Touching the touch-me-nots

Isuru Chamara Somaweera is a young writer who speaks openly about homosexuality and related social concerns through his literary work. Malak Katha Karai (A flower speaks), his debut short story collection,won the Godage National Literature Award for the Best Short Story collection this year.

Sri Lanka is not a society that is tolerant of homosexuality. Intolerance, however, cannot and will not eliminate people who are considered to have out-of-the-ordinary sexual orientations. Making things worse, taboos in the society rarely allow people to speak about the social, physical or mental issues homosexual community faces. Isuru Chamara Somaweera opined that the silence does more harm than the disapproval.

He said that a human being is also a sexual being just as much as he/she is a political being or a social being.  When the sexual aspect of life remains unspoken and unclear, a person will be more stressed, assuming something is wrong with him/her. As Somaweera explained, a proper social discussion on sexual matters would help everyone articulate questions, confusion and other issues and thereby help lighten such burdens. Somaweera, through his short stories, attempts to discuss a few of the mental as well as social issues that arise due to these matters remaining unspoken.  

Somaweera observed that Sri Lankan society has limited itself to speak on just a few selected topics with respect to sexuality. ‘However, because of some unspoken facts, people get entangled in their own lives and never gets a chance to get out of it,’ he said. He also said that he didn’t think it as a challenge to write openly about less spoken social issues. ‘I didn’t think about it that much. I used my freedom; I just wrote what came to my mind,’ he said.

 ‘I wrote some of these stories long ago. I didn’t plan to publish them. Even after I decided that I would do so, I had the manuscript with me for a long time without it being accepted by a publisher. Publishers didn’t show much interest about the book until one day Upul Shantha Sannasgala called me to say that it should be published,’ he spoke about how his debut short story collection got published. Malak Katha Karai was published by Sanghinda Printers and Publishers.

He also spoke about the comments and criticisms he received. ‘I got both good and bad responses,” he said. “Some in the field gave me positive comments about my writing while some spoke negatively about the topics discussed commenting that those are not in tune with our culture,’ Somaweera added.   Malak Katha Karai is Somaweera’s third book. His first two books were poetry collections; Thandawa (2011) and Suda (2005).   Other writing is also available on his blog www.kirikawadi.blogspot.com and www.boondi.lk. Suda won him the Best Young Literary Influence title in the Godage Literary Awards in 2005. Thandawa was also nominated for the final round of the Godage awards.  

Somaweera said that his writing is a product of his isolation as a kid. During his childhood he lived in Ambatale near the Kelani River. Isuru Chamara was the only child of the family.  The violence during the 88-89 was a very stressful period for him since his father got arrested for being a supporter of the JVP.

‘I was only about ten then.  My father went missing for a long time. That brought too much pressure for me,’ Somaweera said that he had to find a way to release this pressure.
‘I was lonely and there was no one that I could talk to. Therefore, I started to write everything down,’ he said. He had not shown any of his early writing to anyone: ‘I kept whatever I wrote with me and there were even times when I tore up the papers worrying that someone might read.’  As he grew older he submitted poems to newspapers.  Some of these were published.

 According to Somaweera, Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai (To loving Nimali); a short story in the collection is one of the stories that prompted a lot of responses.  Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai is a letter written by a man who had recently left his wife. Somaweera, through this letter, discusses an issue that might arise in the case of forced marriage. Since the narrator’s parents were ignorant about his sexual orientation, he had been forced into marriage. Finally when things went wrong, he left his wife and wrote her an explanatory letter.   The text speaks about the pressure a man faces when he cannot express himself as the person who is and not someone others believe him to be. The narrator of the story, Nuwan, simply agreed to marry Nimali to satisfy his parents, thereby repressing his true self.

,දීපිකා ඈත් වුණාට පස්සෙ මට තව කෙල්ලෙක් එක්ක යාළු වෙන්න වුවමනා වුණේ නැහැ මට  ඕනෙ වුනේ මම ම වෙන්න මං ඒ දවස් වල පත්තරවල ගැටළු තීර වලට බොරු නම් ගම් එක්ක මගෙ ගැටළුව ලියලා දානවා.  එක දොස්තර කෙනෙක් කියලා තිබුණෙ කළල අවධියෙ අම්මගෙ ගර්භාෂෙ ඇන්ඞ්රොජන් සාන්ද්‍රනය අඩු වුනාම උපදින ළමයි පස්සෙ කාලෙක තමන්ගෙම ලිංගෙ අයට ආකර්ෂණය වෙනවා කියලා තව කෙනෙක් මේක ජාන වලින් එන දෙයක් ය, තවත් දොස්තර කෙනෙක් මේක පෞරැුෂ වර්ධනයේ ප‍්‍රශ්නයක්ය වගේ උත්තර දීලා තිබුණා. හැබැයි මේ හැම කෙනාගෙම උත්තරය වුණේ මේක ලංකාවෙ සංස්කෘතියට ගැලපෙන්නෙ නෑය, එහෙම නැත්තං මේ ගතිය පස්සෙ ඇරේවිය අනවශ්‍ය දේවල් හිතන්නෙ නැතුව අධ්‍යාපනයට හිත යොදවන්නය, කසාදයක් බැන්දහම හරියා ය වගේ අදහසක්. දෙයියනේ තමන්ගෙ අවශ්‍යතාවය අනවශ්‍ය දෙයක් වෙන්නෙ කොහොමද?,

(I didn’t want to develop an affair with another girl after Deepika. I wanted to be me.  At the time I used to write my problem to newspapers under fake names.  One doctor said that a child would later get attracted to people of the same gender if the androgen level in the mother’s womb was low during the fetus development. One said this comes from genes and another said it’s a problem with personality development. Yet everyone concluded that this doesn’t go with our culture or else that this trait will change later; they advised me to concentrate on studies or assured me that it will go away once I marry and so on.  God, how could a person’s need be an unwanted thing?)

