LGBTIQ rights organizations are urging the Sri Lankan government to implement legal reforms that would decriminalize same-sex relationships between women, in line with the policies of the National People’s Congress to improve the well-being of the LGBTIQ community.
In 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women stated that criminalizing same-sex relationships among older Sri Lankan women is a violation of international human rights agreements. Advocates are now pressing for the government to take immediate action and amend the existing laws accordingly.
A statement from the LGBTIQ community group emphasized that a landmark legal case was filed by Equal Ground Executive Director Flamar Caldera, with the support of the Human Dignity Trust, establishing a major legal precedent that criminalizing lesbian and bisexual women violates the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Despite this ruling, the necessary legal amendments have not yet been made, nor has Flamar Caldera received compensation.
Activists have expressed frustration that, despite a change in government and the new administration’s stated commitment to advancing LGBTIQ rights, no concrete legal reforms have been implemented. They continue to push for urgent legislative changes to protect the rights and dignity of LGBTIQ individuals in Sri Lanka.
