The Guyana LGBTQ Coalition will be following up on the success of its 2018 Pride Festival — which featured Guyana’s first Pride Parade — with its fun-filled third annual Guyana Pride Festival from May 28 to June 3.
In a release issued to the media, The Guyana LGBTQ Coalition announced its schedule covering eight activities over seven days. The festival kicks off with an Inter-Faith Forum at the National Racquet Centre’s conference room on Woolford Avenue. The event, which is organised in collaboration with the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion, Youth, Sport and Culture, will start at 5PM and is free of charge and open to the general public, regardless of faith or religion.
Furthermore, on Wednesday May 29, SASOD’s Women Arm Guyana (SWAG) will host its Open Mic Night at the Green House Bar on UG Road which will see free entry and free light refreshments, while on Thursday May 30, the Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GuyBow) will host its third Pride Symposium. GuyBow will, once again, host the next event on Friday May 31 at Club Privilege with the official Pride Party of the Festival. Party bands cost $1,200 in advance and are available at the offices of the Coalition’s member organisations. Admission at the door is $2,000.
The Coalition further revealed that the second Annual Pride Parade will be held on Saturday June 1. Participants are urged to assemble from 2:30PM at Parade Ground in time for the parade’s commencement at 3PM.
According to the coalition, the route of the parade will be: heading south down Carmichael Street, east into Church Street, south into Vlissingen Road, and ends at the Square of the Revolution.
“All Guyanese regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity are invited to participate in the Parade to show their support and solidarity for equal rights of all Guyanese. Revellers are encouraged to wear their own Pride-inspired costumes. There will be free rainbow flags for the first 200 persons who assemble at the Parade Ground,” the Coalition said in its statement.
After the sun sets on the Pride Parade, GTU will stage their annual Miss Diamond Infinity pageant on the evening of Saturday, June 1. On Sunday, June 2, SASOD Guyana hosts an exciting new event on the Pride calendar. All roads lead to the Umbrella Resort on the Soesdyke – Linden Highway for the Creek Cooler Lyme. DJ Kerry will be on location spinning the hottest hits. Admission costs $1,000 in advance and $1,500 at the Resort. Bands are only available at Oasis Café and SASOD Guyana’s office. Patrons are encouraged to pack their picnic baskets with food and coolers with drinks and ice. There will be no food nor drinks on sale at the Resort.
Transportation is also available but seats are limited. For reservations, persons are asked to call SASOD Guyana on 225-7283 or 623-5155. Payment for transportation is required in advance.
The festival’s activities will conclude on Monday June 3 with the Queer Film Night at the Dutch Bottle Café on North Road, Bourda, hosted in collaboration with the Caribbean Film Academy (CaFA). Film lovers can look forward to “Habana Boxing Club” by Cuba’s Daniel Rodriguez, “Des!re” by the United Kingdom’s Campbell X, “Solene” by St. Croix’s Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz and “Rafiki” by Kenya’s Wanuri Kahiu. The films start at 6PM and are billed for 2 hours of screen time. Admission is free and the films are intended for mature audiences.
The Guyana LGBTQ Coalition will also be announcing the winners of its Logo Design Competition at the Queer Film Night. The competition was launched last Friday, coinciding with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB). In explaining the competition, the Coalition said that, after three years of being in existence, it needs a logo.
Entries which close on Friday May 25, 2019, at 11:59PM and cash prizes are up for grabs: the first prize of US$150 is sponsored by the SASOD USA Diaspora Network while the second and third prizes of US$100 and US$50, respectively, are sponsored by the Coalition’s member organisations. The rules and guidelines of the logo competition are available on the SASOD Guyana Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sasodguyana.
The Guyana LGBTQ Coalition is a network of local LGBTQ-led organisations working cohesively to advance human rights for sexual and gender minorities in Guyana. The Coalition is comprised of the Guyana Trans United (GTU), Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GuyBow) and Guyana’s Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD Guyana).
