"‘A society free from discrimination and stigmatization for lesbians, bisexual women, and transgendered persons in which they may actively and positively contribute to all levels of society in Sri Lanka and globally"

- the WSG vision -

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If you want to donate to the WSG, please contact us by email (wsg@eureka.lk) or phone (+94 11 555 6122).

The Women's Support Group is the first women's group in Sri Lanka to dedicate itself to issues of lesbians, bisexual women and transgendered persons (LBT) in the country. As such, the WSG reaches out to all women who struggle for the free expression of their sexuality. Although the WSG has a small membership, many women who are afraid of openly associating with the group due to the possibility of exposure and reprisals, reach out to the group at different moments for different reasons.

The Past

In 1999, a small group of lesbians started to offer peer support to women who are attracted to women. One of the main reasons for this move was the news report of two young women from the southern part of Sri Lanka , who committed suicide together because they did not want to end their love affair. Initially, the Women's Support Group began with the support of Companions on a Journey. Now our organisation has evolved into a separate organisation with our own identity.

The group has helped a number of women in the past few years, in particular, women who have had problems from their families and employment. In addition, the WSG has also supported women who have had legal problems due to their gender identity.

In one instance, the WSG together with the Companions on a Journey, challenged a newspaper for publishing a derogatory and threatening letter against lesbians. However, the Press Council upheld the right of the newspaper t publish this letter.

In 2001, the group received recognition for its efforts from IGLHRC (The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission) with the Felipa Award. The Felipa Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of activists around the world who strive to defend the human rights of those who are subject to discrimination because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status.

The Present

The WSG has an office in Colombo which provides a safe space for LBT women to meet. In addition to being the office, it also functions as a drop-in center, and houses a useful library of print and electronic material on LGBT issues that is constantly used by research students. In addition to the support that they receive from getting to know others like themselves, our members have also received legal aid, counselling and other help when needed. Spending time at the centre and meeting the others also acts as an eye-opener and a source of strngth for members.

One of the main obstacles LBT women face is stigma and discrimination. To raise awareness in the community regarding these issues, the WSG conducts awareness raising workshops on sexual health, sexuality and sexual rights. The WSG also maintains links with many women's rights organisations and human rights organisations, both locally and internationally, so that we can work to pave the way for LGBT rights to be included in the overall human rights agenda. The group also publishes a bi-annual newsletter about WSG activities and informative articles relating to sexuality.

The Future

We believe that LGBT rights are not separate rights but fundamentally important human rights that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered persons have not been given or have not been able to use because of the social attitudes against them.

With this in mind we have developed the WSG Vision for the future as:

‘A society free from discrimination and stigmatization for lesbians, bisexual women, and transgendered persons in which they may actively and positively contribute to all levels of society in Sri Lanka and globally.'

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