Bangladesh

During IDAHOT week, Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS) and the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhaka invited broader communities  to come to the exhibition of ‘Innate Identities’ - a series of photographs by Gazi Nafis Ahmed. They also organised film screenings and events to sensitise civil society actors in SOGI related issues. And Boys of Bangladesh (BoB) hosted a reading session on May 18.

Held from May 10 to 17, the exhibition portrays the diversity of Bangladeshi LGBTI communities. The inauguration session was marked by US Ambassador to Bangladesh Mr. Dan Mozena, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Dhaka Mr. Gerben Sjoerd de Jong, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka Ms. Merete Lundemo and UNAIDS Country Coordinator of Bangladesh Mr. Leo Kenny.

BSWS also arranged a countrywide event with the involvement of nine Community Based Organizations from Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Comilla, and with the support of Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD). BSWS screened a documentary titled “Will this Change?” an advocacy as well as sensitization tool produced by BSWS aimed at stakeholders as well as people from outside the community, who might commonly act as violators of rights.

The film also encourages LGBTI communities to break the silence surrounding LGBTI rights in Bangladeshi society. BSWS believes that communities themselves can sensitise other members of society, and can uphold their own rights if they become more aware of their own rights.

“HIM” is another initiative of BSWS dedicated to young MSM and trans communities in Bangladesh. BSWS also organized an event with “HIM” members with the support of GHRD, where the film “Prayers for Bobby” was screened. Besides this, a discussion on LGBTI rights issues for IDAHOT was also organized.

GHRD also supported BSWS to arrange an awareness-raising event for members of Human Rights Alliance Bangladesh, in collaboration of Boys of Bangladesh (BoB). Human Rights Alliance Bangladesh is a collation of civil society organizations working in the area of rights violation of marginalized communities in Bangladesh, which includes LGBTI communities, religious minorities and indigenous peoples.

For the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, Boys of Bangladesh (BoB) also held a reading session including reading, monologues, song and theatre with its members, as well as friends and supporters, on issues for gender and sexual minorities.

As part of their mobilisation, BoB stated before May 17 that:

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia urges you to stand up and speak out against any violence, discrimination and hatred towards LGBT people. Bangladesh is one of the 77 countries that still has an archaic law to criminalize same-sex relationships. While brutal homophobia may not be as widespread because the LGBT community is still very underground, there are reports of rampant attacks on LGBT individuals who dare to be out and open about who they are. The time has come for us to fight this together, if we believe in love and human rights. At the same time we should also fight the homophobia that is within us. Greater social acceptance will only come after we accept ourselves and are proud to be who we are.