June is the month the whole world celebrates pride. For much of Sri Lanka’s recent history, pride celebrations – in all their rainbow-coloured vibrance – have found their primary home in Colombo, the island’s largest city, offering a rare moment of public affirmation for Sri Lanka’s LGBTQIA+ community in a society that often marginalises or discriminates against persons of the community. 

However, while Colombo has served as a nucleus thus far for queer visibility and activism, this centralisation has also meant that the experiences, voices, and realities of queer people in rural and regional Sri Lanka have often been less heard. 

Over the past few years, however, pride has started to decentralise, with events being organised in towns and regions far beyond Colombo’s city limits. These community-led pride gatherings are challenging the idea that queerness belongs only to urban enclaves.

This past weekend saw ‘Malaiyaga Pride 2025 – Hatton’ – the first-ever pride celebration to take place in the hill country town of Hatton – a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when queer people from underrepresented communities are not just invited to the table but build it themselves as well. 

At its core, pride is more than a parade or a celebration. It is a political act, a community gathering, and a declaration of existence. Pride marks the ongoing struggle for equality and the right to live openly, without fear. 

While public pride events have always held symbolic importance, they take on a particularly radical form when they emerge from the grassroots, when queer people organise in the spaces they call home, claiming visibility on their own terms. ‘Malaiyaga Pride 2025 – Hatton’ was a vivid reminder of how meaningful it is when pride is not just hosted for communities, but by them, within their own spaces and on their own terms. 

With the support of local Police security and a cultural programme held at the Town Hall – a Government-owned building – it was a moment of deep affirmation. The public looked on with curiosity, not hostility. And for many in attendance, it was the first time they had seen their identities reflected and celebrated so publicly in their own hometown.

A radical act of visibility

Being part of a pride event outside of Colombo made one thing clear: the sense of belonging, ownership, and visibility it offers is irreplaceable. These celebrations are not just about rainbow flags and parades; they are about creating space – safe, empowering, and joyful – for queer people in every corner of the country. 

With that in mind, The Sunday Morning Brunch spoke to several individuals who have participated in community-led pride events beyond the capital to understand why these spaces matter and how they are reshaping the LGBTQIA+ landscape in Sri Lanka.

G.D. Lidurshan Avilash of the Aruvi Malaiyaga Queer Network articulated the powerful impact of celebrating pride within local communities, especially those far from the urban centre of Colombo. 

“Celebrating pride within local communities and outside of Colombo is essential because it decentralises queer visibility, empowers grassroots voices, and breaks the isolation faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals in rural and upcountry areas,” he shared. “It brings pride back to the people, making it more inclusive, culturally rooted, and representative of diverse identities, especially those often erased in mainstream narratives.”

For Lidurshan, pride in the Malaiyaga region is more than just a symbolic event; it is a radical act of visibility. 

“When we celebrate pride in places like Malaiyagam, it challenges urban-centric power structures and reclaims space for queer joy, resistance, and belonging in regions historically silenced,” he said. 

Lidurshan added: “It’s not just a celebration; it’s a bold declaration that queer people exist, love, and thrive everywhere. This visibility fosters connection, shifts social attitudes, and plants the seeds for safer, more accepting communities where future generations don’t have to leave their hometowns to live freely.”

Reclaiming space

Reflecting on the origins of the Hatton pride event, Lidurshan described how it all began with a simple yet deeply resonant truth. 

“It started with a simple but powerful feeling – that we, as queer people from the Malaiyaga community, deserve to be seen and celebrated in our own home,” he said, adding: “So many pride events happen in cities or closed spaces, far removed from our realities. But what about us? What about the queer people who grew up in the tea plantations, who speak Tamil with a Malaiyaga accent, who carry generations of struggle in our bodies?

“For me, the idea wasn’t just to wave a flag; it was to tell the world we exist here too. Our queerness doesn’t erase our identity as upcountry Tamils – and our identity as Malaiyaga people doesn’t make our queerness less valid. We’re both. And we’re proud of both.”

That sense of ownership and self-determination echoed through every aspect of the celebration. “This Pride was about reclaiming space – not just public space, but emotional space too. To laugh, to dance, to wear a saree or a veshti, to hold hands without fear; right here, in the hills where our people have lived and worked for generations,” he said. 

“It was also a tribute to those who never had the chance to live openly and a promise to the next generation: you belong, just as you are.”

The essence of Hatton Pride, he emphasised, lay in its autonomy. “We didn’t wait for permission. We created the space ourselves. That’s the spirit of Malaiyaga Pride – bold, rooted, and beautifully ours,” he added.

‘It is important to show up’

Among those who attended Hatton Pride was Misha’ari Weerabangsa, who emphasised the importance of showing up – not just symbolically, but physically – for pride events taking place outside the capital. 

“For me, the importance of showing up to pride marches outside of Colombo is about building community and showing solidarity,” Misha’ari shared. “The Malaiyaga community as a whole is one of the most downtrodden and oppressed communities in Sri Lanka, and I think it’s important to show up in a real physical way to let them know that they are not fighting their fight alone.”