(Pg 86-87) 

Somaweera believes that he succeeded in conveying a message through the story. ‘I received anonymous responses, thanking me for telling people’s untold story on their behalf. In fact it was based on a true story.  The problem is not whether Nuwan’s situation is ok or not or whether it is culturally accepted or not. The problem is what both the individual and people around them have to go through and that is what should be addressed,’ he pointed out.
 Somaweera wrote Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai in 1999, while he was studying for his Advanced Level Examination. ‘Similar stories are still reported in newspapers and in some cases they have ended in suicides,’ he noted adding that a proper social discussion on the topic can make things more understandable to people.

Somaweera said that it is easier for him to write his stories in the first person and he believes that this could be his writing style. With his incredible ability to empathize, Somaweera writes his story in a manner that the reader will know what the narrator feels. ‘It’s easy to describe, when you write in the first person. It is not merely trying to walk in other people’s shoes. In some of the stories I have tried walking in my shoes too,’ Somaweera said.  ‘I believe that I was also present in the stories I wrote, only I was wearing shoes of other’s sizes,’ he laughed.

The language that he uses is simple and therefore reading is effortless. Similar to his poetry, he uses figurative speech. The comparisons he used are also simple yet fresh. ‘Rabber kallata adigruhitha naki dewathawiyak wage – as an old goddess who possesses the rubber land (Rubber) , Hina wenna kata ida madi – Mouth was not wide enough to smile (Pasak Weema), Papuwa Pirenna Adareyi – love (something) to the fullest capacity of the heart (Mage Maluwa), Wedi thiyana es- Shooting eyes (Kiranchi), Kanda dunnama natta wanagena passen ena balliyak wage – like a bitch who follows you wagging its tail after you’ve fed her(Rosa Pata) are just a few examples.

Rosa Pata (Pink), is a story narrated by a woman who works as a beautician. Somaweera has successfully described the feelings and behavior of a woman using the narrator’s present situation and flashbacks. Kalu Kumaraya is another story which exemplifies his ability to ampathize. He identifies the loneliness and isolation of an unmarried woman who is passing her marriageable age without a partner. He gives a fresh interpretation for the notion of the Kalu Kumaraya (Black Prince Demon). It is said that the spirit of Kalu Kumaraya follows young girls to entice them and then possesses them making them commit promiscuous acts. Through the lineup of the story Somaweera manages to give a logical interpretation explaining how the repressed sexual desires of an unmarried woman could make her psychologically disturbed.

Speaking further about the psychological explanations given throughout the book he pointed out that Prathibimba and Malak Katha Karai can also be identified as stories which speak of serious mental conditions. The child in Malak Katha Karayi suddenly gets the ability to speak to a rose in his garden. The writer explains how his schizophrenic behavior was triggered by the desperate situation between his mother and father. On the other hand, the narrator of Prathibimba describes the obsessive behavior of a young man who cannot stop checking his face in mirrors. The writer also speaks about how his stress is exacerbated and how he is reluctant to receive psychological help, scared of social stigma, even though he suspects that he does indeed has a mental health issue.
”දැන් වෙලාව කීයයි කියලද හිතන්නේ? දැන් පාන්දර තුනයි  විස්සයි. මම කන්නාඩියෙන් මුණ බලනවා. වෙලාවකට හිතෙනවා මට පිස්සුද කියලත්. පිස්සු නැත්තන් මේ වෙලාවේ කන්නාඩියෙන් මුණ බලයි ද? මානසික රෝග දොස්තර කෙනෙක් හම්බවෙන්න යන්නත් තියනවා. එත් දෙය්යනේ කොහොමද මම මේවා තව මිනිහෙක් ඉස්සරහ කට ඇරලා කියන්නේ? මේවා හිතනකොට මට වෙලාවකට ඇඩෙන්න එනවා. ඇස්  දෙක කොච්චර තද කරලා පියාගත්තත් දැන්   නින්ද යන්නේ නෑ. මාව කාන්දමකට වගේ ඇදෙන්නේ කන්නාඩිය ගාවටමයි. දෙයියනේ මේක මහා වදයක්.”
(pg 109)
(What time do you think it is? Its 3.20 in the morning. I’m looking at my face in the mirror. Sometimes I wonder if I am crazy. If not, why look at my face at this hour? I should go and see a psychiatrist. But, god, how can I tell these things to another man? I feel like crying when I think about this. I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try to close my eyes. Like to a magnet I am always attracted to the mirror. Oh god, this is such a nuisance!)

Although the writer speaks confidently about mental health issues, he said that he has not acquired any academic qualification on the subject. ‘I am an avid reader. I have not had any organized learning on either psychology or literature. Most of these things are what I learnt from reading,’ he said humbly. He currently works in the Malaria Prevention Program as an entomologist in the Health Ministry.

