A 71-year-old businessman is using a Father’s Day message to call for the repeal of laws criminalising same-sex intimacy between men and the introduction of protections against discrimination for LGBT workers, saying his advocacy is motivated by his love for his son and the loss Guyana has suffered through migration.
Harold Hopkinson, a security executive and former motorsport and sharpshooting competitor, is featured in the latest video released by the advocacy campaign Guyana Together, in which he speaks about his relationship with his son Quincy, a 47-year-old medical professional who now resides overseas.
“It hurts deeply that he felt he had to leave Guyana because of our country’s outdated laws criminalising intimacy between men,” Hopkinson says in the video, adding that the legislation does not reflect Guyanese values and contributes to the country’s brain drain.
“They rob us of bright, hardworking people like my son,” he says.
The father of seven also called on parents and lawmakers to support legal reforms and anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
“We must stand against these discriminatory laws and pass laws that reflect our national values,” he says. “Guyana is growing fast, and it is time for our country to also grow in fairness and respect for all people, including our gay citizens.”
Throughout the video, Hopkinson is shown reflecting on family photographs and speaking with his son via video call, scenes that underscore what he describes as a special bond between them.
“I love my son and I am very proud of him,” he says. “He reminds me a lot of myself: we share the same sense of humour, we are both artistic, and we can fix almost anything.”
According to Guyana Together, the Father’s Day message is the fifth in a series of videos highlighting the experiences of LGBT Guyanese and the support they have received from family members and friends.
Previous videos featured a young lesbian and her guardian, a model and her gay best friend, a transgender man and his sister, and an elderly grandmother speaking about her support for her transgender granddaughter.
Guyana Together describes itself as a grassroots campaign seeking to build public support and understanding for LGBT people while advocating for the repeal of laws criminalising same-sex intimacy between men. The campaign also supports workplace protections for LGBT persons and says it has the backing of business leaders, faith leaders and more than 200 organisations.
The group says a 2022 national poll found majority support for repealing the laws criminalising same-sex intimacy and strong support for workplace protections for LGBT persons.
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