A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, June 16, 2017
Colombo Pride: The History
Artwork that will be displayed at the Colombo Pride art and photography exhibition-A volunteer sorts through badges from the 134 campaign
RAISA WICKREMATUNGE on 06/15/2017
On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich, New York, a group
of queer patrons decided to fight back during a police raid. The
Stonewall riots were a reaction to systematic police harassment and stigmatisation of the community. The stand off lasted three to four days, swelling to great numbers.
Following this, the first Pride Parade was held in New York city,
to commemorate the Stonewall riots. These took place across the United
States and eventually, became part of a global movement celebrating the
LGBT community, even in the face of stigmatisation.
Colombo has been having Pride events for 13 years, according to Rosanna Flamer Caldera, Executive Director of Equal Ground.
The first Pride event was held at the Taj Samudra in 2005, and was
attended by over 300 people. Though Pride events are traditionally
parades, the first event was held privately, due to fear of pushback
from authorities. Since then, Colombo Pride has grown exponentially,
despite intimidation. Last year, for instance, the Sinha Le group prevented Equal Ground from holding a promotional event for Colombo Pride at the Good Market.
“They called us freaks. They told people to join hands and show us we
were not wanted here. They were basically inciting violence. Their
Facebook page has over 60,000 fans, and people were trashing us on a
daily basis, leading up to Pride,” Rosanna Flamer-Caldera said.
“Initially, Facebook did not shut the page down, but eventually after
lobbying we managed to get the page banned. Immediately after that, they
started up a new page called, “No LGBT in Sri Lanka” and bombarded us
with complaints.”
Ostensibly not wanting to exacerbate the tension, the Good Market asked
Equal Ground not to display their branding or the rainbow flags, a
recognised symbol of the Pride movement, at the event. Equal Ground
decided to shift venues.
That wasn’t the only opposition the group faced – around 2008, Equal
Ground also faced opposition from a Muslim extremist group based in
Kattankudy. “They said that we are trying to convert women to
homosexuality, by promoting International Women’s Day,” Rosanna said. As
a result, Equal Ground eventually had to complain to the CID and the
IGP in order to stop the threats.
“Between 2013 and 2015, we were under state scrutiny. Our homes were
bugged, and we were followed. After our Universal Periodic Review
submission in 2012, the Women and Children’s Bureau attributed the
increase in child abuse to the spread of homosexuality, going on to
specifically name and photograph me. This was far more dangerous than
any other threat we faced,” Rosanna said. As a result, there was a huge
reduction in numbers attending Pride events during those years, and yet,
they continued to be held.
In recent years, Rosanna said, Equal Ground has faced less intimidation
and seen a wider space for discussion and debate. This, she says, is
reflected in the wider queer community as well.
“Violations against the LGBTIQ community still take place, but now more
people are aware of their rights and are talking about it. They stand up
for themselves more often.” The public too has been more supportive of
the work of organisations like Equal Ground, apart from groups with
vested political interests.
As a result of this increased space, Equal Ground has been able to expand their Colombo Pride events.
This year, kicking off the Pride events on June 15 will be a corporate
roundtable. “We want to push corporates who support us to change their
Human Resources policies to be more inclusive and sensitive to issues of
sexual orientation and gender identity. That’s what we’re hoping to
achieve this year, building on the success of last year’s event,”
Rosanna said.
There will also be a Music and Dance Festival for the first time, with
over 16 performances, including one from contemporary dance company nATANDA.
“It is the first time we are seeing performances from people almost
entirely hailing from the queer community.” In addition, Equal Ground’s
film festival, Abhimani is now the oldest queer film festival in South Asia.
“Idea Junction” is an opportunity for the queer community to present
their work and hold discussions. There will also be flash drama and
music, with organisations such as Heart to Heart Lanka, Grassrooted Trust, Bakamoono, Venasa Transgender Network, and Young Out Here participating.
Popular events such as the art and photography exhibition, the kite
festival and the Pride Parade will also be held this year as usual. A
bus parade, which is also a relatively new addition, will be held this
year as well.
Equal Ground also provides legal aid and advice, including trained
lawyers across several districts, and also provides mental health
counseling, as well as operating the only LGBTIQ hotline since 2005.
Although Pride events have usually taken place in Colombo, Equal Ground
did hold their film festival in areas like Puttalam, Anuradapura and
Matara in 2012, and held discussions on the films screened after the
event.
Yet, Equal Ground, and other organisations working for LGBTIQ rights,
have larger battles to fight. Sri Lanka still criminalises homosexuality
under Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code. Due to this, members of
the community are often victimised and harassed. Equal Ground has
received reports of around 200 cases of violations, including forced
heterosexual marriages resulting in broken families, members of the
community being accosted in the street, harassment at work (particularly
in the Free Trade Zones) and also incidents of violent assault and
rape. Getting concrete numbers on the extent of harassment is difficult,
in the face of persistent and ongoing stigma, especially amongst the
lesbian and bisexual community, Rosanna said. “They are reluctant to
talk in public, so their concerns and the struggles they face are often
underreported.”
Equal Ground recently launched their 134 campaign, which calls for supporters to stand together and support decriminalisation.
While this is an important call, Pride celebrations have an important
part to play as well. “Pride is about celebrating diversity,” Rosanna
says. “It’s about the queer community saying we’re here, and we’re proud
of who we are, and asking to be accepted.”
For more information on the dates and venues of the Colombo Pride Events, visit the official event page.