Sexual minorities in Sri Lanka
[1] Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, which criminalizes same-sex sexual acts remains on the books, though the law has not been enforced in recent times, and the Supreme Court has said it would not impose penalties over consensual homosexual sex.
[22] In November 2016, Sri Lanka voted against a plan to get rid of the UN Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the United Nations General Assembly.
[28][better source needed] Equal Ground explained that a number of transsexuals and transgender people take refuge in the Buddhist order when disowned or pushed away by their families, such as by becoming a monk at a temple or monastery.
[30] Verité Research, talking in the Sunday Observer, found that the media of Sri Lanka tended to sensationalise stories involving sexual minorities.
[citation needed] The former Dutch colonial town of Negombo is also considered to have a "thriving" gay scene with many of the bars and clubs actively seeking LGBT patrons.
[40][failed verification] Flying with One Wing (තනි තටුවෙන් පියාඹන්න) (2002) – written and directed by Asoka Handagama, it features a Sri Lankan woman who passes for a man in the society and in her personal relationship.
[42] Katuyahana - a 2003 play by Visakesa Chandrasekeran[43] Arthur C. Clarke was an ethnic-British gay sci-fi fiction author that included LGBT characters in his work.
"[47] Gordon Merrick was one of the first western gay fiction authors, who lived in Sri Lanka from 1976 to 1988 and eventually died of lung cancer in Colombo.
[48][49] The Abhimani Film Festival has taken place every year within two weeks of the Colombo Pride being held under the auspicious of Equal Ground and the European Union.
It is the oldest LGBT film festival in South Asia[50] The Colombo Pride has been hosted by Equal Ground and the Goethe Institut for twelve years.
[68] The highly influential Buddhist organization, Asgiriya Chapter, has vocally advised the government to support reforming the constitution in favour of sexual minorities.
[81] Former Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne had stated in 2010, whilst in power, that he was 'open' for discussions with the LGBT community as long as it didn't hurt the culture of the island nation.
Homosexuality remains a taboo subject and they are often associated with paedophiles due to several scandals and "anti-gay groups ... brand all lesbian, bisexual, transgendered persons as ‘perverts’ and criminals".
[95] Sri Lanka also voted in favor of a resolution at the General Assembly calling for protections to fight violence against sexual minorities in early 2016.
In November 2016, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Israel, Thailand, East Timor, Nepal, Georgia, Sri Lanka and Mongolia were the only Asian countries in the United Nations to vote in favor of the appointment of an independent expert to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by the LGBT community and to find ways to properly protect them.
[23] There are a number of sexual minorities who do not consider the law to be an important factor in dealing with homophobia; as one homosexual explained to the Gay Times, "If society was OK with who we are, we’d be OK.".
[99] A study conducted by Social Scientists Association, a think tank based in central Colombo, Sri Lanka, revealed the perceptions of the general population on LGBTQ issues.
The 18 to 35 age group is the community where change on their attitude towards sexual minorities in Sri Lanka is seen[101] Also most opinion polls in South Asia are usually considered unreliable.
[109] Hinduism is mostly devoid of the 'perfect law' that can be found in Abrahamic religions (such as the ten commandments) and traditionally Hindus would expect to "rely on reason to decide what is dharma and what is not" 'dharma'.
A long-running tradition concerning non-binary marriage exists in Hindu society for third genders, which may also add another perspective as to how homosexual relationships should be viewed in the modern age.
[117] "Marriage" comes in several incarnations in Hinduism and several Hindu organizations reject the idea of performing the same ceremonies for both heterosexual and homosexual (and third gendered) couples.
[123] The high levels of poverty, combined with the stigma associated with the disease and conservative cultural mores, has made it difficult to implement comprehensive prevention programs and to offer life-saving treatment to those people already infected.
"[138] Several publications in Sri Lanka shared the view that colourism against darker-skinned women was rampant on the island, with products such as 'fair'n'lovely' forwarding a racially biased and insensitive message to the population.
The provision of universal education and welfare has mostly allowed for more fluid social class movement that is not found in the rest of South Asia; "children, rarely, if ever, were prevented from going to school because they were female, from disadvantaged families or were poor.
[144] A number of transgender people complain about the high cost of undertaking conversion to their desired gender, in part because government-funded facilities are generally of poorer quality and that a lack of trained staff exists on the island.
Those prices are average in Sri Lanka.It has been thought that a number of transgender people are forced to work as sex workers in order to earn money for themselves, though they face the risk of being arrested as prostitution is illegal on the island[146] Ranketh, a transgender man who asked that only his last name be used to protect his identity, says he spent years looking for doctors and psychiatrists to help him through his gender change, but at first he couldn’t find anyone to assist him.Homosexuals who live in rural areas tend to face a more homophobic climate and a worse financial situation, forcing most of these people to seek employment in urban areas.
None of those surveys had issues with dating someone from the opposite ethnolinguistic group, either Tamil or Sinhalese, But apart from one person, the majority expressed dislike for Muslims (including Moors) and did not like them as friends or sexual partners.
The Independent stated that "relations between boys and girls are discouraged until marriage, and until then many Sri Lankans take a discreet and casual attitude towards homosexuality".
[147] Sri Lanka is well known in Europe as a holiday destination for buying sex with young boys including in the relevant European gay community.
[156] Conversely, a large proportion of the diaspora, notably the ones born overseas, have taken up stances objecting to the emigration of workers and asylum seekers from the island.
