The Australian Volunteers Program strives to provide a safe, supportive and equitable environment for LGBTQIA+ volunteers, approved accompanying dependents, partner organisations and all program staff. The Australian Volunteers Program has supported queer volunteers in all program countries and has ongoing connections with community organisations in many countries and regions in which the program operates.
This guide introduces a snapshot of the local context for queer and gender diverse people. LGBTQIA+ program participants must be aware of the country context before undertaking an assignment. If you are an LGBTQIA+ volunteer, you will need to:
- do your own research and understand what the local law says you can and can't do when in-country
- follow the local laws, even if you disagree with them
- be aware of the legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people in your destinations
- consider if you’re comfortable living and working in a place where you may not be able to live as openly as you can in some parts of Australia.
Language
Terminology may differ across urban and rural contexts, provinces or ethnic and cultural groups. Information sourced online can be outdated or inaccurate. For current and accurate information, please confirm with an appropriate civil society organisation (CSO) or ask your in-country team.
Legal and policy context
Adult consensual same-sex sexual acts are prohibited under the Sri Lankan penal code, which criminalises both acts of ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’ (Section 365) and acts of ‘gross indecency’ (Section 365A). The former, which carries a penalty of up to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine, must involve penetration and has been interpreted historically to mean sodomy. The latter, which carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine, is undefined. This indeterminate wording means the law can be used to prosecute any sexual act determined by the state to be improper. Both acts have been amended to cover ‘any person’ as opposed to the original wording of ‘between men’ and to extend to public and private settings.
These laws are actively enforced by authorities through direct prosecution or as a tool to threaten or harass LGBTQIA+ people. There are documented cases of torture, physical violence, sexual abuse and forced anal examinations being carried out against LGBTQIA+ people in detention. However, criminal convictions are rare, and there has been a growing reluctance among the judiciary to hear such cases.
Transgender and gender-nonconforming Sri Lankans risk prosecution for ‘impersonation’, ‘misrepresentation’ or ‘misleading the public’. These offences carry a maximum of three years’ imprisonment and a fine. There are also accounts of transgender and gender-nonconforming people being targeted under the Vagrancy Ordinance, which empowers police to detain loiterers or anyone suspected of prostitution. While formal prosecutions are rare, these laws are often used as to punish and oppress LGBTQIA+ people.
Since 2016, adults can amend gender markers on their government-issued documentation, including national identity cards, by obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate from a state-run hospital. This process has been criticised for requiring psychiatric evaluations, medical diagnoses and surgical interventions. Hormone therapy and other forms of gender-affirming healthcare are scarce and expensive.
The Sri Lankan government has made tentative steps towards decriminalisation, with an amendment tabled in 2023 and endorsed by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. Despite these encouraging developments, the likelihood of decriminalisation remains uncertain.
Since 2020, the Ministry of Defence has been tasked with overseeing CSOs. Organisations that are viewed as a threat to the state risk surveillance, harassment and intimidation. There is also potential for anti-terrorism laws to be misused to curtail free speech and suppress dissent. Despite this, LGBTQIA+ organisations have been able to operate with relative freedom.
Discrimination
No specific legal protections exist for LGBTQIA+ Sri Lankans. However, the Sri Lankan Constitution enshrines the right to equality, which extends to LGBTQIA+ people. At Sri Lanka’s third Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council, the government reaffirmed its commitment to abolishing all laws discriminating on the basis of gender and/or sexual identity. Efforts to reform the penal code have stalled.
Research suggests that LGBTQIA+ discrimination and harassment are rife in Sri Lanka. A 2021 survey by Equal Ground found high rates of physical, emotional and verbal abuse, in both public and the private settings. Many LGBTQIA+ people are pressured by families to undergo ‘conversion therapy’ and fulfil cultural expectations, such as being forced into heterosexual marriages. To avoid this, LGBTQIA+ Sri Lankans often conceal their identity or move away from their families. Health care settings are particularly dangerous for LGBTQIA+ people, where negative stereotypes, attitudes and inadequate training exist, especially at state-run facilities.
