Companions on a Journey (CoJ) is a Sri Lankan LGBT support group founded in 1995. It campaigns to change the laws which criminalise homosexuality and to educate people about sexuality. The Women's Support Group grew out of CoJ, the two organisations sharing the Felipa de Souza Award in 2001. By 2014, CoJ had over 1,400 members and branches across the country.
Companions on a Journey (CoJ) was established in 1995 with Sherman de Rose as executive director. [1] It was funded by the Dutch government and Alliance London, an English HIV/AIDS support group. CoJ immediately provoked controversy because it was the first Sri Lankan gay rights group; the offices were attacked and staff were assaulted. [2] [3] [4] Homosexual acts are illegal in Sri Lanka and could receive a sentence of up to twelve years in prison. Whilst convictions are rare, it is common for people to be blackmailed or intimidated. CoJ has been campaigning since its foundation to change the law. [5]
Following the International Lesbian and Gay Association Asia regional conference in Mumbai in 2002, Companions on a Journey held a press conference in Sri Lanka at which de Rose stated the organisation's aims were to achieve LGBT equality and to change the belief that homosexuality was a disease which could be cured. Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, who ran the Women's Support Group, said she agreed with de Rose about the overall aims and that her group also worked on its own causes, mentioning a recent case in which a lesbian woman had been threatened with rape because of her sexuality. [1] The Women's Support Group was set up in 1999 and held a lesbian convention in Colombo in December 1999. [2]
After the 2004 tsunami struck, CoJ calculated that 34 of its members had been killed. The group used its drop-in centre to distribute aid and helped its members financially. [6] Interviewed by the BBC in 2005, de Rose said "We aren't expecting miracles, but I think we're getting there, bit by bit". At that time, as well as its legal activism, CoJ was organising a monthly newsletter and full moon parties. It had a drop-in centre in Colombo and had opened other ones in Kandy and Anuradhapura. [7] [2] In 2008, Companions on a Journey and the Women’s Support Group put on the first Solidarity Games in Colombo, which were attended by over 300 people. [8]
Rivira (a Sinhala weekly newspaper) published a stories in 2011 which accused CoJ of spreading homosexuality and outed several people. One man lost his home after his name was publicised and CoJ was forced to stop operations temporarily. [9] As of 2014, Companions on a Journey had over 1,400 members and branches across Sri Lanka. [2]
Companions on a Journey and the Women’s Support Group won the Felipa de Souza Award in 2001. [10]
Societal attitudes toward homosexuality vary greatly across different cultures and historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own values regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others may disapprove of such activities in part. As with heterosexual behaviour, different sets of prescriptions and proscriptions may be given to individuals according to their gender, age, social status or social class.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Morocco face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Morocco.
OutRight Action International (OutRight) is a LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. OutRight Action International documents human rights discrimination and abuses based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in partnership with activists, advocates, media, NGOs and allies on a local, regional, national and international level. OutRight Action International holds consultative status with ECOSOC.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights are heavily suppressed in Bangladesh. Due to the traditional mentality of the predominantly conservative Bangladeshi society, negative attitudes towards those in the LGBT community are high. Homosexuality is illegal under Bangladeshi law; a law which is inherited from the British Indian Government's Section 377 of 1860. According to the law the punishment for homosexuals is up to life imprisonment, therefore it is dangerous for those who identify as homosexuals to openly come out in society because of social rejection, hate, assault, or even murder.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Malaysia face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sodomy is a crime in the country, and social attitudes towards the LGBT community are shaped by Islam, the official state religion of Malaysia.
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera is a Sri Lankan LGBT rights activist. She lived in the US for over a decade and when she returned to Sri Lanka, she became the female Asian representative to ILGA and later its co-secretary general. She helped to found the Women's Support Group in 1999 and Equal Ground in 2004.
Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code that criminalizes same-sex sexual acts remains on the books but has been ruled unenforceable by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka has implemented anti-discrimination laws for homosexuals as part of its constitution and human rights action plan. It has recognized transgender people for a very long time and has been making it easier for transgender people to identify and transition in recent years. Concepts similar to the third gender found in India and South East Asia also exist in Sri Lanka.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people in Palestine face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Male homosexuality is illegal in the Gaza Strip but not in the West Bank, although LGBT rights are not protected in either.
Helem is a Lebanese non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT). Helem is the first LGBT advocacy group in the Arab World. Helem means dream in Arabic.
LGBT migration is the movement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people around the world and domestically, often to escape discrimination or ill treatment due to their sexuality. Globally, many LGBT people attempt to leave discriminatory regions in search of more tolerant ones.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of non-heterosexual conforming people of South Asian ancestry, who may identify as LGBTIQGNC, men who have sex with men, or related culturally-specific identities such as Hijra, Aravani, Thirunangaigal, Khwajasara, Kothi, Thirunambigal, Jogappa, Jogatha, or Shiva Shakti. The recorded history traces back at least two millennia.
Anjaree was a LGBT rights organization in Thailand. It formed as a lesbian organization in 1986 and has focused on issues such as reforming the words used to refer to same sex desire and campaigning for same sex marriage to be legally recognised. It became dormant around 2011.
Equal Ground is a non-profit organization based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that advocates for political and social rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), intersex and queer people. The organization, established in 2004, claims to be the first organization in Sri Lanka that welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities... The organization was founded by Sri Lankan gay rights activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera and offers trilingual publications and services. It aims to achieve its goals through political activism, education, personal support, building awareness and through organized community events. It has been working more closely with lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in areas of human rights, law reform, sexual health, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The organization continues to face many challenges working in Sri Lanka where homosexuality is stigmatized and considered criminal offense that can earn up to ten years of prison under the law. Efforts of the LGBT activists to undo the British colonial law criminalizing sodomy was not repealed, but the law was expanded to include women and the penalty was worsened. Queer groups in Sri Lanka have frequently stated that some of their members have been subjected to harassment—by blackmail or by threats with exposition or arrest—by police and other people, using the legal provision.
Tamil sexual minorities are Tamil people who do not conform to heterosexual gender norms, although the term can be expanded to refer to women as well. They may identify as LGBTQIA. It has been estimated that India has a population of 2.5 million homosexuals, though not all of them are Tamil, and not all Tamils live in India.
Sexual minorities in Sri Lanka have been counted in recent times as consisting of as little as 0.035% of the population to as high as 19.6%. It is likely that there are around 1,100,000 according to current mapping conventions.
The history of sexual minorities in Sri Lanka covered in this article dates back to a couple of centuries before the start of the Vikram Samvat era, although it is highly likely that archaeology predating this period exists. There are virtually zero historical records of sexual minorities in the Latin script dating prior to colonialism. The concept of Sri Lanka did not exist prior to colonialism, and the term 'lanka' translates to 'island'.
Lesbianism in Sri Lanka was legal until the late 1990s when the article prohibiting homosexual sex was expanded to cover homosexual sex conducted between women. Lesbians have historically faced challenges relating to the sexual discrimination against women as well as the homophobia and discrimination against sexual minorities, although Sri Lanka itself is often considered a leader for women's rights in South Asia.
Rauda Morcos is a Palestinian poet and LGBTIQ activist living in Haifa in Israel. In 2003, she was outed as a lesbian by a national newspaper, leading to dismissal from her job, physical assaults and attacks on her car. She then set up Aswat, the first Palestinian group dedicated to supporting lesbians.
Sherman de Rose is a Sri Lankan LGBT activist. He grew up in Kotahena. As a young person he wanted to join the Catholic church and studied in Ireland, but after realising he was gay he left the church. He then set up Companions on a Journey, Sri Lanka's first gay rights group, in 1994.
The Women's Support Group (WSG) is a Sri Lankan organisation dedicated to helping lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. It was set up in 1999 by amongst others Rosanna Flamer-Caldera. It has won the Felipa de Souza Award twice.