Interview with Manoj Thushara: Supporting Queer Youth in Sri Lanka

Manoj Thushara is a Sri Lankan human rights defender who has dedicated his life to advancing the rights of sexual and gender minorities. He is the founder and director of the LGBTQIA+ organisation Équité. Équité has grown into one of the leading LGBTQIA+ organisations in Sri Lanka and now focuses on strengthening the LGBTQIA+ movement through close collaboration with queer youth.

Manoj Thushara’s path into human rights activism began at university. He studied sociology and worked as a university lecturer in Colombo. Through his research, he observed how marginalised communities are often excluded from the system. This motivated him to join civil society in order to do concrete work for the benefit of marginalised groups.

Sri Lanka is still recovering from a brutal civil war that ended in 2009. Society remains deeply divided and hate speech and counter-protests against LGBTQIA+ rights have increased. Promoting LGBTQIA+ rights in a country where legislation and societal attitudes are hostile is particularly challenging.

“Same-sex relationships are still criminalised. Community members have to be cautious about their surroundings and monitor where the police are,” Manoj explains.

The public and authorities’ lack of awareness, along with discrimination against the community, worsens the situation. Access to basic services is also often difficult.

When asked about significant achievements, Manoj recalls 2016, when the Sri Lankan government approved the gender recognition certificate. “At that time, I was a member of the national human rights commission steering committee. We had many discussions with the Ministry of Health and other state actors, and in the end, we achieved our goal. I am really proud of that,” he says.

This change made it possible for transgender people to legally change their gender and name on official documents without undergoing surgery to confirm their gender. This was a significant step toward inclusivity and legal recognition of gender identity.

The queer movement in Sri Lanka began in 1994, and while much has been achieved since, there is still much work to be done. Manoj emphasises the importance of civil society organisations.

Organisations carry great responsibility. Our task is to educate authorities, policymakers, religious leaders, the media, and the public to understand marginalised communities.

The work is slow and requires patience, but every step toward equality is meaningful.

International support is important, according to Manoj: “European partners can share their experiences, influence policy, and help us reform laws. We can learn a lot from their achievements and gain more influence in Sri Lanka as well.”

Équité has been a partner of KIOS since 2020, and our joint work for a fairer and more equal Sri Lanka continues!

This interview was published as part of Toimi koska voit -campaign coordinated by Fingo. More information about the campaign can be found here (in finnish).