Homophobic Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Should Resign: Right Activists
January 22, 2017
Right activists slammed Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe‘s outrageous comment on homosexuality and urged him to step down.
On Friday Wijeyadasa described homosexuality as a mental illness.
Wijeyadasa
Speaking at the opening ceremony of new district court complex in Tissamaharama, Wijeyadasa said: “They impose conditions on us when granting the GSP+ concession. When we were exporting fish to the EU they imposed the conditions and we complied with them. Now, to grant the GSP+ they ask more. They have several conditions which we agreed and some which we have not agreed. We were also asked to legalise homosexuality in the country. The European asked us to include it in the closes of the fundamental rights of the constitution. We clearly told them although they have a culture of indecency Sri Lankans are not people of such mental illnesses.”
“This comment is proof that we have a justice minister who is so small-minded that he withholds justice to his own fellow citizens on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. I strongly think homophobic Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe should resign.” trans rights activist, blogger and international politics academic Dr Chamindra Weerawardhana told Colombo Telegraph.
Dr Chamindra Weerawardhana said:”‘Justice’ is an extremely crucial ministerial portfolio, and a mammoth responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Minister of Justice, to stand for the fundamental rights of ALL citizens. Here, we see an extremely pathetic case, where the minister of justice, himself a President’s Counsel and a PhD holder, being extremely discriminatory towards Sri Lankan citizens on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation! This is absolutely abominable, and should be summarily condemned. Sometime back, some news sites (such as a London-based one) used to praise this minister, highlighting how he had conversations with the British queen during a visit to London. In this terribly shameless comment we can clearly see that Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s allegiance is with the British Crown – as he seems to care more for Victorian values and laws the British forcibly imposed upon us, than the inalienable fundamental rights of our own fellow Sri Lankan citizens.”
“At yet another level, the way in which this guy talks about the European Union should be publicised internationally and summarily condemned. Despite considerable progress, there’s still a long way to go in terms of LGBTIQ rights in the EU. Some elements of EU foreign policy often encourage coercive pinkwashing tactics. Despite all that, after a time when relations between Colombo and the EU institutions were strained, the present government in Colombo, especially given its international contacts, has a key role to play in reviving Sri Lanka’s relationship with the European institutions, and working on a win-win, cooperative and constructive relationship. Making utterly ridiculous and staggeringly ignorant soundbite-oriented comments of this nature, even in the far end of provincial Sri Lanka, is simply not on, and undermines foreign policy. Most importantly, this comment is proof that we have a justice minister who is so small-minded that he withholds justice to his own fellow citizens on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. I strongly think homophobic Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe should resign.” Weerawardhana noted.
“How can a politician with no expertise in Mental Health declare that Homosexuality is a mental disorder?” another right activist Dinesh Perera questioned.
Commenting on Facebook Dinesh Perera said: “He may not have done his research but here, I did some for him. If there is a criminal in all of this, it is the politician and not the person who simply seeks to love the person he/she is naturally attracted to. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association members voted to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. APA further describes this as : “Lesbian, gay and bisexual orientations are not disorders. Research has found no inherent association between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology. Both heterosexual behavior and homosexual behavior are normal aspects of human sexuality. Both have been documented in many different cultures and historical eras. Despite the persistence of stereotypes that portray lesbian, gay and bisexual people as disturbed, several decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream medical and mental health organizations in the USA to conclude that these orientations represent normal forms of human experience. Lesbian, gay and bisexual relationships are normal forms of human bonding.”
“The World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases with the publication of ICD-10 in 1992. In a review of published studies comparing homosexual and heterosexual samples on psychological tests, Gonsiorek (1982) found that, although some differences have been observed in test results between homosexuals and heterosexuals, both groups consistently score within the normal range. Gonsiorek concluded that “Homosexuality in and of itself is unrelated to psychological disturbance or maladjustment. Homosexuals as a group are not more psychologically disturbed on account of their homosexuality” (Gonsiorek, 1982, p. 74; see also reviews by Gonsiorek, 1991; Hart, Roback, Tittler, Weitz, Walston & McKee, 1978; Riess, 1980).” Perera said.
