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Public praise politicians’ recognition of LGBT community

05 Sep 2022

  • Artistes, lawyers, MPs join the welcome chorus, CWC’s Thondaman notes upcountry LGBT segment‘s struggles 
BY Dinitha Rathnayake    The recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons by political leaders has been appreciated by several communities, including artistes and lawyers. Musician Harith Wijeratne, speaking to The Morning, said that there are many factors to gauge how developed a country is and though some immediately speak of economical factors like the gross domestic product (GDP), there are many more aspects to be considered, with one such aspect being citizens’ happiness, which however generally tends to get overlooked in terms of what directly affects a country’s development. “It is evident that being able to love who one wants to love without intentionally harming oneself or anyone else, and being able to inhabit a body and dress like the gender that one is mentally in line with, makes a person happy and fulfilled. When someone is forced to conform to the norms of sexual orientation and gender identity in fear of being shamed by the society or being disowned by one’s own family, it invariably takes a mental toll.  “This is a reason why there are many suicides being reported in the LGBT community. One has to make the choice of being one’s true self without marginalisation and mistreatment or having to conform to the norm with pseudo-acceptance. I presume the devil himself has more sympathetic deals up his sleeve. So all of this rhetoric was to clarify for those who, with such blissful ignorance, say that there are much bigger issues in the country. A person committing suicide or turning to recreational drugs due to unhappiness stemming from the lack of acceptance of their true self is a cultural issue and by extension a national issue. “Therefore, I stand in full support of the LGBT, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and other sexual orientations’ and gender identities’ rights, and I respect everyone who does so. I hope that all our endeavours will culminate in success”. Human rights activist and Attorney Aritha Wickramasinghe also said on social media: “Incredible developments coming out of Sri Lanka as courts and political leaders increasingly recognise the immense discrimination faced by LGBT-plus persons and come forward to protect their rights”. Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) MP Jeevan Thondaman has joined MPs Dr. Harsha de Silva and Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, in calling for ending all forms of discrimination against the LGBT-plus community. Recently, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Premnath C. Dolawatte presented a private member Bill to amend Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code, effectively decriminalising same-sex consensual relations. Speaking to the media, MP Thondaman spoke of the CWC’s initiative to educate its own members and constituencies on the struggles faced by the LGBT-plus community, especially within the upcountry estate population. As a party dedicated to the working class and marginalised communities, he emphasised the importance of living free from discrimination and fear, as a basic human right. “A person should be able to live in this country regardless of their sexual orientation, without having to fear to express how they feel or just who they are.” Thondaman also condemned inhumane acts conducted by the State towards the LGBT-plus community. Media reports have revealed how LGBT-plus persons have been arrested and subjected to forced anal and vaginal examinations by the Police and Judicial Medical Officers. He called it a gross violation of a person’s right to live as a free citizen. In its proposals to the 21st Amendment of the Constitution Bill, the CWC included provisions to expressly include “sexual orientation and gender identity” as protected characteristics in the Fundamental Rights Chapter. Meanwhile, the Kaduwela Magistrate has granted an interim protection order to protect a female who identifies as lesbian from her abusive parents. The female in question is a victim of severe abuse, where for weeks, her parents had kept her unlawfully imprisoned at home because of her sexual orientation.  


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