HGP Nightly News – Founder of SASOD Guyana, Joel Simpson says many LGBTQ Guyanese are still leaving the country, not only for economic reasons, but because they do not feel legally or socially protected at home.
In an exclusive interview with HGP Nightly News, Simpson said this remains a serious issue even as Guyana continues to experience major economic growth and the government encourages members of the diaspora to return.
Simpson argued that LGBTQ people are unlikely to come back while laws criminalising same-sex intimacy remain in place, and while there is no clear protection against discrimination or recognition of their rights.
He pointed to the story of Harold Hopkinson and his son Quincy, which was featured in the latest video from the Together campaign. The video, released during Pride Month and around Father’s Day, shows a 71-year-old father speaking openly about accepting his 47-year-old gay son.
For Simpson, the story is both powerful and painful. He said Quincy left Guyana in his early 20s because he did not feel welcomed as an LGBTQ person and did not believe he could fully contribute to the country.
“This is one of the points we keep making about brain drain as well,” Simpson said, noting that Guyana risks losing bright, talented, and creative people who leave in search of safer and more accepting environments.
He said Pride activities, including the annual parade, are only a small part of the wider work being done. Guyana’s first Pride Festival was held in 2017, followed by the first parade in 2018. Since then, the parade has been held every year except 2020 and 2021, when activities moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simpson said Pride should not be seen only as a June event.
“Pride is 365 days a year,” he said, adding that it involves personal, community, and national work.
He also highlighted growing support from some faith communities. Simpson said allies have emerged from the Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches, as well as the Guyana Pandits Council. According to him, these groups and leaders have been publicly supportive of LGBTQ rights and have called for legal changes.
Simpson urged the public to support those efforts, saying the push for inclusion must go beyond celebration and address the laws and social conditions that continue to drive people away.
