Gay Pride in SL: A moment to accept, acknowledge and CELEBRATE LGBTIQ LIVES

As the month of June approaches, countries all over the world, be it conservative or liberal, celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, now celebrated as Gay PRIDE or LGBT PRIDE worldwide. The Stonewall riots (referred to sometimes as the Stonewall uprising or the Stonewall rebellion) were a series of unprompted, sometimes violent demonstrations by members of the (LGBT) community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in New York City. These riots were considered to be the most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.   
Throughout Pride month, and in our daily lives, the LGBTIQ community is reminded that in Sri Lanka, one cannot enjoy Pride as most countries do. There are no large Pride marches on the streets of Colombo. Instead, Pride in Sri Lanka carefully celebrates our lives and who we are by holding a series of events that draw attention to the natural complexities and simplicity of LGBTIQ lives in this country. Draconian laws still remain in Sri Lanka and homosexuality is still illegal causing much damage to our society gay and straight alike. I say this, because a society that is divided, a society that is filled with hate and jealousy is a dysfunctional society that is only bound to self-destruct if sanity does not prevail.  

"Draconian laws still remain in Sri Lanka and homosexuality is still illegal causing much damage to our society gay and straight alike"

Lack of government protection, let alone acknowledgement means that we would rather remain decades behind the rest of the world, than commit to values of equality and respect of all of our citizens. Progress is not about the many mega buildings we are currently putting up in this country. Nor does it mean the many new highways, ports, airports, and so on that are being built at a dizzying speed. Progress must mean, that we commit to respecting and protecting the rights of all our citizens. This also means cultivating an understanding of the struggles of marginalized groups like the LGBTIQ community. Throughout history, there has been a complete disregard for the services rendered to society by the LGBTIQ community including in the military, in government, in sports, in the arts and in all walks of life. LGBTIQ politicians hide their sexuality in the hopes that it won’t be held against them in an election. LGBTIQ persons in the military hide their status or face a court martial and a dishonourable discharge. LGBTIQ sportsmen and women hide their sexuality to enable them to be picked to represent our country.   

• As a nation, we must strive to stand up for each other’s rights

• Services rendered by LGBTIQ community at large were forgotten

Why is hiding, such a huge part of our lives? Why is hiding who we are, the expected norm in this country for those like us? The enormous effort it takes to always stay one step ahead of being outed, being made to feel shame and fearful of how hard our lives would end up being if we were to be out and proud, takes a huge toll on one’s physical, mental and emotional self. Forced into heterosexual marriages by parents so ashamed of their children they would do anything to redeem themselves by forcing a life of misery on their child. All we are taught growing up is that being LGBTIQ is a sickness, a perversion. Something that must be hidden from others.
Thanks to old Victorian values brought in by the British along with their insidious laws, we have become a nation of prudes and hypocrites, embracing what is not ours and shunning what is naturally ours from the dawn of time!  

Those in power have the ability to shape societal values and public opinions and foster an accepting and tolerant attitude towards discriminated groups. This can be done by pushing for equal rights that do not leave out certain individuals and groups, and by acknowledging the value and services given by the LGBTIQ community that adds to our development as a progressive society. As a nation, we must strive to stand up for each other’s rights and understand that to become a progressive country, we need to be united in our efforts. One does not need to belong in the LGBTIQ community to support equality, but one must simply believe in an individual’s rights to freedom from discrimination and harassment and basic human rights. When the leadership of a country does not do enough to help its’ vulnerable citizens, we must all step up to the plate and make our voices heard. We must make sure that the rights of the people are enshrined and protected, no matter who, no matter what. As citizens we mustn’t ignore the plight of minorities. To do so is to encourage widespread discrimination and violence.  
Join us for Colombo PRIDE 2018 - a celebration of Diversity with Pride.