Transgender community to ride the wave of CCJ ruling
The head table at yesterday’s press conference, from left, GTU Prevention Coordinator, Danielle Daphness; GTU Director, Quincy “Gulliver” McEwan; and GTU Financial Officer, Natasha Yhap (Delano Williams photo)
The head table at yesterday’s press conference, from left, GTU Prevention Coordinator, Danielle Daphness; GTU Director, Quincy “Gulliver” McEwan; and GTU Financial Officer, Natasha Yhap (Delano Williams photo)

…say will be pushing for other ‘rights’ including gender identity

WITH the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) recent ruling on cross dressing in Guyana, the Lesbian, Gay and Transgender and Bisexual (LGBT) community is hoping to ride on the wave of this victory to make further in roads on their rights in Guyana, including having transgender persons placed with the gender they identify with in cases when they are in the lock ups or placed in the hospital.

Members of the Guyana Transgender Union (GTU) on Thursday held a press conference at their Thomas Street, Kitty head office where they lauded the CCJ’s ruling that the criminalisation of cross-dressing in Guyana is “unconstitutional” and to be “struck from the laws of Guyana.”

“What it means for us is a Pandora box has just been opened and [it] gives us leverage to work and to sensitise persons about their rights,” commented GTU Director Quincy “Gulliver” McEwan.

GTU Financial Officer, Natasha Yhap, hopes that the Guyana Police Force would take note of the ruling and use it to adjust their handling of transgender persons being detained.
“We’re hoping that with this ruling law enforcement will now seek to approach transgender people in a different manner,” Yhap said. The case whereby a transgender woman was detained a few months ago in the male lock ups was also addressed.

“Hopefully in the future maybe separate them [transgender women] in a female cell or something like that, may be if they don’t put them with the female at least not put them with the males, at least set them apart in their own cell. We’re hoping they can be more sensitive towards this predicament in the future, especially with this ruling.”
McEwan also spoke on a case where, while attending a workshop, the issue of transgender persons accessing health care at public facility came up, and it was noted that how a transgender person is dressed should not impede on their ability to access healthcare at any public facility.

A transgender-woman, McEwan spoke of being admitted to the hospital some years ago and having preferred to be placed in the female ward. “About 2 years ago I was diagnosed for the first time [as a] diabetic… and [while unconscious] all I knew I was placed in a male ward where I was dressed in female attire throughout my two weeks in the hospital and if I had a choice before I would’ve requested strongly to go maybe to a female ward,” McEwan said. McEwan said the issue needs to be approached “outside the box”.

“There should be private ward, and wards on the hospital that cater to differences, and not just male and female. Too long we’ve been looking at just male and female as the only gender and we only provide services for male and female we should look outside the box. That persons who does not conform to gender identity and to be inclusive of all [identities].

Yhap said the Guyanese transgender community is not there just yet but such issues can be addressed in the future. “This is something to be looked at on a futuristic basis where the GTU can meet with officials from the GPHC and maybe come to an agreement with how they can move ahead with this, we can also meet with the police force and members of different organisations and come to agreement and methodologies on how they can move ahead,” she said. One the CCJ ruling Yhap said:

“It’s not just an opening to eliminate this anti-cross dressing laws that we have here in Guyana but it opens the door for many other things in LGBT rights overall, especially with what was said and how it was worded by Justice Barrow.”

According to Yhap, while in the past the GTU have been more focused on the visibility of the transgender community, following this ruling they can now move forward to making efforts in other areas.

“At this point here it has been about the visibility, but I would rather believe that since this ruling has been so positive for the trans community, that there will be other efforts so they will now move from being just visible and raise their efforts,” she said.

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