GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana has been told that the tourism industry could bring one billion US dollars in revenue annually if it repeals some of the “colonial” era laws that could be used to discriminate against same-sex couples. President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Dee George, speaking at a Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) event, said that Guyana should position itself to cash in on the global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) tourism market which contributes US$200 billion annually to the travel industry, and US$65 billion annually alone from the United States’ LGBTQ+ segment of tourists. “Assuming Guyana can capture just one per cent of the global LGBTQ+ travel market, this would translate to an estimated annual revenue increase of two billion dollars,” George told the Guyana Together event, ahead of the September 27 observance of World Tourism Day.“If the country were to capture a modest five per cent per cent of the US LGBTQ+ market alone, this would result in an additional US$325 million in annual revenue for the tourism sector,” George said. She said her organisation received feedback that the Law Reform Commission (LRC) should be asked to scrap Sections 351 to 353  of the Criminal Law Offences Act which outlaws buggery, assaulting anyone to commit buggery and being male indecently assaults another male person and penalises offenders with a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. George said the THAG members had said because Guyana’s laws criminalise same-sex intimacy, “it has cost us potential revenue and it has also cost us quite an image that we are not open for business to that segment”. SASOD’s general manager, Joel Simpson, said while that and other similar laws had not been enforced for more than 50 years, their mere existence on Guyana’s lawbooks dampened the freedom to engage in same-sex intimacy behind closed doors because legally they still commit an offence without being caught. “When you go to bed every night in a hotel room and you get intimate with your partner because you are in a same-sex practising relationship, you are basically an un-apprehended criminal so how you can you keep safe in a country like this which is Guyana,” he said. SASOD  said it plans to ask the LRC to recommend the repeal of “everything that is colonial in nature” such as vagrancy and loitering that impinge on the vulnerable. He told the conference that with the LGBTQ+ community accounting for seven to 10 per cent of the total travel industry, Guyana is losing much-needed tourist dollars since the International LGBTQ+ Association says that segment tends to spend more per trip, visit more frequently and participate in more activities. He said by alienating that market segment, Guyana is not benefitting from a potentially high spending, high-frequency demographic and was regarded as being closed for business in that regard. “Especially because Guyana is surrounded by countries that have embraced pro-LGBT policies, we are losing potential visitors and precious tourism revenue so as long as our laws criminalising LGBT people, tourists, friends, family, co-workers, the very close persons to us remain, we certainly would have to reflect on what that translates to,” he added.

Reducing the energy costs of the Barbados Water Authority is among the objectives of a project currently underway. It’s the Water Sector Resilience Nexus for Sustainability in Barbados. During a townhall meeting at the St. Anne’s Church in St. Joseph, Renewable Energy Specialist Felicia Cox said the BWA is trying to move away from disruptions to the water supply in the event of a power outage. She also offered a number of suggestions on how Barbadians can conserve water.

By Cheri Mossburg, CNN (CNN) — Several people are hurt and a courthouse in Santa Maria, California, is closed following “a bomb explosion” Wednesday morning, officials say. A suspect has been detained and is being interviewed, and the scene continues to be active after the explosion “from an intentionally set improvised explosive device,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff spokesperson Raquel Zick in a social media post. Five patients are being treated at Marian Regional Medical Center, according to hospital spokesperson Sandy Doucette. “Of these, three are in fair condition, while two are in good condition. We are providing them with the highest level of care and support,” she told CNN. Additional details about the incident were not immediately available and a motive has not been determined. Roads surrounding the courthouse are closed and the public is being urged to avoid the area, Zick said. In addition to the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in Santa Maria, Santa Maria City Hall, the public library and other city offices in the area closed for the rest of the day, as police investigate “a bomb explosion,” city spokesperson Mark van de Kamp said. Located in California’s Central Coast, Santa Maria is about 160 miles north of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which provides courthouse security throughout L.A. County, said in a social media post that they are on “heightened alert and providing extra patrols in and around our courts” but are not aware of any credible threats. The-CNN-Wire & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.