Pride: A History of LGBTIQ Activism In Sri Lanka

As #PrideMonth comes to an end, we look back at the history of Sri Lanka’s LGBTIQ+ movement, 0ne of the earliest in the South Asian region. From the foundation of Companions on a Journey and Women’s Support Group in the late ’90s, the movement expanding out of Colombo into the North and East from 2015 onwards, to its recent involvement in mainstream politics, LGBTQ+ activism has endured several challenges in its 26-year history. But despite significant achievements in terms of educating communities and grassroots initiatives, there remains a long way to go before LGBTIQ+ people in #SriLanka have equal rights, protection and respect.