It makes one wonder if the stories in the collection Malak Katha Karai reflect the writer, himself. He said that such questions are typical when one writes something out of the ordinary. ‘If a talented person stops himself from expressing himself or herself through writing in fear of what society thinks about them that is a shame,’ he said. ‘There will be consequences. It is unavoidable. Also, the writer has to think about his security too. This can’t be completely ignored,’ he further said. 

To Somaweera, Short stories are secondary to poems. He said that he can express himself more easily through poetry.  As an amateur in the field he said that it is a challenge to find publishers for his poetry. ‘Publishers are reluctant to accept poetry collections. But I believe that they can sell them if they do it the correct way. People don’t reject good things,’ he stressed. ‘Some think that poetry is only limited to a specific group. It’s a myth. There is a considerable number of readers around the new poets who don’t have this attitude,’ he pointed out.

Although publishers reject poetry collections in fear of not being able to sell them, there is a good demand for poems over the internet. Blogs, online communities or discussions over social media indicate that still there is a group of people, even in the younger generations who are fond of poetry. Yet, this enthusiasm is not vividly shown in the market. Somaweera puts it down to publishers not having requisite skills. ‘They do not know how to market poetry collections. It could be the negative experiences they received in selling poetry earlier,’ he suspects. ‘All copies of Thandawa were sold within a year or so. If you go to a launching ceremony of a poetry collection you’ll witness a hall full of people. Would they come if they don’t admire poetry?’ he asked. ‘Maybe publishers are ignorant of this current enthusiasm for poetry,’ he said.  

Isuru Chamara Somaweera is a young writer who speaks openly about homosexuality and related social concerns through his literary work. Malak Katha Karai (A flower speaks), his debut short story collection,won the Godage National Literature Award for the Best Short Story collection last Wednesday (4).
Sri Lanka is not a society that is tolerant of homosexuality. Intolerance, however, cannot and will not eliminate people who are considered to have out-of-the-ordinary sexual orientations. Making things worse, taboos in the society rarely allow people to speak about the social, physical or mental issues homosexual community faces. Isuru Chamara Somaweera opined that the silence does more harm than the disapproval.
He said that a human being is also a sexual being just as much as he/she is a political being or a social being.  When the sexual aspect of life remains unspoken and unclear, a person will be more stressed, assuming something is wrong with him/her. As Somaweera explained, a proper social discussion on sexual matters would help everyone articulate questions, confusion and other issues and thereby help lighten such burdens. Somaweera, through his short stories, attempts to discuss a few of the mental as well as social issues that arise due to these matters remaining unspoken.  
Somaweera observed that Sri Lankan society has limited itself to speak on just a few selected topics with respect to sexuality. ‘However, because of some unspoken facts, people get entangled in their own lives and never gets a chance to get out of it,’ he said. He also said that he didn’t think it as a challenge to write openly about less spoken social issues. ‘I didn’t think about it that much. I used my freedom; I just wrote what came to my mind,’ he said.
‘I wrote some of these stories long ago. I didn’t plan to publish them. Even after I decided that I would do so, I had the manuscript with me for a long time without it being accepted by a publisher. Publishers didn’t show much interest about the book until one day Upul Shantha Sannasgala called me to say that it should be published,’ he spoke about how his debut short story collection got published. Malak Katha Karai was published by Sanghinda Printers and Publishers.
He also spoke about the comments and criticisms he received. ‘I got both good and bad responses,” he said. “Some in the field gave me positive comments about my writing while some spoke negatively about the topics discussed commenting that those are not in tune with our culture,’ Somaweera added.   Malak Katha Karai is Somaweera’s third book. His first two books were poetry collections; Thandawa (2011) and Suda (2005).   Other writing is also available on his blog www.kirikawadi.blogspot.com and www.boondi.lk. Suda won him the Best Young Literary Influence title in the Godage Literary Awards in 2005. Thandawa was also nominated for the final round of the Godage awards.  
Somaweera said that his writing is a product of his isolation as a kid. During his childhood he lived in Ambatale near the Kelani River. Isuru Chamara was the only child of the family.  The violence during the 88-89 was a very stressful period for him since his father got arrested for being a supporter of the JVP.
‘I was only about ten then.  My father went missing for a long time. That brought too much pressure for me,’ Somaweera said that he had to find a way to release this pressure.
‘I was lonely and there was no one that I could talk to. Therefore, I started to write everything down,’ he said. He had not shown any of his early writing to anyone: ‘I kept whatever I wrote with me and there were even times when I tore up the papers worrying that someone might read.’  As he grew older he submitted poems to newspapers.  Some of these were published.
 According to Somaweera, Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai (To loving Nimali); a short story in the collection is one of the stories that prompted a lot of responses.  Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai is a letter written by a man who had recently left his wife. Somaweera, through this letter, discusses an issue that might arise in the case of forced marriage. Since the narrator’s parents were ignorant about his sexual orientation, he had been forced into marriage. Finally when things went wrong, he left his wife and wrote her an explanatory letter.   The text speaks about the pressure a man faces when he cannot express himself as the person who is and not someone others believe him to be. The narrator of the story, Nuwan, simply agreed to marry Nimali to satisfy his parents, thereby repressing his true self.

