Jerry Jailall needs an education in human sexuality and mental health

Dec 10, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Kindly permit me an opportunity to respond to the letter published in your newspaper on Dec 4, 2022, “Is Guyana paying for and sponsoring sexually deviant movement?” ostensibly, by Dr. Jerry Jailall, in which he referred directly to me, and incorrectly emphasized my sexuality over my work in mental health for Guyanese. Why the obsession, is there a hidden attraction?

It is laudable that the reporter, who interviewed and published the Stabroek News Weekend Section, page 5A and continuing on page 22A, about me in the Sunday, Nov 27, 2022 edition wrote, “Mental health crusader Antoine Craigwell fights to ensure equal access for LGBTQ+ people of colour”, seemed to emphasize my sexual orientation as fluid, since it allows for my honesty, integrity and authenticity; I’ve learned that currently, a significant portion of the Guyanese population are now more accepting of sexual variety than previous, which goes a long way to impacting their mental health.

In a country, where thought, word and actions are done from a hypersensitive predominantly Christian (evangelical) religious perspective, Jailall’s letter is unsurprising. If he is a Hindu, as his name suggests, then he should be ashamed to parrot and peddle White, Christian and colonialist drivel to demonize a sexuality different than how he might think for himself. If he is a Hindu, then he should be acutely aware of the recognition, acceptance and existence for millennia in Indian culture of many different sexual orientations and expressions, including homosexuality; he could look to depictions in the Kama Sutra, the famed sex text, with representations carved in stone on buildings, which celebrate sex, sexuality, and variety in sexual expression – all of which were condemned by the White British who invaded and occupied the sub-continent, and which influences continue to be practised and embraced by Guyanese, to the detriment and harm to those who do not identify with a Western European and American (read: evangelical) prescribed binary gender construct.

That Jailall should choose to describe my work as “deviant” speaks either to his ignorance about sex, sexuality and gender differences (which if he is as scholarly as he claims – or is his doctorate “honorary”? His research would inform him of Alfred Kinsey’s study in 1948 and corroborated in 2005 that male sexuality occurs along a spectrum, and in 1952 a similar spectrum for women) or direct homophobia. Additionally, if he was honest and less sensationalist (to grab attention for himself and stoke anti-gay rhetoric, which could likely lead to violence against anyone who is an LGBTQ+ community member and or severely impact these community members’ mental health.  Since sexuality and acceptance in Guyana is a significant component to mental health, it is important to devote time to addressing Jailall’s homophobia, – what aspects of himself is he unable to reconcile? While he focused on my sexuality, he minimized, as if to dismiss, my mental health struggles. I invite you, Editor, to consider the work needed to raise and discuss mental health in Guyana.

The absence of information and education about mental health, recognizing the signs and symptoms, correcting myths and misconceptions, and addressing the palpable need for mental health care should be a primary concern. Jailall’s letter to you not only is destructive and dangerous; his rhetoric impacts a segment of the Guyanese community, who are struggling with their sexuality and sexual orientation, those who are struggling with mental health. I presented two concurrent discussions at the second annual Guyana Wellbeing Conference held on Nov 15 to 18, 2022 at the Arthur Chung Convention Center, which were focused on understanding mental health from the perspective of our ancestors, that is, incorporating a cultural perspective to mental health in Guyana – bringing it to the people, and an effort at providing simple and direct information and education about mental health, with signs and symptoms to recognize and intervene to prevent a crisis or if in crisis, what to do, to get the person assistance.

With the approval from my organization’s Board of Directors, I remained in Guyana to attend Artistes In Direct Support’s (AIDS) 30th Anniversary Celebrations – honouring their founder, the famed national dancer, the late Andre Sobryan, and their work on HIV/AIDS in Guyana. In the intervening weeks, I conducted 12 mental health awareness workshops to 362 community members at different locations across the country. And, while sexuality, including an LGBTQ+ identity, was one component for understanding and preventing a descent into depression and suicidality, it wasn’t the only issue. We discussed sexual abuse of boys and girls, toxic masculinity and femininity in domestic and intimate partner violence, and alcohol and substance (drugs/narcotics) use – significantly co-occurring social issues in Guyana; and looked at mental health as either an underlying factor and or resulting from anyone or all of these.  On a Facebook post about one of the workshops, a participant, a teacher said, “Awesome presentation. Very informative, interesting and made a positive impact on my mental wellbeing. Thank you.”

Should I return to Guyana to assist with providing more informational and educational mental health awareness workshops, I’d invite Jailall to join us to share in an experience. Who knows, he might learn something new or quietly realize he may not be so bold to publicly that he was wrong in his understanding about sexuality and mental health.

Sincerely,

Antione G. Craigwell

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