Help Build a LGBT Center in Guyana
Tax deductible
*The Astraea Lesbian Foundation is receiving your tax deductible donations on behalf of SASOD.
Growing up in Guyana
I remember growing up in Guyana, how lonely and isolated I sometimes felt living in a society that criminalizes homosexual behavior. I remember the hurt and pain, and all the tears I cried. I had a loving family but they didn't always understand what I was going through. I wish there were a LGBT Center in Guyana when I was growing up - a safe place to help struggling LGBT kids.
I was fortunate. I made it through adolescence. Not everybody does. There are many kids today who don't have loving families and end up on the street: or dead. We've all heard the stories of LGBT youth who are homeless, missing, murdered, or suicide victims. What is true here in the USA is even more so in developing countries like Guyana. But there is hope...
SASOD
There is SASOD (Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination). It is the leading LGBT human rights advocacy organization in Guyana. It is a small operation (only 4 people on staff) and they are creating change. I gave a free concert for SASOD in June to help celebrate their 10-year anniversary, but there is so much more that needs to be done. That is why I'm starting this campaign. I believe each person can make a difference. I ask for your help.
Why I support SASOD
I support SASOD because they make a difference in the lives of LGBT youth and adults:
2003
SASOD (then Students Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination) personally invited the entire 65-member National Assembly to a forum at the National Library to discuss adding "sexual orientation" as grounds for protections from discrimination in Article 149 of Guyana's constitution. 3 Members of Parliament came and SASOD is born.
2004
SASOD produced the first LGBT film festival in the English-speaking Caribbean. "Painting the Spectrum" has been screening LGBT films from around the world in Guyana for 9 years.
2008
SASOD participated in the first thematic hearing on sexual orientation and gender issues before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). SASOD played a leading role in a regional coalition of Caribbean and Latin American LGBT groups, whose advocacy work at the Organization of American States (OAS) is largely thought to have contributed to the establishment of the Unit on the Rights of LGBTI Persons in 2011.
2009
SASOD held its first annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on the steps of St. George's Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world.
2010
SASOD along with other agencies reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The result was firm recommendations that Guyana repeal its discriminatory laws and take measures to protect LGBT people from violence and discrimination. Guyana comes up for review again in 2014-2015 cycle and the government will be expected to report on its progress on law and policy reform which protect the rights of LGBT people in Guyana.
2011
SASOD produced "Spectrum Vibes" a magazine targeted to the LGBT community in Guyana that inspires, informs, educates, and entertains.
2013
SASOD celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a small victory in the Guyana Courts. Following a police crackdown in 2009, SASOD led a suit against the Guyana state for unconstitutional violations of 4 trans women's rights. 4 years later, each of the 4 trans women was awarded GYD 40,000 (USD 200) in damages and in the final decision the Judge limited a 120-year old law that makes cross-dressing illegal. In Guyana cross-dressing is now legal as an expression of sexuality. SASOD and the 4 trans litigants are appealing the Court's decision because everyone should have the right to express themselves in the manner they deem appropriate, without unclear restrictions.
What's Next? A LGBT Center Guyana
A Center in Guyana will finally give LGBT people a space to call our own. Community centers are important bedrock for LGBT organizing and community building. They provide safe spaces for LGBT people and their allies to come together and create change.
The proposed community center will be a multi-purpose building with 3 floors and a roof top. The center will provide temporary housing for LGBT youth facing homelessness. Given the inability of state facilities to provide safe shelter for LGBT youth, there is an urgent need for a safe space to provide temporary housing for these vulnerable youth. Part of the facility will be converted into an in-house studio that will be used to produce audio-visual work, including video documentaries, public service announcements (PSA) and other media campaigns. The center's roof top will serve as a much-needed space for social gatherings and community events such as the annual film festival. Finally it will serve as the home for SASOD, providing much needed office space for the organization, its contractors and other community-based organizations.
"The imperative to provide transitional housing for LGBT youths cannot be overlooked, particularly as it relates to building resilience against HIV. Without a safe place to stay, these youth are likely to drop out of school, live on the streets, become involved in sex work, and use drugs. These are all social factors which make young people, especially LGBT youth, very vulnerable to HIV." - Joel Simpson, Founder and Co-Chairperson of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)
Our fiscal Sponsor - Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
Thank you to Astraea for being our fiscal sponsor. The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is the only philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI human rights around the globe. They support hundreds of brilliant and brave grantee partners in the U.S. and internationally who challenge oppression and seed change. Astraea works for racial, economic, social, and gender justice, because we all deserve to live our lives freely, without fear, and with dignity.
Your donations will be made to the the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and they will transfer your gifts to SASOD at the end of the campaign. Astraea is a supporter of SASOD and we're grateful for their kindness and support.
*Your Donations are Tax-Deductible
You can make a difference
We can create change in this world, and campaigns like this are proof of our power. We can reach and surpass the goal! Whatever you can give will make a difference. Please share with your friends and we'll get there faster.