,දීපිකා ඈත් වුණාට පස්සෙ මට තව කෙල්ලෙක් එක්ක යාළු වෙන්න වුවමනා වුණේ නැහැ මට  ඕනෙ වුනේ මම ම වෙන්න මං ඒ දවස් වල පත්තරවල ගැටළු තීර වලට බොරු නම් ගම් එක්ක මගෙ ගැටළුව ලියලා දානවා.  එක දොස්තර කෙනෙක් කියලා තිබුණෙ කළල අවධියෙ අම්මගෙ ගර්භාෂෙ ඇන්ඞ්රොජන් සාන්ද්‍රනය අඩු වුනාම උපදින ළමයි පස්සෙ කාලෙක තමන්ගෙම ලිංගෙ අයට ආකර්ෂණය වෙනවා කියලා තව කෙනෙක් මේක ජාන වලින් එන දෙයක් ය, තවත් දොස්තර කෙනෙක් මේක පෞරැුෂ වර්ධනයේ ප‍්‍රශ්නයක්ය වගේ උත්තර දීලා තිබුණා. හැබැයි මේ හැම කෙනාගෙම උත්තරය වුණේ මේක ලංකාවෙ සංස්කෘතියට ගැලපෙන්නෙ නෑය, එහෙම නැත්තං මේ ගතිය පස්සෙ ඇරේවිය අනවශ්‍ය දේවල් හිතන්නෙ නැතුව අධ්‍යාපනයට හිත යොදවන්නය, කසාදයක් බැන්දහම හරියා ය වගේ අදහසක්. දෙයියනේ තමන්ගෙ අවශ්‍යතාවය අනවශ්‍ය දෙයක් වෙන්නෙ කොහොමද?,

(I didn’t want to develop an affair with another girl after Deepika. I wanted to be me.  At the time I used to write my problem to newspapers under fake names.  One doctor said that a child would later get attracted to people of the same gender if the androgen level in the mother’s womb was low during the fetus development. One said this comes from genes and another said it’s a problem with personality development. Yet everyone concluded that this doesn’t go with our culture or else that this trait will change later; they advised me to concentrate on studies or assured me that it will go away once I marry and so on.  God, how could a person’s need be an unwanted thing?)
(Pg 86-87)
Somaweera believes that he succeeded in conveying a message through the story. ‘I received anonymous responses, thanking me for telling people’s untold story on their behalf. In fact it was based on a true story.  The problem is not whether Nuwan’s situation is ok or not or whether it is culturally accepted or not. The problem is what both the individual and people around them have to go through and that is what should be addressed,’ he pointed out.
 Somaweera wrote Adaraneeya Nimali Wethatai in 1999, while he was studying for his Advanced Level Examination. ‘Similar stories are still reported in newspapers and in some cases they have ended in suicides,’ he noted adding that a proper social discussion on the topic can make things more understandable to people.
Somaweera said that it is easier for him to write his stories in the first person and he believes that this could be his writing style. With his incredible ability to empathize, Somaweera writes his story in a manner that the reader will know what the narrator feels. ‘It’s easy to describe, when you write in the first person. It is not merely trying to walk in other people’s shoes. In some of the stories I have tried walking in my shoes too,’ Somaweera said.  ‘I believe that I was also present in the stories I wrote, only I was wearing shoes of other’s sizes,’ he laughed.
The language that he uses is simple and therefore reading is effortless. Similar to his poetry, he uses figurative speech. The comparisons he used are also simple yet fresh. ‘Rabber kallata adigruhitha naki dewathawiyak wage – as an old goddess who possesses the rubber land (Rubber) , Hina wenna kata ida madi – Mouth was not wide enough to smile (Pasak Weema), Papuwa Pirenna Adareyi – love (something) to the fullest capacity of the heart (Mage Maluwa), Wedi thiyana es- Shooting eyes (Kiranchi), Kanda dunnama natta wanagena passen ena balliyak wage – like a bitch who follows you wagging its tail after you’ve fed her(Rosa Pata) are just a few examples.
Rosa Pata (Pink), is a story narrated by a woman who works as a beautician. Somaweera has successfully described the feelings and behavior of a woman using the narrator’s present situation and flashbacks. Kalu Kumaraya is another story which exemplifies his ability to ampathize. He identifies the loneliness and isolation of an unmarried woman who is passing her marriageable age without a partner. He gives a fresh interpretation for the notion of the Kalu Kumaraya (Black Prince Demon). It is said that the spirit of Kalu Kumaraya follows young girls to entice them and then possesses them making them commit promiscuous acts. Through the lineup of the story Somaweera manages to give a logical interpretation explaining how the repressed sexual desires of an unmarried woman could make her psychologically disturbed.
Speaking further about the psychological explanations given throughout the book he pointed out that Prathibimba and Malak Katha Karai can also be identified as stories which speak of serious mental conditions. The child in Malak Katha Karayi suddenly gets the ability to speak to a rose in his garden. The writer explains how his schizophrenic behavior was triggered by the desperate situation between his mother and father. On the other hand, the narrator of Prathibimba describes the obsessive behavior of a young man who cannot stop checking his face in mirrors. The writer also speaks about how his stress is exacerbated and how he is reluctant to receive psychological help, scared of social stigma, even though he suspects that he does indeed has a mental health issue.

