17 May 2012 - 78 countries out of 193 still have legislation criminalising same-sex consensual acts between adults. Punishments range from a number of lashes (e.g. Iran), two months of prison (e.g. Algeria) to life sentence (e.g. Bangladesh) or even death (Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen). Among the 113 countries where homosexuality is legal, 55 have legislation against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation at the work place, in 10 gays and lesbians enjoy full equal marriage rights, in 12 they can adopt children.
where are all the anons hiding? come at me bros!
I feel like I’m more a Queer citizen before I am a Maldivian citizen.
Wtf you might ask.
I don’t know the Maldivian history, yet I know world LGBT history like the back of my hand. Almost.
I feel like a foreigner in my own country. I don’t understand the culture. I don’t understand the customs. I can barely string a sentence together in Dhivehi without getting tongue-twisted.
I want to get out of here because I am not allowed to be myself. By my family, by society and by law and religion.
I am getting constantly judged. I can’t walk down a street without someone harassing me.
If I leave, the only constant in my life would be that I am queer.
So ja, I am Queer before Maldivian.
Obligatory Song Post of the Day.
George Hearn sings “I Am What I Am” from Jerry Herman’s 1983 musical “La Cage Aux Folles.”
More like I was outed by my now sister-in-law by accident.
At the time, I was living in the south island and I was going to visit my brother and his partner at the time in the north island. My sister-in-law had told their flatmates that I was coming for a visit. It just accidentally slipped out of her. She had told them that I was gay.
Unaware, I arrived on the north island only to be surprised to be asked about my sexuality by their flatmates. I really didn’t have much choice and I figured I might as well stop running from the truth.
In winter, 2006, I officially first come out to my brother’s flatmate, Nicolas as a homosexual man.
This week Heesi Bodube ran into Fandiyaaru Kakuni of Rainbow Maldives fame to discuss the taboo topic of sex.
I don’t remember how old I was exactly… but I always knew there was something odd about me but I remember my denial stage very vividly.
In my early teens, I remember getting into lots of fist fights in High School and one or twice getting suspended from school. In the end, the bullying was so unbearable I actually quit school.
I did not want to be gay or straight or be perceived in any sexual orientation for that matter… nor did I understand why it was such a huge deal or why I had to be picked on.
It was tough, but once I got comfortable in my own skin, everything was okay.
oh gee.. let me think… how about sexual abuse with multiple abusers over time from the age of 5 to the age of 16…
I don’t think I ever thought of my experience as abuse or suffering. More or less, I accepted it as normal. I remember it being as something exciting and some times even sought it out. But of course, I could never tell anyone that I was sexually active as a child. It was tough portraying an image of innocence when you knew you weren’t any more.
I forgive my abusers and my development is not stunted because of them.. but rather… I’m comfortable in my own sexuality and I am who I am because of the experiences in my past. I wouldn’t have lived it over in any other way if given the chance.
It’s just easier to say Gay as a sexual orientation, but the truth is, I’m Queer. Simply put, I enjoy the company of any sexual being. Male, female or otherwise.
And as for my gender identity… I’m still struggling with this one.. I’m neither here nor there.
“The group of people should be given religious counselling and should be taken legal action against if…” http://t.co/Uqu6Z4fv
Protesters calling for religious tolerance attacked with stones, threatened with death - Police are… http://t.co/iE1XLqqE
