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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Sri Lanka face legal and social challenges not faced by non-LGBT people. Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, which dates from the time of colonial British Ceylon, criminalizes sexual acts deemed "against the order of nature". For much of the law's history, the prohibition applied to only to males; in 1995, Article 365 was amended to replace the word "males" with "persons" so that same-sex sexual activity between consenting adult females was also outlawed in addition to that between consenting adult males. Other laws that marginalize and disadvantage LGBTQI individuals are enforced against purported gender impersonation and public indecency.
Human rights organizations have reported that police and government workers used the threat of arrest to assault, harass, and sexually and monetarily extort LGBTQI individuals. Intimidation and harassment, including death threats, and physical and sexual assaults are directed at sexual minorities by both official and private actors. Cruel and degrading treatment, amounting to torture, emotional or psychological abuse, is perpetrated by means such as involuntary institutionalisation or during police investigations. For example, individuals may be forced to undergo anal or vaginal examinations as part of a police prosecution, or be detained in psychiatric facilities for involuntary "treatment".
Sri Lanka has implemented no anti-discrimination laws, despite evidence of widespread discrimination and disadvantage affecting sexual minorities. At the same time, the Sri Lankan government presents equality-supportive statements and pledges to dismantle discrimination to international bodies and the public.