Travel Diary: A Sri Lankan Talks About Gay Life In The Asian Republic - Towleroad Gay News

Travel rrponnts Stefan and Sebastien traveled to Sri Lanka December 2014. Sri Lanka is a tropil island natn shaped like a pearl the Indian Ocean jt off the Indian maland. Stefan and Sebastien are origally om London and France, rpectively and Nomadic Boys is their gay travel blog. Funny Boy is a Sri Lankan book Stefan grew up wh and loved (wrten by Shyam Selvadurai and highly remend to any LGBT traveller visg Sri Lanka). It tells the story of a young Ta gay boy lled Arjy growg up 1980s Sri Lanka durg the civil war era, stgglg to e to grips wh his homosexualy a very relig and tradnal fay and society. But g here some 30 years later late 2014, we wonred if much has changed. Gays Sri Lanka are pretty much regard as crimals, like gays India or gays the Maldiv. The dranian laws om the Brish lonial era (sectns 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Co 1886) crimalizg gay sex (“rnal terurse”) wh up to 10 years prison and a fe are still place . Unfortunately 1995 the Sri Lankan judiciary threw gay Sri Lanka backwards by amendg this law to crimalize acts of "gross cency" wh a fe and up to 2 years prison (sectn 365A). There is no guidance as to what exactly “gross cency” is or isn’t, which leav open to abe by the police to victimize the LGBT muny. Dpe attempts by the UN and var Sri Lankan LGBT prott groups to qutn and repeal the laws, the ernment has not historilly been the most obligg: The recent former Print Rajapaksa, stated gay marriage would the Buddhist herage of the natn. He also opposed Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka (Grete Lochen) brgg her wife to Sri Lanka, argug that lbian marriag are not legal Sri Lanka, so allowg *them* would enurage Sri Lankan women to want to behave this manner! Grete Lochen, Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka wh former Print Mahda Rajapaksa - is that a fake se....??!! The recent surprise rult the Sri Lankan electns removed Rajapaksa om power and saw Mahripala Sirisena elected. Whilst this brgs an end to the homophobic ernment of Rajapaksa, remas to be seen if Sirisena’s will be any more welg to the hidn gay Sri Lanka muny than his precsor was. As foreigners Sri Lanka, we had a lovely time, pletely trouble ee and found the lols to be very iendly, kd-hearted people. But as we found the Maldiv, as foreigners, we will always enjoy a different level of treatment, whether straight or gay. Prcs Seby mpg up Nuwara Eliya, hill untry of Sri Lanka So, what's actually like livg there? We met a Shale thor Colombo, Kaluu, who has published var books and poetry, some wh a LGBT theme. He has asked to rema anonymo for fear of reprisal om fay and his work, so we will refer to him jt as - "Kaluu" ( means black Shale, his nickname bee he has darker sk than your average Sri Lankan). Ayubowan Kaluu, wele to our blog! Please troduce yourself: Good afternoon Nomadic Boys. I am Sri Lankan born, 34 years old, livg Colombo. I’m also a son, a iend, a gay, a Buddhist, a wrer, and a poet. Above all, a human. Two Ta boys beg very docile wh each other on the b Nuwara Eliya You’ve asked to keep your name anonymo on our blog, why is this? Sri Lankans do not posss posive attus towards homosexualy. Exposg my sexual inty uld affect my job, embarrass my fay and uld even be life threateng. My iends have faced such bter experience for beg “out”, particularly ral areas. For example, one iend was beaten by his olr brother when he me out to him until he bled. He ran away and now liv alone. Another iend me out to his fay and his father had a heart attack when he found out. He cid to marry and live a “good” heterosexual life to please his parents and cut off all ntact wh his gay iends, cludg me. CONTINUED, AFTER THE JUMP...