Guyana

Guyana is one of only six Anglophone Caribbean countries that still criminalize consensual same-sex conduct between adults, as of 2025. Section 352 of the colonial-era Criminal Law Act of Guyana criminalizes “gross indecency” between men. Section 353 criminalizes attempted buggery and indecent assault. Section 354 criminalizes buggery between men as well as between people of different genders and imposes a life imprisonment for those found guilty. Though rarely enforced, the law contributes to ongoing negative perceptions of LGBTIQ people, facilitates their exclusion from legal and social policies, and leaves them vulnerable to stigma and discrimination. 

Until 2018, Guyana also criminalized cross-dressing under section 153(1)(xlvii) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, which unfairly targeted transgender people and was used to arrest transgender women. This law was successfully challenged by local activists in the case of McEwan et al. v. The Attorney General of Guyana. Section 153(1)(xlvii) was found to be unconstitutionally vague and contrary to the rule of law. Also in 2018, Guyana became the first country in the Anglophone Caribbean to host a Pride march, inspiring others to follow suit.

Evangelical Christian organizations have vocally opposed the human rights of LGBTIQ people. Despite this, 72 percent of Guyanese people accept or tolerate homosexual people. There has also been a 13 percent decline in those reporting negative attitudes toward homosexuals. 

Intersex people in Guyana are largely made invisible by a lack of information. Non-consensual medical interventions on intersex children are not prohibited, leaving them vulnerable to violence.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.