,දැන් වෙලාව කීයයි කියලද හිතන්නේ? දැන් පාන්දර තුනයි  විස්සයි. මම කන්නාඩියෙන් මුණ බලනවා. වෙලාවකට හිතෙනවා මට පිස්සුද කියලත්. පිස්සු නැත්තන් මේ වෙලාවේ කන්නාඩියෙන් මුණ බලයි ද? මානසික රෝග දොස්තර කෙනෙක් හම්බවෙන්න යන්නත් තියනවා. එත් දෙය්යනේ කොහොමද මම මේවා තව මිනිහෙක් ඉස්සරහ කට ඇරලා කියන්නේ? මේවා හිතනකොට මට වෙලාවකට ඇඩෙන්න එනවා. ඇස්  දෙක කොච්චර තද කරලා පියාගත්තත් දැන්   නින්ද යන්නේ නෑ. මාව කාන්දමකට වගේ ඇදෙන්නේ කන්නාඩිය ගාවටමයි. දෙයියනේ මේක මහා වදයක්.,

(pg 109)

(What time do you think it is? Its 3.20 in the morning. I’m looking at my face in the mirror. Sometimes I wonder if I am crazy. If not, why look at my face at this hour? I should go and see a psychiatrist. But, god, how can I tell these things to another man? I feel like crying when I think about this. I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try to close my eyes. Like to a magnet I am always attracted to the mirror. Oh god, this is such a nuisance!)
Although the writer speaks confidently about mental health issues, he said that he has not acquired any academic qualification on the subject. ‘I am an avid reader. I have not had any organized learning on either psychology or literature. Most of these things are what I learnt from reading,’ he said humbly. He currently works in the Malaria Prevention Program as an entomologist in the Health Ministry.
It makes one wonder if the stories in the collection Malak Katha Karai reflect the writer, himself. He said that such questions are typical when one writes something out of the ordinary. ‘If a talented person stops himself from expressing himself or herself through writing in fear of what society thinks about them that is a shame,’ he said. ‘There will be consequences. It is unavoidable. Also, the writer has to think about his security too. This can’t be completely ignored,’ he further said.
To Somaweera, Short stories are secondary to poems. He said that he can express himself more easily through poetry.  As an amateur in the field he said that it is a challenge to find publishers for his poetry. ‘Publishers are reluctant to accept poetry collections. But I believe that they can sell them if they do it the correct way. People don’t reject good things,’ he stressed. ‘Some think that poetry is only limited to a specific group. It’s a myth. There is a considerable number of readers around the new poets who don’t have this attitude,’ he pointed out.
Although publishers reject poetry collections in fear of not being able to sell them, there is a good demand for poems over the internet. Blogs, online communities or discussions over social media indicate that still there is a group of people, even in the younger generations who are fond of poetry. Yet, this enthusiasm is not vividly shown in the market. Somaweera puts it down to publishers not having requisite skills. ‘They do not know how to market poetry collections. It could be the negative experiences they received in selling poetry earlier,’ he suspects. ‘All copies of Thandawa were sold within a year or so. If you go to a launching ceremony of a poetry collection you’ll witness a hall full of people. Would they come if they don’t admire poetry?’ he asked. ‘Maybe publishers are ignorant of this current enthusiasm for poetry,’ he said.  
- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/32934-touching-the-touch-me-nots.html#sthash.jAl60jSq.dpuf

Pornography: Right or perversion?

Psychology experts fear that if people do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, they will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality

Pornography, often abbreviated ‘porn’ or ‘porno’ in informal usage has become mainstream, with easy access to the Internet. Pornography is no more restricted to magazines and CDs which are secretly sold or exchanged. This can be the reason why pornographic material raids are more frequently in the news. Last week it was reported that two persons allegedly involved in a racket distributing CDs containing pornographic material to video centers were arrested during a raid in North Central and Central provinces by Dambulla Police. Dambulla Police also seized 786 CDs and several computers containing pornographic videos.

There were three others who were arrested for having in possession mobile phones containing pornographic material. Yet it remains uncertain why having pornographic content in personal electronic equipments like mobile phones and personal computers is considered a crime. When queried about the legal grounds of arresting people who have in their possession personal electronic equipment containing sexually explicit material, Sri Lanka Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said they have arrested these people based on the country’s law.

“Showing or possessing databases of pornographic material is ‘strictly’ prohibited by the Sri Lankan law and that law was made by the parliament,” he said. “Few countries have strict laws regarding pornography, including Sri Lanka. I believe that such laws were imposed because of the culture and morality of our society. If we need to uphold the moral values of our society, law should be strictly maintained,” he reiterated. It makes one wonder if the police is attempting to police the general public’s moral values.

Colonial hangover

Perhaps it is the Victorian mindset, a colonial hangover, which makes the discussion of pornography or any other sex related topic in public, uncomfortable, yet Google it to satisfy their curiosity in private. They are only very few who are bold enough to speak about such issues in public. Among those is a camp which brands porn as obscenity - capable of turning good men into sexual perverts. Another camp sees porn as just a healthy way of experiencing sex as long as the person doing the accessing is legally an adult and no one gets hurt while another camp is not sure whether to take its side or speak against it.

According to Wikipedia pornography may use a variety of media, including books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video and even video games. Some call it sex education; some use it as a means to achieve sexual satisfaction and as sexual stimulation during masturbation.

