LGBT rights in Guyana

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Guyana face legal and societal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Guyana is the only country in South America, and the only mainland country in the Americas, where homosexual acts, including anal sex and oral sex, are illegal. Cross-dressing was illegal until November 2018, when the statute was struck down by the Caribbean Court of Justice, the court of last resort of Guyana.

Efforts to decriminalise homosexual behaviour have gained momentum from legal developments in neighbouring countries with a common legal heritage as former British colonies. In August 2016 the Belize Supreme Court, and in April 2018, the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, each ruled that laws criminalising homosexuality in their respective jurisdictions were unconstitutional. These landmark rulings have been noted as potential legal precedents to strengthen the case for repeal of Guyana's corresponding laws, with all three countries having related jurisprudence.

Guyanese society tends to view homosexuality and transgender people negatively, though attitudes are slowly changing and becoming more accepting. The country's first pride parade took place in June 2018 with the support of various political and religious leaders, making it the first such event in the English-speaking Caribbean. It has inspired other countries to hold their own pride parades such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia. The country's second pride parade took place in June 2019. Subsequent events in 2020, and 2021 had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Guyana's LGBT community held its largest event in the capital Georgetown in June 2022, with another planned in 2023.