If 1,000 of you give $15 = $15,000
If 500 of you give $30 = $15,000
If 100 of you give $150 = $15,000
"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." - Maya Angelou
Growing up in Guyana
I remember growing up in Guyana, how lonely and isolated I sometimes felt living in a society that criminalizes homosexual behavior. I remember the hurt and pain, and all the tears I cried. I had a loving family but they didn't always understand what I was going through. I wish there were a LGBT Center in Guyana when I was growing up - a safe place to help struggling LGBT kids.
I was fortunate. I made it through adolescence. Not everybody does. There are many kids today who don't have loving families and end up on the street: or dead. We've all heard the stories of LGBT youth who are homeless, missing, murdered, or suicide victims. What is true here in the USA is even more so in developing countries like Guyana. But there is hope...
SASOD
There is SASOD (Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination). It is the leading LGBT human rights advocacy organization in Guyana. It is a small operation (only 4 people on staff) and they are creating change. I gave a free concert for SASOD in June to help celebrate their 10-year anniversary, but there is so much more that needs to be done. That is why I'm starting this campaign. I believe each person can make a difference. I ask for your help.
Why I support SASOD
I support SASOD because they make a difference in the lives of LGBT youth and adults:
2003
SASOD (then Students Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination) personally invited the entire 65-member National Assembly to a forum at the National Library to discuss adding "sexual orientation" as grounds for protections from discrimination in Article 149 of Guyana's constitution. 3 Members of Parliament came and SASOD is born.
2004
SASOD produced the first LGBT film festival in the English-speaking Caribbean. "Painting the Spectrum" has been screening LGBT films from around the world in Guyana for 9 years.
2008
SASOD participated in the first thematic hearing on sexual orientation and gender issues before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). SASOD played a leading role in a regional coalition of Caribbean and Latin American LGBT groups, whose advocacy work at the Organization of American States (OAS) is largely thought to have contributed to the establishment of the Unit on the Rights of LGBTI Persons in 2011.
2009
SASOD held its first annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on the steps of St. George's Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world.
2010
SASOD along with other agencies reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The result was firm recommendations that Guyana repeal its discriminatory laws and take measures to protect LGBT people from violence and discrimination. Guyana comes up for review again in 2014-2015 cycle and the government will be expected to report on its progress on law and policy reform which protect the rights of LGBT people in Guyana.
2011
SASOD produced "Spectrum Vibes" a magazine targeted to the LGBT community in Guyana that inspires, informs, educates, and entertains.
2013
SASOD celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a small victory in the Guyana Courts. Following a police crackdown in 2009, SASOD led a suit against the Guyana state for unconstitutional violations of 4 trans women's rights. 4 years later, each of the 4 trans women was awarded GYD 40,000 (USD 200) in damages and in the final decision the Judge limited a 120-year old law that makes cross-dressing illegal. In Guyana cross-dressing is now legal as an expression of sexuality. SASOD and the 4 trans litigants are appealing the Court's decision because everyone should have the right to express themselves in the manner they deem appropriate, without unclear restrictions.
What's Next? A LGBT Center Guyana
A Center in Guyana will finally give LGBT people a space to call our own. Community centers are important bedrock for LGBT organizing and community building. They provide safe spaces for LGBT people and their allies to come together and create change.
The proposed community center will be a multi-purpose building with 3 floors and a roof top. The center will provide temporary housing for LGBT youth facing homelessness. Given the inability of state facilities to provide safe shelter for LGBT youth, there is an urgent need for a safe space to provide temporary housing for these vulnerable youth. Part of the facility will be converted into an in-house studio that will be used to produce audio-visual work, including video documentaries, public service announcements (PSA) and other media campaigns. The center's roof top will serve as a much-needed space for social gatherings and community events such as the annual film festival. Finally it will serve as the home for SASOD, providing much needed office space for the organization, its contractors and other community-based organizations.
"The imperative to provide transitional housing for LGBT youths cannot be overlooked, particularly as it relates to building resilience against HIV. Without a safe place to stay, these youth are likely to drop out of school, live on the streets, become involved in sex work, and use drugs. These are all social factors which make young people, especially LGBT youth, very vulnerable to HIV." - Joel Simpson, Founder and Co-Chairperson of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)
Our fiscal Sponsor - Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
Thank you to Astraea for being our fiscal sponsor. The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is the only philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI human rights around the globe. They support hundreds of brilliant and brave grantee partners in the U.S. and internationally who challenge oppression and seed change. Astraea works for racial, economic, social, and gender justice, because we all deserve to live our lives freely, without fear, and with dignity.
Your donations will be made to the the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and they will transfer your gifts to SASOD at the end of the campaign. Astraea is a supporter of SASOD and we're grateful for their kindness and support.
*Your Donations are Tax-Deductible
You can make a difference
We can create change in this world, and campaigns like this are proof of our power. We can reach and surpass the goal! Whatever you can give will make a difference. Please share with your friends and we'll get there faster.
If 1,000 of you give $15 = $15,000
If 500 of you give $30 = $15,000
If 100 of you give $150 = $15,000
"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." - Maya Angelou
Organizer
Nhojj Song
Organizer
New York, NY
The Astraea Foundation
Beneficiary