Bridge to Equality Sri Lanka – a group of non-profit organisations established for the improvement of LGBTQ rights in Sri Lanka including Young Out Here Trust (YOH), National Transgender Network (NTN), and DAST Sri Lanka, presented a production composed of a selection of monologues from members of the LGBTQ community in Sri Lanka, meant to depict the prejudices and pain surrounding the said community in Sri Lanka, named ‘Unheard Voices’at the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre, Colombo 8 recently.
‘Unheard Voices’ was directed by the founder of Floating Space and thespian, Jake Oorloff and included 11 monologues presented in Sinhala and English, performed by volunteers including members and allies of the Sri Lankan LGBTQ community. The audience consisted of a handful of invitees and theatre enthusiasts and allies of the LGBTQ community. The members of the audience were given the opportunity of on-site counselling for anyone who may need assistance when it comes to mental distress or discomfort in the event that the content was triggering.
The monologues
Each monologue was a story, a personal experience of the members of the LGBTQ community often suffered by them as a result of the gender biases, sexual prejudices and homophobia prevalent in Sri Lankan society. Speaking to the Bridge to Equality team, we found out that these were cases collected by their documentation offices all over the island in an attempt to seek legal justice for these individuals and that the performers selected their respectful monologues based on stories they were particularly moved by.
The monologues tackled topics such as sexual assault and various other forms of assault suffered by members of the LGBTQ community, legal injustice faced by these victims, social prejudices and personal traumas that they may subjected to as a result.
The reception
The event followed a brief question and answer session following the performances where the Bridge to Equality team was applauded for their efforts in bringing light to the various injustices suffered by a marginalized community in the country and further given insight to the various social norms that may be surrounding these communities.
The LGBTQ community is often condemned in this country due to various deep-rooted social and cultural stigmas. However, there has been a positive wave of activism for the safeguard of rights of such individuals.