To Be, or Not to Be, Bhutan - The Gay & Lbian Review

Contents:

• BHUTAN GAYS CELEBRATE AFTER HOMOSEXUALY CRIMALISED
• BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS
• GAY TRAVEL TO BHUTAN ADVICE PLEASE... - BHUTAN FOM
• BHUTAN OVERLAND: A GAY TRAVEL CULTURAL TOUR
• HOW GAY ARE BHUTANE GAYS?

BHUTAN GAYS CELEBRATE AFTER HOMOSEXUALY CRIMALISED

In neighborg India, the Supreme Court stck down one of the world’s olst bans on gay sex 2018. In Augt, Sgapore crimalized gay sex, although the ernment also spoke of safeguardg marriage as a unn between a man and woman. Bhutan’s penal — which clud the ban on gay sex — took effect 2004, four years before the untry held s first electns as part of a transn om absolute monarchy to nstutnal mocracy.

”“It’s all happeng much more quickly than I anticipated, ” said Namgay Zam, the former director of the Journalists’ Assn. She me out to iends on social media when she was 15, and a few months ago announced to her fay she is gay.

(Namgay Wangch / AFP/Getty Imag) “They had a strong reactn, but I want to give hope to people like me, who e om a hard nservative fay, ” she said. A jot stg of both ho of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to legalize gay sex, makg the ty Himalayan kgdom the latt Asian natn to take steps towards easg rtrictns on same-sex relatnships. Sectns 213 and 214 of the penal had crimalized “unnatural sex, ” wily terpreted as homosexualy.

BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS

“Homosexualy will not be nsired as unnatural sex now, ” Wangdi told Rters by phone om the Bhutane pal of Thimphu, whout givg tails. Neighborg India removed a centuri-old lonial prohibn on gay sex 2018, triggerg celebratn across the untry. "A lot of cried, " said Tashi Tsheten of Rabow Bhutan that reprents the untry's lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny.

"We are a small and margalised muny and when our rights are discsed parliament, mak extremely happy, " Tashi law had never been ed, but Fance Mister Namgay Tsherg, who submted the remendatn to repeal sectns 213 and 214 of the penal , said they had bee "a sta" on the untry's Tsherg said the sectns had bee rndant sce Bhutan beme a nstutnal monarchy 2008.

"There is no annual Gay Pri rally or other public display while Tashi said there was a general acceptance of transgenrs, pecially ral areas, they still face much discrimatn, pecially schools.

GAY TRAVEL TO BHUTAN ADVICE PLEASE... - BHUTAN FOM

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTLawmakers the Himalayan untry voted this week to amend a 2004 law that crimaliz “sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature, ” prevly treated as a reference to gay Dahal/Agence France-Prse — Getty ImagHONG KONG — The kgdom of Bhutan pris self on maximizg “gross natnal happs, ” but don’t always feel that way to members of the untry’s L. And discrimatn are rife, activists say, and ’s mon for gay people to be blackmailed. “The are the issu that don’t get talked about, but this is the realy, ” said Tashi Tsheten, a foundg member of the lol advocy group Rabow week, however, lawmakers the Himalayan untry voted to amend a le om Bhutan’s penal that crimaliz “sodomy or any other sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature, ” prevly treated as a reference to gay move, which still needs the kg’s approval to bee law, was the latt example of an Asian ernment looseng rtrictive laws erng the private liv of L.

Rchie B Tongo/EPA, via ShutterstockBhutan’s new law, which passed both ho of Parliament on Thursday, “folds Bhutan to the global momentum toward regnizg equaly for lbian, gay, and bisexual people, ” said Kyle Knight, a senr rearcher the L. Individuals charged wh “unnatural sex” acts Bhutan would be subject to penalti nsistent wh a petty mpaign to amend anti-gay language Bhutan’s penal did not volve much direct lobbyg om L. Tsheten said, part bee formally registerg a gay rights advocy group the untry uld be terpreted to mean that you were “standg up for crimals.

BHUTAN OVERLAND: A GAY TRAVEL CULTURAL TOUR

The untry’s gay muny. “What we did was jt show people Bhutan that we exist, ” he mistry beme an ally bee regnized that the penal ’s reference to “unnatural sex” uld prevent gay and bisexual men om seekg H. And when the penal me up for review last year, Fance Mister Namgay Tsherg — who had prevly worked at the Health Mistry and the World Bank — stood up Parliament to sist that the outdated language be repealed.

Tsheten said, but will now be followed by a sentence clarifyg that “homosexualy between adults” do not meet that said that while the amend language “opens up a lot of doors” for Bhutan’s L. Muny, there would be no shortage of homophobia to overe. Gay iends of his who have been blackmailed, for example, have been forced to change schools or start new social media profil.

Photo: Tashi TshetenOn June 7, Bhutan’s lower hoe overwhelmgly voted to repeal Sectns 213 and 214 of the Bhutan Penal Co, takg a historic step towards crimalisg homosexualy the Himalayan untry.

HOW GAY ARE BHUTANE GAYS?

And while the Fance Mister of Bhutan, Namgay Tsherg, lled the existg sectns “a sta” on the untry’s reputatn, the legislative mtee of the Bhutane Natnal Assembly went on to move the motn to pass the amendment to s penal , on June Tsheten—a 26-year-old gay Bhutane om Thimphu and the director of lol LGBTQ anisatn Rabow Bhutan—tells VICE about growg up queer a patriarchal society, and what this piece of news means to him:Growg up queer Bhutan was a ltle lonelyI wouldn't say growg up queer was difficult Bhutan but there has never been much visibily of the LGBTQ muny the untry.

Not g across any gay, bisexual or queer persons ma me feel very Tsheten, an LGBTQ activist om BhutanBullyg was mon bee boys are expected to be a certa wayI realised I was gay back 2015 when I turned 22. Before that, I wasn't bullied for beg gay, but more for beg [effemate]. The fance mister [Namgay Tsherg] stood up for and plead to the NA.