12 December 2018 01:56 am
Attempts to decriminalise homosexuality have miserably failed and it was at a time when the community was becoming active that the head of State decided to call the ousted prime minister a ‘butterfly.’ As it is a homophobic slur used to describe this community, the entire community took to the streets a few days after the president made this remark. Last Friday, a faction of this community once again took to the streets and protested the undemocratic moves taken by the president since October 26.
Butterflies for democracy Going by the derogatory term used by the president to describe the community, the recently concluded protest attracted a crowd that supported the rights of LGBTIQ. The protesters held rainbow flags and boards with slogans such as “My vote is not for sale” and “Butterflies are voters too.” During the protest, a few participants spoke to us and here is what they had to say:
I participated in the protest because I wanted to support the LGBTIQ community and I think it’s very important to ensure that we have our democracy in place. If not, we will not be able to stand for the rights of the LGBTIQ community because once democracy has been curtailed, every part would be curtailed. We therefore need to protect the democratic freedom we already have
Our votes shouldn’t be sold and we need democracy to live in this country. There is a way the president could have appointed the prime minister, but what he did was totally unacceptable. That is why we are here today, to let our voices be heard and stand up for democracy
This protest underscores the fact that democracy has been hijacked and the fact that it has been used to foster hate, homophobia and racism. It’s not simply about the president calling us butterflies in a derogatory manner, but the joint opposition too has been expressing similar sentiments in the past. But it is the head of State who made this remark, completely wiping out the right of democracy of every citizen to be treated equally in this country. So we are protesting the decline in democracy and the unavailability of equality throughout the history for the LGBTIQ community. We also want to show the president that we represent a large chunk of the voter base in Sri Lanka. Try 20%, if you want us to vote for a just, democratic government you need to come to us and decriminalise homosexuality and bring us into the society as equal citizens
I came here to fight for democracy. Democracy is very important to this community because we have been deprived of our fundamental rights. The LGBTIQ community has been ridiculed by the president himself, but this is a community that needs to be treated equally, similar to every other citizen in the country. Today, we witness that they have become stronger in voicing out their rights and calling for democracy, showing they are stronger together
Pics by Damith Wickramasinghe