University of Peradeniya, Professor of Sociology, SA Athukorala explained the Sociological perspective of pornography abuse. As he explained, a social problem is a problem which is generated by the society. It has negative impacts on the society and could be prevented by collective collaboration of the society. Law enforcement could come in handy in preventing a social problem. Prof Athukorala was not certain whether pornography abuse can be categorized as a social problem since it effects are individual rather than societal. “I believe we should look into this more liberally. However humans naturally have a drive for sex. We should look at these people in a sympathetic manner,” he said. Athukorala also said that this issue could affect a person’s social relationships including his family life.

He warned that the society should be more vigilant about these materials coming into the possession of children. “Cellular phones are very popular among children in plantation areas, especially teenagers. There are shops in these areas where a child could get pornographic material copied into their phones for 500 to 1,000 rupees,” he said, out of many years of experience working in such areas. “A person’s privacy should be protected while being vigilant about the possible hazards,” he added.      

Frustration

The psychological perspective of this issue is contradictory to the Police’s point of view. Dr. Jennie Robertson, a Clinical Psychologist who is working with Samutthana - the Sri Lankan Resource Centre of King's College London explained that it’s a matter of one’s choice to acquire satisfaction by watching pornography to relieve sexual frustration. “Many people use pornography to relieve sexual frustration, but others may choose not to,” Dr. Robertson said speaking to The Nation. Dr. Robertson is a Clinical Psychologist who has completed her training at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Some argue that porn can be as addictive as drugs. Commenting on this Dr. Robertson said she believes that sexual activity can be broadly addictive than pornography. According to an article published on WebMD online archive, one of the key features of addiction is the development of a tolerance to the addictive substance in the way that drug addicts need increasingly larger doses to get high, it reads that porn addicts need to see more and more explicit material to feel the same level of excitement they first experienced (Is Pornography Addictive? By Martin Downs, MPH). The Internet: The Book of Revelations written by Felix von Keudell suggests that porn can be a full-blown compulsion. It explains that pornography is more like food to a compulsive over-eater and once you make those pleasure connections in your brain they can be very hard to break.

Dr. Robertson said that there are numerous therapeutic techniques that can be used to manage problematic behavior. “As a therapist, I do not feel it is my duty to cure someone, but rather to help them manage difficult behaviors in order to reduce any psychological distress, improve well-being and live a life that they value.” She also mentioned that guilt, stigma, shame and other socio-culturally induced emotions cause people to feel further distressed by desires and behaviors they are made to believe, deviant. She pointed out that there is emerging evidence that watching porn is correlated with some neurological changes in the brain including impulsivity, compulsivity, emotional lability (subject to change or breakdown) and impaired judgment.

 

Negative effects

She also explained how people rely on porn as a form of sexual education. “I am aware that in United Kingdom, with increasing internet access now, people are learning about sex from porn more than ever.” According to her, one of the negative effects of pornography in the heterosexual context is the sexual objectification of the women. “I feel that they have to assume the role of a female porn star in order to be desirable and socially accepted,” she explained the UK situation. “I have observed that these actors do not necessarily want to do or enjoy it by performing sexual acts by the teenage girls I have worked with. Similarly, men are learning that it is acceptable to objectify women, to prioritize their own sexual needs at the expense of their partners' and to engage in sexual practices that may or may not be what either they or their sexual partners want,” she elaborated.

Poor body image

For both men and women, the pressure to look like porn stars may also lead to poor body image. “Some girls compare their genitals and breasts to their cosmetically-altered porn star counterparts, and feel that any deviation from these 'porn norms' is abnormal, rather than embracing variation amongst women,” she stressed. It would seem likely that this is also true for men.

According to The Internet: The Book of Revelations sociologists have noted that men who have used porn view their partner through a ‘pornographic filter.’ They will resort to impersonal fantasy of some porn scene when they’re having sex because the love for their partner isn’t enough to satisfy them. The porn-brained man also forces his woman to do things she’s not very comfortable with, seeking to act out the exotic scenes he has seen on film. And he’ll think women are all about it.

Human right

When Dr. Robertson was asked whether access to pornography is a human right she argued that all should have a right to express and explore sexuality. “I don't know if I would classify access to pornography as a human right. Access to all information perhaps?” she questioned. She also pointed out the danger of not providing sexual education to people so that porn becomes the only alternative sex education.

“We need to educate people about safe sex; that is, consensual sex that minimizes the risk of STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) or pregnancy. We need to talk positively about sexual health and sexual identity so that people feel free to explore their sexuality and that sex becomes a pleasurable experience,” she explained. “I am aware that this may or may not fit with various cultural and religious norms. But if we avoid talking about sex, we may be encouraging people to seek sex education through porn, which carries many dangerous and negative messages for both men and women,” she added.

According to her, it can be difficult to think critically about the messages porn convey if people don’t have access to information on sex beyond porn. “My fear is that if we do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, people will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality,” she pointed out. “In my time in Sri Lanka, I have been struck by the absence of sex education provided to people and was reflecting on how access to porn might be particularly damaging when people have no other form of sexual understanding,” Dr. Robertson noted.

