASOD organised some fund-raising social events.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
History of SASOD
In 2001, Guyana's ParliamentNational Assembly of Guyana
The National Assembly is the parliament of Guyana. It has 65 members, 53 members elected for a five-year term by proportional representation and 12 members delegated by local government councils...
voted to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. President Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo is a Guyanese politician who has been President of Guyana since 11 August 1999. Prior to his presidency he was Minister of Finance and became President after Janet Jagan resigned for health reasons; subsequently he won two elections, in 2001 and 2006.Jagdeo was born in Unity Village...
of the People's Progressive Party
People's Progressive Party (Guyana)
The People's Progressive Party is a political party in Guyana led by Bharrat Jagdeo. The party has been in power since the 1992 elections and currently holds 36 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
, refused to assent to the amendment bill and dissolved Parliament soon after for the 2001 General Elections
Elections in Guyana
Elections in Guyana gives information on election and election results in Guyana.Guyana elects on national level a unicameral legislature .The National Assembly has 65 members...
. In 2003, Parliament was scheduled to discuss the amendment again.
SASOD was formed in 2003 and organised around advocacy against homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
. There were two forums which were held in 2003 - one for the public, and another for the Members of the Parliament.
In July 2003, the amendment bill was proposed in the Guyanan Parliament, but a procedural dilemma was recognised when the ruling People's Progressive Party said that it would not vote for the bill that Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
was proposing. In response, SASOD continued its advocacy work and embarked on various activities.
Criticisms of SASOD's work
The criticisms of SASOD's work comes from members of the MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and the more fundamentalist Christian
Fundamentalist Christianity
Christian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
communities. SASOD contends that some parts of Guyana's sexual offences legislation are discriminatory and should be updated to review the definition of rape and to impose the same penalties for homosexual rape. For example:
Section 351, 352 and 353 of the Criminal Law Offences Act (8:01) states that
- 351. "Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the commission, by any male person, of any act of gross indecency with any other male person shall be guilty of a misdemeanour's and liable to imprisonment for two years.
- 352. Everyone who:
- (a) attempts to commit buggeryBuggeryThe British English term buggery is very close in meaning to the term sodomy, and is often used interchangeably in law and popular speech. It may be, also, a specific common law offence, encompassing both sodomy and bestiality.-In law:...
:; 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 felonyFelonyA felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
and liable to imprisonment for ten years.
- (a) attempts to commit buggery
- 353. Everyone who commits buggery, with a human being or with any other living creature, shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for life".
Those who wish to have these laws remain sometimes accuse SASOD of being lax regarding protection against the spread of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, and demonise the gay and lesbian community by accusing them of supporting child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
and even bestiality.
Activities and Achievements
SASOD's advocacy and awareness activities include the writing of letters to various newspapers. SASOD has also organised two film festivals, a poetry night, and several film screenings at the Oasis Cafe and Sidewalk Cafe. SASOD has also collaborated with other Non Governmental organisations to endorse calls for good governance and for peace, especially during the elections period. SASOD also supported calls for the reform of sexual offences legislation to improve the recourse to justice of victims of rape.More recently, SASOD organised some fund-raising social events.