2020 feels as though it has gone up in flames during these past few months; while a global pandemic is terrorising us all, now racial disparities in the West are shedding light on our own deep-seated issues of inequality and regression of values.
As June rolled up came Pride Month, a time of the year where global corporations would get ready to paint everything in rainbow colours and declare their allies. However in Sri Lanka, things never quite progressed that way. But even our little island stuck peddling colonial ideals celebrated Pride the best they can, with Equal Ground often taking the lead in this with various Gay Pride-related activities. However, these are the times of Covid-19 and so things have moved online, which is fine too.
As it is Pride Month and we would have otherwise spent these days discussing various LGBTIQ community achievements, we decided to reach out to prominent voices in the community to share their opinion on the current situation in the world and how it affects LGBTIQ individuals in Sri Lanka.
We were particularly curious about how the “Black Lives Matter” movement has shown the world the strength of numerous voices and the power activism holds in making real change happen.
Internet provided a safe space for our community: Aritha Wickramasinghe
Lawyer, policy expert, and human rights activist Aritha Wickramasinghe shared with us his thoughts on how activism has the strength to push for ridding disparity – how overcoming oppression is up to the whole and not just some.
“There’s a lot that activists, especially LGBTIQ activists, can take from the activism of the black community. Their courage in the face of great inequality and oppression is a message to all oppressed communities including the LGBTIQ community – that silence is no longer an option. Silence leads to a police officer killing you by kneeling on your neck. The LGBTIQ community has long been an oppressed community whose global struggle continues. In Sri Lanka, oppressive laws and treatment have silenced many of us and made us invisible. This should no longer be an option. No one is born to live a life of invisibility,” Wickramasinghe said.
He went on to share his perspective on the significance of Pride Month in these times of Covid and how the movement has many alternatives to keep going, despite not being able to walk the streets.
“Celebrating Pride Month in the midst of a pandemic is challenging. Across the world, Pride celebrations have moved online. The LGBTIQ community has been the pioneers of using online spaces across the world. Oppressive laws and negative social attitudes meant that the internet always provided a safe space for our community. In the age of a pandemic, the internet provides the LGBTIQ community a safe space not just from the violence perpetrated against them, but also from the dangers of an invisible virus that is as deadly as racism and homophobia that plagues our society.”
The pandemic has made us rediscover ourselves: Sriyal Nilanka
FPA Sri Lanka Program Officer – AFAO and PLHIV advocate Sriyal Nilanka, who has been an active voice in the LGBTIQ community and was previously the Media and Communications Officer at Equal Ground, shared his thoughts on how social issues do not exist in a vacuum and how a community’s struggle somewhere else is reflective of your own wherever you may be.
“It’s an amazing time to be alive; there is a lot of demand for change that they rightfully deserve. Even in the development sector, we say that social issues do not exist in isolation. One community facing discrimination and the way they are treated is a reflection of how we are all treated; when trans rights are not recognised, that shows that we are not quite there yet. We have not improved or progressed enough. When groups of marginalised people are treated horrendously, then you cannot celebrate one community while ignoring the atrocities faced by the other. What the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement means to us as LGBTIQ persons in Sri Lanka is that we can take a page from their book to push towards tangible change to finally say enough is enough. We as Sri Lankans fully support that message wholeheartedly,” he explained.
Nilanka also reflected on the nature of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the nature of how one would normally go about celebrating the month of June as Pride Month, adding that as for the pandemic and pride, there still are ways to reflect on a community’s achievements.
“The pandemic has made it so that people are rediscovering themselves and we have been afforded the opportunity for self-reflection by shining light on glaring social inequalities that are still largely prevalent, showcasing how unprepared we are in the face of tragedy. It has also allowed us to appreciate what we have while feeling for those in difficult circumstances; especially if you are coming from an environment of violence, then my heart goes out to you which sheds light on the need for a chosen family more than ever.”
Fixing things must be done as a whole: Niluka Perera
Human rights activist Niluka Perera also shared with us his sentiments on the matter, agreeing with Nilanka on how social issues certainly are not to be considered in isolation. According to him, “fixing” things does not come about by breaking away a chunk of issues and treating it separately, but must be done as a whole.
“This is a good time to highlight why we should not think of human rights in isolation. Every person is not a ‘single-issue person’. We are complex beings. Covid-19 has highlighted the social inequities, and those who are marginalised (i.e. LGBT communities, racial minorities, and the poor) have been largely affected by the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19. While we address rights of those who are historically marginalised, it is time we join hands with different rights movements towards ensuring equity and equality,” Perera pointed out.
More thoughts
In addition to those who have worked in the development sector, we also reached out to a number of community members who have utilised their voice to fight for their beliefs. They shared their thoughts on the effects of the massive display of unity and activism portrayed in the West and what the takeaway message can be for us in Sri Lanka.
Prabhashana Hasthidhara, youth activist and artist
In Sri Lanka, a lot of us had to re-evaluate our strategies with the pandemic on top of the shift of political climate, but one of the highlights of this troubled time was the unity and solidarity with the BLM movement that sparked a wave of protests around the world against police brutality.
The queer and black communities have a lot of intersecting issues, especially considering that we are treated like second-class citizens for things beyond our control, and it kind of took us back to the truth of what Pride is; before it was a celebration, it was an act of resistance. A protest that sparked a movement. The US’ resistance movement rekindled the spark and gave hope for people and it happening in Pride Month made it more meaningful for us as the queer community to mobilise against injustice.
GaaPiNk (Gayan Rathnayaka), queer artist
The modern gay rights movement is connected with BLM. If we look back to the history, Pride is deeply connected with the BLM movement because they are the pioneers of the gay rights movement. But it’s not only about racism; there is internal stigma in the community itself causing reason for social issues. We live in a complex world where the value for emotions are very less and, in my opinion, we fight from the day we are born till the end of life.
So I believe that we all learnt lessons due to Covid-19 as well. Still we remain quite tense and cautious, and we have had a reality check that life is precious and it’s not about fighting for your rights – you must fight for your dignity and each and every one of us deserve to have a happy ending. Always remember that Pride began with a protest, so I urge anyone who is able to raise your voice to say no to inhumanity!
Entrepreneurs Hash and Manga
Covid-19 is affecting everyone at the moment and the most marginalised have become even more vulnerable. As members of the LGBTIQ community, our hope for Pride 2020 is to support fellow LGBTIQ folks to overcome the negative effects caused by this pandemic. And we would like to encourage everyone to support individuals or grassroots LGBTIQ organisations in any way possible. It’s time for us to be there for each other. Happy Pride and Love.
On a closing note, we would like to wish everyone Happy Pride and despite these dark times, there is bound to be light. With everything that is going on in the world, if you would like to be a part of change, there is a lot that one can do to celebrate Pride, despite there being a pandemic.
To gather some ideas, we had activist and content specialist Ranaka Siriwardana quite cheekily share how he believes Pride can be best celebrated this year, “while being busy partying and attending fun social events on other years, I think it’s a great opportunity to be educated about the LGBT history and about the Pride Month this year. Also, it is a great chance to show more support to your local LGBT-owned restaurants or small businesses during these tough times. And if you’re still in your early-quarantine-bake-off mood, you could bake a rainbow-coloured cake, some cupcakes, or even some rainbow-sprinkled pancakes and indulge in your pride.”
So there you have it. If you wish to exercise your activist muscles then do what you can, and Happy Pride!
Main photo © Cody Chan/Unsplash