Misha’ari reflected on the weight of privilege that often went unspoken among queer people living in urban centres. Access to queer spaces, affirming networks, mental health services, and even legal information is vastly different in Colombo compared to more rural regions. Recognising this disparity, she added: “It is the least we can do as Colombo residents with greater relative privilege and access to support and services.”

Her presence at Hatton Pride wasn’t just an act of allyship – it was a reminder of how interconnected the queer movement truly is. Solidarity is not just a word; it’s a practice that involves leaving our comfort zones, listening to lived experiences different from our own, and being part of the collective voice demanding dignity and recognition in every corner of the country.

‘There is a lot of inclusivity outside Colombo’

Navoda Bennett, who has attended numerous pride celebrations outside of Colombo, reflected on how the experience challenged some commonly held assumptions about queerness and rural communities. 

“Attending pride outside Colombo, the impression I got was that there is a lot of inclusivity from people who came from grassroots communities,” she said. 

“Although we often expect there to be hostility towards LGBTQIA+ people outside of Colombo, that really isn’t the case. They are genuinely understanding. What they don’t always understand is who we are and our specific identities, but that’s just due to a lack of exposure. They are very respectful and they take good care of us.”

Navoda highlighted something that many queer people living in cities may overlook: that outside of Colombo, the respect offered to queer people can often be more sincere and grounded in interpersonal care. 

“Outside of Colombo, there is actually much more respect, as long as we show it back. In fact, they can be less discriminatory than what we sometimes experience in urban spaces,” she observed.

For her, pride in these settings holds profound importance. “Our experience of pride is important because it’s happening all around the world,” she said. “To be LGBTQIA+ is something natural. It’s not a mental illness; it’s a natural occurrence. What we do here is raise awareness about that, and we celebrate our achievements and our communities.” 

With conviction, she added: “And I agree completely – it needs to be celebrated all over Sri Lanka.”

‘It sends a powerful message’ 

Wathsala Herath, who herself hails from a small town, spoke candidly about the isolation that many queer individuals faced when living outside Colombo. 

“Coming from a small town myself, I have witnessed the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals outside of Colombo,” she said. “There is no visible community, no safe spaces, and certainly no celebrations of who we are.”

For Wathsala, this absence of visibility makes rural and regional pride celebrations deeply meaningful. “That’s why I believe pride celebrations outside of Colombo are so important,” she said. “In many rural and regional areas, queer communities are still invisible and people often feel isolated or unsupported.”

The power of local pride events lies in their ability to affirm presence and dignity. “Having pride events in these spaces sends a powerful message that you are seen, you belong, and you are not alone,” she emphasised. 

But it’s not only about queer visibility; it’s also about building bridges. “I also think that it helps to engage local communities, create dialogue, and challenge stigma in places where awareness is still limited,” she added. “This affirms that equality and dignity are rights for all.”

‘Not just a symbolic gesture’ 

Suraaj de Silva offered a powerful reminder about the limits of Colombo-centric activism and the importance of looking beyond the capital when it came to queer liberation. 

“I think it’s important to remember that Colombo is a very small and very specific microcosm of political conversations in Sri Lanka,” he said. “And that makes it very easy to forget that outside our bubble, things take on a completely different hue.”

For Suraaj, pride outside of Colombo is not just a symbolic gesture; it’s an opportunity to reckon with the layered nature of oppression across the country. 

“Queer struggles often mix with class and racial struggles in ways that can become invisible to us,” he explained. “Celebrating pride outside of Colombo can help bring those struggles to light together, and hopefully, help bring the marginalised communities of Sri Lanka together in the fight.”

His message was clear and urgent: solidarity is not optional. “None of us are free until all of us are free,” he said – a sentiment that echoed the heart of every pride event held in rural and regional Sri Lanka. It is through collective recognition, not just celebration, that real progress takes root.

A demand for inclusion

In the Eastern Province, pride is beginning to take shape in powerful and culturally resonant ways. Meera Nadarasa, who is involved in organising Batticaloa Pride, shared her excitement about the region’s ongoing celebrations. 

“We had a dansala in May and now we are having an indoor event in Batticaloa on 18 June in celebration of pride,” she said. “The event is open to the public and we are expecting close to 200 people.”

These events, she noted, were about far more than just celebration. They are moments of deep community affirmation as well. “These are significant moments in our community because they allow us the visibility we have been denied for so long,” Meera said. “It’s about showing our community that we exist, that we are here, and that we deserve to be seen.”

Importantly, Meera also highlighted that visibility was not only a matter of recognition, it was a matter of rights as well. “We want to make sure that we are not forgotten when they make important decisions that affect us,” she added. For her, Batticaloa Pride is not just an event; it is a statement of presence and a demand for inclusion in all spheres of public and political life.

As pride continues to move beyond Colombo, it carries with it the spirit of resistance, resilience, and reclamation, wherever queer people live, love, and dream. Pride in Sri Lanka is growing, not just in size, but in meaning – and it is in these spaces, built by and for the people, that the future of the movement finds its most powerful roots.