Colombo: Sri Lankan Buddhists and catholic church leaders have joined hands to oppose the tourism authority’s decision to endorse NGO’s promotion of LGBTIQ tourism in the country.
The four chief prelates of influential sects of the Buddhist clergy in a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday strongly protested against what they allege “action to promote unethical homosexual practices”
This followed a speech made by the head of the Catholic Church, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, on Saturday. He protested against attempts to promote new, unacceptable cultural practices.
The protests came after the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) praised an NGO for its work on diversity programmes within the tourism industry, including LGBTIQ.
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In a letter dated September 9, the Chair of the SLTDA appreciated the non-governmental organisation Equal Ground for its work ahead of the World Tourism Day 2025.
The religious leaders urged Dissanayake to intervene and stop the move, which is “unethical” and is against the values of Buddhist philosophy.
Homosexuality is an offence under Sri Lanka’s penal code. The article 365 criminalises sexual acts deemed “against the order of nature”, including consensual same-sex activity.
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