The Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana
Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana questioned whether the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is promoting LGBTQ tourism in Sri Lanka, in the context of the country’s cultural, religious and tourism policies. He asked what Penal Code provisions apply to homosexuality and sought clarification on what action the Ministry would take following objections reportedly raised by religious leaders, including Chief Prelates and His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, national development is not only economic; social and cultural spheres matter too. Sri Lanka, with a 2,500-year history, attracts tourists for our environmental diversity, wildlife and flora. There is discussion that LGBTQ communities are being promoted as a tourism programme. I ask:
¶ 02 1. Is the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau promoting foreign LGBTQ tourism within Sri Lanka? 2. What provisions of the Penal Code relate to homosexuality? 3. As religious leaders—including Chief Prelates and His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith—have expressed opposition to LGBTQ promotion, what steps will the Ministry take?
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 8 October 2025 ·No. 22594 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 October 2025. No. 22594. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/18714