A society’s struggle against abandoning homosexuality

 

Was it a new beginning for Sri Lanka? Does this hint at a degradation of social values? What will happen to the Sri Lankan culture? So many questions were raised when media revealed a homosexual marriage ceremony at Ratmalana last week. Sexuality and gender issues are still not a comfortable topic in public discussions in Sri Lanka. In fact homosexuality is still considered a taboo. Not speaking about homosexuality is not going to solve the issues. Thinking that the ‘issue’ of homosexuality will simply disappear if it is not talked about is wishful thinking. People are in doubt about the ‘right attitude’ they should have towards the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi sexual and Transgender) community. Some are confused, not knowing which side to take. Some try to rationalize it where some become homophobic.

Psychologists say homosexuality is not a mental illness and that it can be cured is a myth. According to them homosexuals are born as homosexuals. Since it is caused by genetic factors and hormonal influences, it cannot be changed. The biggest turning point of this argument was when the American Medical Association (AMA) removed homosexuality from the list of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973. In 1952, the original Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) listed homosexuality among the sociopathic personality disturbances.

The Nation’s attempt to speak to a couple of psychologists and counselors at a well known counseling institution in Sri Lanka didn’t bear fruit with various excuses being given.  Since counselors and psychologists are the only professionally recognized group who can help and educate LGBT people, their silence regarding the matter is cause for concern.

A gay rights activist who wanted to remain anonymous said that a person cannot choose to become a homosexual. “If a person chooses to become gay, I don’t think that person will be comfortable about it. Homosexuals have their own sexual desires as any heterosexual person,” the activist said. “Sri Lankan media is continuously condemning homosexuals. Most of them don’t even bother to do proper reference. In fact we are considered criminals in this country,” the activist lamented.

In fact homosexuals are considered criminals by law of the country. Legal officer for Institute of Human Rights (IHR), V S Niranchan assured The Nation that homosexuality is considered a criminal offense according to law. “Article 365A prohibits anyone, irrespective of gender, engaging in ‘gross indecency’, which is not explicitly defined, although stiffer sanctions apply if one person is under the age of 16 or if any sort of injury was caused as a result,” he said.
According to him any person who commits, or is a party to the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any person of, any act of gross indecency with another person, shall be guilty of an offense, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both and where the offense is committed by a person over 18 years of age in respect of any person under 16 years of age shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than ten years and not exceeding twenty years and with a fine and shall also be ordered to pay compensation of an amount determined by court to the person in respect of whom the offense was committed for the injuries caused to such person.
Penal code amended

“Earlier the penal code said ‘any male person’ instead of ‘anyone’. The penal code was amended in 1995 to include the females as well,” Niranchan added. He further explained that the laws should be amended to include more stringent rules in order to control homosexual acts. “Strengthening the law is the only way to control this unaccepted behavior,” he reiterated.

Lawyer, Human Rights Activist Shiral Lakthilaka said that Sri Lanka should also consider the human rights aspect of the issue. “When you speak about homosexuality in Sri Lanka you have to take three aspects into consideration; the human rights aspect, religious aspect and the Victorian mentality among the Sri Lankans,” Lakthilaka stressed. “When homosexuality is spoken about in the human rights perspective it falls under the category of minority rights and group rights. This is a subject which should come into broader discussions. There should be a platform where sexual minorities could speak of their issues,” he added.

The religious position in Sri Lanka does not give any leniency toward LGBT community. All religions in Sri Lanka have generally perceived that homosexual behavior is a sinful act. Christianity, Hindunism as well as Islamic community consider homosexuality as a sinful act. There are no explicit rules for lay persons prohibiting homosexual behavior in Buddhism. Yet, since homosexuality is against social standards in the country, it could be considered as sexual misconduct. However, Thailand being a country with 95 percent Buddhists is soon to amend their laws allowing homosexual marriages.

There are few organizations and movements offering help for the LGBT community and most of them are online support groups. Since the country doesn’t have a proper screening process for these support groups and organization, it is hard to trust which group is genuinely offering help and which groups have hidden motives which could cause more harm than good. Legalizing homosexuality or not it would be better if the country could have a proper method to monitor these mushrooming support groups.

Another group of people harbor the opinion that homosexuality is becoming a trend in society. Some say homosexuality is only an issue in Colombo. On one hand if homosexuals are claming that they are not special, it is quite confusing why homosexuals themselves are trying to show off their ‘pride’. On the other hand if homosexuality is normal and cannot be changed or ‘cured’, is it ethical to condemn their sexual preference?

Although the majority of the Sri Lankan community consider ‘homosexuality’ as a special issue where solutions should be obtained, the real question is the danger innocent young people face, due to the lack of awareness on sexual and gender issues including homosexuality. If they are not properly educated they will seek information through unreliable sources.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/20500-a-society%E2%80%99s-struggle-against-abandoning-homosexuality.html

Gays ready to remove their ‘masks’

Homosexuals are comfortable with their sexuality, but still seek immunity against social stigma
Gone are the days when sexuality was taboo. In fact even homosexuality is no longer unaccepted and seen as offensive. It has now transformed from taboo to established organizations where homosexuals speak of their rights claiming equality for their community.
“We are just as human as everybody else, therefore our rights should not be any different from others”, Gay Rights Activist, Rossana Flamer-Caldera claimed. Rossana is also the Executive Director of the Equal Ground, nonprofit organization seeking human and political rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTIQ) community of Sri Lanka.

