Fridae

Source: Equal Ground press release

The first ever Gay Pride event in Sri Lanka was held on July 20 - a date that will be remembered in this country, for years to come. More than three hundred people packed into a leading discotheque in Colombo for a very memorable celebration.

Festooned with Rainbow Flags and fairy lights, the venue of the first Pride celebration was transformed into a magical setting for this groundbreaking event. Pride Banners flew high as Colombo's LGBTIQ community along with friends and supporters from as far away as Paris, Dubai, New York, Sydney and Minneapolis (to name just a few), rocked along with their Sri Lankan friends, dancing and singing to hits from the 70's and 80's.

"I never dreamed it would be the success it was! Everyone had such a fabulous evening and so many came up to me during the course of the evening to remark that this was the best party they have ever been to!" said Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Executive Director of Equal Ground, the producers of the event.

The enthusiastic crowd was entertained by Colombo's leading drag artistes who performed flawlessly thrilling the audience and heightening the energy in the room. For the 300 and more people that were present that night, the significance of the evening was not lost as roars of appreciation rang out when it was announced that this was the first ever Gay Pride event in Sri Lanka.

Homosexuality and the Sri Lankan Penal Code
According to sodomylaws.org, homosexuality is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka. Although it is rarely enforced, Article 365 of the penal code - which was introduced in 1883 under British rule - provides for up to 12 years imprisonment for gay sex acts. The government's last review of the law in 1995 ended with the addition of lesbian acts, officially labelled "sadism," to the formerly male-only statute.