Jaffna LGBTIQ+ community holds second annual Pride march

by Ephraim
Jun 13, 2023

The LGBTIQ+ community in Jaffna held their second annual Pride March on June 10th. The march began at the Jaffna bus stand and ended in front of the Jaffna library.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Ponnuthurai, the Director of the Jaffna Queer Festival, said, "Pride is not only a celebration of queer identities but primarily a protest. It has always been against hegemonic oppressions, for example in countries such as America and India, it has been against white supremacy, and the growing Hindutva movement. Similarly in Sri Lanka, celebrating Pride allows us to question and dismantle all forms of oppression such as racism, religious extremism in the form of Sinhala-Buddhist supremacy, casteism, and patriarchy."

Angel Queentus, the Director of Jaffna Transgender Network, said, "Within the Tamil community, particularly the trans community, are not treated even as human beings. In Sri Lanka, we are oppressed because of our Tamil identity and also our trans identity. We too exist in this land, and there are people who are unable to celebrate the various facets of their identities. We are marching today with pride because of the obstacles that we had to face in order to carve out the limited space that we have - from our families, in our schools, at our workplaces. We need to treat people with dignity."

Representatives from the KKB Youth Organisation also participated in the march in solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community.

The march was a peaceful and joyous event. It was a celebration of diversity and a protest against oppression. The LGBTIQ+ community in Jaffna is sending a message that they will not be silenced. They will continue to fight for their rights and for the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect.

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