Why do Sri Lankans still frown upon LGBT rights?
Taboo subject in our society
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transsexual) is a taboo subject in Sri Lanka. And it is not a topic which is widely discussed in the society or local forums either. But, LGBT activities are widespread in Sri Lankan society in the underlying and in absolute secrecy. The writer wishes to share a story which he is privy to, personally. It is a very popular sport in Sri Lanka which is evenly played by both sex (name of the sport is withheld due to obvious reasons). Men’s and women’s teams share the same facilities at a venue in Colombo and therefore, both teams frequent this place for regular practices. Men’s team members are always accompanied by their spouses who would while away time being in their cars or SUVs. Even the fiancés of men’s team members are a common sight there. Nevertheless, the women’s team is a stark contrast in this sense. Out of all women’s team members, only 2 % of them are married while all others remain single. Unlike the men’s team, they are never accompanied by their fiancés because they don’t have male partners in their life. The entire team members are hardcore lesbians as it transpired. Each player has a partner and they stick to each other at any cost. More than anything, they want to share the room with their partner during a tournament in Sri Lanka or abroad. Knowing the fact that all team members are lesbians, the authorities have less respect for them, in contrary to their counterparts of the opposite sex. Moreover, recently, a prominent Cricketer of international repute divorced his wife as he found his wife to be a lesbian.
Government of Butterflies
In 2015, the so-called government of good governance came to power which was later branded as the government of butterflies. It is common knowledge that the top brass of the government was said to be gays or bi sexual. Even the second in command of the government allegedly fell into the same category although he has been married for quite some time without children. Late Mangala Samaraweera, a key minister of this government who held all important portfolios of Foreign affairs and Finance, openly declared that he was a gay. He even admitted to frequenting gay clubs while he was studying overseas. But, people of Sri Lanka looked down, ridiculed and loathed this government as a whole due to this very fact. However, this government had a better understanding of the world order as it had a blend of seasoned politicians with international exposure. So, the government covertly attempted to officially recognize homosexuality and legalize marriages of the same sex. Religious elements of Sri Lanka which are very powerful in fashioning public opinions, were soon up in arms against the government especially the Buddhist clergy. Therefore, the government was under immense pressure to put it under the carpet which they did ultimately under the mounting displeasure of the people. So, it has been nipped in the bud. In Sri Lanka, there is only a very little possibility that it will ever be legalized in line with western countries where such marriages are common and accepted in their societies.
Religious Opinion of homosexuality
Lord Buddha, who lived 2600 years ago in India, once disclosed that there were four types of people in the world. He identified them as Purushalinga (men), Sthreelinga (women), Napunshaka (Gay) and Ubatholinga (Transsexual). Nowhere in Buddhist scripts, had homosexuality been condemned. Simply, it was there even during Buddha’s period. However, homosexuality is a taboo according to the Quran, the sacred book of Muslims. The Quran had gone a step ahead beyond mere condemnation but cursed such acts. In ancient Muslim world, those who were caught for homosexuality had been stoned to death. Quran had even specified the punishments that should be meted out to those who indulged in homosexuality. Today, homosexual people from Muslim world are only subjected to whipping. In this sense, Christianity is no exception although it has specified no punishment. In Christianity, it is against the wishes of the God Almighty or against the morality of societies. Basically, most of the Christian or Catholic sects do not promote homosexuality. But, there are 27 countries where same sex marriages have been legalized. Irony is that they all are pro-Catholic or Christian countries. Netherlands is the first country which legalized same sex marriages in 2001 and afterwards, 26 other countries followed the suit. Even in South Africa, it is legal. Nevertheless, Asian countries being traditionally conservative are far from accepting marriages of the same sex.
Social Media provides impetus
Today, we are in a world of advanced technology. Social media has taken the world by storm and is increasingly becoming popular all over the world. Matchmaking for marriages is extensively done online nowadays. Similarly, multitude of social media platforms and pornography sites have been created for like-minded people of various interest. Homosexuality is no exception in this trend. Homosexual online sites provide the opportunity of finding lesbian, gay or bi-sexual partner for one’s specific pleasure. Furthermore, transsexuals are sold online too. As a result, prostitution of LGBTs have been made easy worldwide. In Sri Lanka too, many similar sites have come up such as ‘Lankalove’ and exclusive gay sites on Facebook for instance. So, it is a well-known fact that Sri Lankans are browsing such sites to find sexual partners. The Government is rather strict on this up and coming trend and therefore, many sites have been restricted or prohibited. Even ‘Lankalove’ site has been dislodged but some secretive cartels of homosexuals are operative undercover. Recently, the government brought a law which allows the Police to round up who watches porn videos online. No records are available to find out how successful the Police is, in this drive. Some radical thinkers countered this move saying it will serve no purpose. They point out that sex criminal wave is on the rise in spite of Government’s restrictions and laws. Therefore, it is high time that the Government revisited this issue from a different point of view because LGBT people also have rights of their own.