LGBTQIA+ youth face significant barriers to receiving an education. In a 2012 study, 75% of LGBTQIA+ students had been dismissed, suspended or prevented from attending school because of their identities.
LGBTQIA+ discrimination is often perpetrated by state actors, especially the police. Though prosecutions are rare, the police use the threat of arrest to demand money or sexual favours. A fear of the police means that incidents of homophobia and transphobia are underreported.
Cultural and societal attitudes
In Sri Lanka, patriarchal values and traditional ideas about family can lead to male dominance and gender-based violence. Sexism and misogyny are common in public spaces, and women perceived as defying gender roles are at high risk of censure and abuse.
LGBTQIA+ Tamils, Muslims and those living in rural areas are less likely to be open about their identities, due to fears of family rejection, societal discrimination and community violence.
Though anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments persist, community attitudes are slowly beginning to shift, particularly in urban centres. Educated Sri Lankans with a higher socioeconomic profile are generally more accepting of gender and sexual diversity. The level of risk faced by LGBTQIA+ people is lowest in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has a long history of LGBTQIA+ activism, with its first grassroots organisation – Companions on a Journey – founded in 1995, one of the earliest in Asia. Since then, the LGBTQIA+ rights movement has expanded despite intimidation by state authorities and religious groups. Since 2022, Pride events have been held in major cities. There is a push to expand the scope and reach of activist efforts by establishing CSOs in the country’s north and east.
Health and wellbeing
Despite the government’s commitment to universal health care, LGBTQIA+ people struggle to access tailored, inclusive and affirming services. Various forms of harassment have been perpetrated by medical professionals, ranging from derogatory language to invasive, non-consensual examinations. LGBTQIA+ people often avoid or delay seeking treatment due to fears of rude behaviour, inappropriate questioning, confidentiality breaches and criminal prosecution. Pervasive stereotypes, discriminatory attitudes, conservative religious beliefs, inadequate staff training and a lack of LGBTQIA+ specialists are obstacles to healthcare.
The misconception that LGBTQIA+ people can be ‘cured’ remains widespread. In some instances, families use ‘conversion therapy’ or ask religious leaders, traditional healers or healthcare workers to ‘fix’ their relatives.
Despite strong evidence that LGTBQIA+ Sri Lankans disproportionately struggle with mental health issues, little targeted support is provided to queer communities. CSOs like Young Out Here, the National Transgender Network and the Venasa Transgender Network have launched psychosocial initiatives. Equal Ground offers in-person support and phone counselling. Mainstream organisations, such as the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka have launched capacity-building programs with clinic staff and external healthcare providers.
Transgender and gender-nonconforming Sri Lankans struggle to access gender-affirming care, especially at state-run facilities. They risk being misgendered, intrusively questioned and denied access to key services. Very few healthcare facilities offer hormone treatment or gender-affirming surgery and prohibitive costs make these services inaccessible.
HIV rates are low in Sri Lanka, with vertical transmission successfully eliminated. Leading health insurance companies cover HIV-related medical costs, providing access to treatment and care. New infections are concentrated among key populations, including men who have sex with men, transgender women and sex workers. There is greater awareness of LGBTQIA+-specific needs within CSOs working on HIV and STI prevention, though general healthcare needs remain unaddressed.
Policymakers and public health specialists have called for age-appropriate sexual education to be introduced in schools. However, conservative cultural values and strong religious influences remain a barrier to curriculum reform.
Media
Government-controlled media channels have been used to share negative perceptions about LGBTQIA+ people, in many instances inciting violence against them. More recently, the media has taken a less hostile stance, with news outlets covering rights violations, activist campaigns and positive coverage.
CSOs and activist groups use the media to expose homophobic attitudes among civil society and government. In 2018, community leaders published an open letter in a newspaper, denouncing prejudicial comments by then prime minister Maithripala Sirisena.
Social media plays a major role in connecting LGBTQIA+ people and disseminating affirming information, especially for those unable to access in-person support.
Research and contributions provided by John Marnell, African Centre for Migration and Society.
The Pride Guides were developed in 2022 and updated in 2025 by consultants and experts based in countries in which the program operates.