Since the nature of social attitude rejects homosexual orientation and considers it as an abnormal situation most of the homosexuals refrain from revealing their real sexual orientation. “They have been made to feel ashamed of themselves, which is not good for their mental health,” Flamer-Caldera said. “I’d rather die than hide in a closet,” she added.She further claimed that it is not fair to marginalize homosexuals from heterosexuals. “Homosexuals aren’t any different from other. We crave for same things others crave for. All mundane things,” she said.  

She said that homosexuals should also be treated equally as others when speaking about marriages too. “Homosexuals also should have a right to get married as all human beings should be treated in an equal way. If a Tamil person gets married  a Sinhalese should also have a right to get married. Likewise there shouldn’t be any difference to the homosexual community” she said.

Koluu, a name which comes along when speaking of homosexuals in Sri Lanka, who is also a renown chef who admits he is gay openly in public. He claims all should live harmoniously despite each others sexual preferences. “We live a very short life. Why live your life how others prefer?” he said. “One’s sexual preferences should not affect his other activities,” he added.
Koluu further said that there is a social pressure against homosexuals in Sri Lanka and that he is aware that some of the gays have to face discrimination, blackmail and abuse.

Speaking on the same issue Flamer-Caldera pointed out that discrimination, blackmail and abuse on homosexuals happens mostly because there are aren’t any laws protecting the homosexual community. “Existing panel code is lack of protective measures. There should be more powerful laws protecting LGBT, and also women and children,” she added.

Flamer-Caldera also pointed out that the homosexual community in Sri Lanka faces all forms of discrimination, marginalization and experience violence; inevitably since there are no laws protecting the community against these acts. “Lots of people get away just because the victim has no where to complain. Most of them are afraid to seek help of a law enforcement officers fearing further abuse,” she lamented.
According to Flamer-Caldera Gay and Lesbian community in Sri Lanka are criminalized under penal code 365a. “Laws should be amended where homosexuality will be decriminalized, where women and children are protected,” she said.

Researchers now focus on biological explanations regarding homosexual orientation. According to them it is caused by genetic factors and hormonal influences. “Big turning point was when the American Psychiatric Association (AMA) removed homosexuality from the mental disorders list. It has been proven now that homosexuality depends on genetics and hormones”, Psychologist Dr. Marcus de Roos said speaking to The Nation. Dr. de Roos who migrated to Sri Lanka from Netherlands has practiced psychology in Sri Lanka for more than 3 years now. AMA removed homosexuality from the list of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973.

Dr. de Roos said that he has been asked many times by clients whether there are any cures for the homosexuality. “It is not an illness or a disease which could be treated with a pill” he explained. “They are born with it, it cannot be changed”, he added.
He also said that his clients speaking to him regarding homosexuality wanted to stay anonymous and the information to be confidential as they think that it is shameful or immoral to be a gay or a lesbian. “In Sri Lanka there is a serious issue on the homosexuality since there is a big taboo against it. This might lead them to depression,” de Roos stressed. “People have to accept them as they are. It is normal”, he stressed.

All religions in Sri Lanka have generally perceived that homosexual behavior is a sinful act. Ven. Mawarale Baddhiya said that there are no explicit rules for lay persons prohibiting homosexual behavior in Buddhism, but since homosexuality is against the social standards it is considered as a sexual misconduct. “Buddhism is generally determined by considerations of social standards. Homosexuality cannot be categorized in that. As Buddhists vow not to engage in sexual misconduct, this is not accepted in the Buddhist culture,” Ven. Baddiya said. “Buddhist monks should live lives of celibacy, meaning abstinence from any type of sex, no difference from homosexual orientation. Ven. Baddiya added.

Ven. Baddiya stressed that Buddhism doesn’t encourage homosexual orientation. “Buddhism looks at them with sympathy that they are born with it. Buddhism helps them to leave ‘Kama raaga’ ”.
Meanwhile Father Benedict Joseph said that homosexuality is not accepted in Christianity. “Sexual relationship between husband and wife is considered holy.  When god created man, a help mate was also created that therefore all his necessities and emotions would be met. It was the foundation of family life.  Man and woman come together; it is also the normal animal life. When they union with each other, it is the supreme bliss. Today what we see is aversions in the society,” Fr. Joseph said.

Father Joseph further said that this is also a break down of ethics and religion. “We do what we can do to influence people in the right way”.
International Hindu Federation, Secretary, Brahma Sri Ramachandran Kurukkal Babu Sharma said that homosexuality is not accepted by the Hindus that it is completely against the Hindu Traditions. “Man gets energy to carry to perform his tasks from his woman. We worship Siva and Parvathi who are husband and wife.  A man should get married to a woman and lead a family life or else he should remain a bachelor. Otherwise it is not allowed,” he said.

 According to the Islamic views, they see homosexuals or acts committed of this nature as challenging God’s creation and hence considered a revolt against God. “The Quran affirms: do you approach the males of humanity, leaving the wives Allah has created for you? But you are a people who transgress”, a member of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama said.

“The Quran makes it clear about homosexuality insisting that there is no tolerance towards it or to debate the context. It considers the same-sex acts to be sinful, and unnatural. The wrong doers will be punished. Whoever you find committing the sin of the people of Lut, kill them, both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done, a Hadith says,” he added.

 

Published in The Nation on Sunday, 23 September 2012 
http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/10654-gays-ready-to-remove-their-%E2%80%98masks%E2%80%99.html