“No, We Do Not Fit into the Gender Dichotomies, and It Is Not Our Fault”: The Biological Body As a ‘Vulnerable’ Object for the Lgbtiq+ Community in Sri Lanka.

Recent literature has increasingly addressed the challenges, narratives, socio-economic vulnerabilities, health issues, and discrimination faced by the LGBTIQ+ community in Sri Lanka. However, a notable gap exists in scholarly work focusing on the impact and experiences related to the biological body within this community. To address this gap, this paper seeks to explore the experiences of the LGBTIQ+ community concerning their biological bodies, particularly in light of the discriminatory socio-economic context in which they reside. The analysis presented in this paper is grounded in four studies conducted by the researcher from 2009 to 2024, highlighting the significance of this exploration. It investigates how the biological bodies of LGBTIQ+ individuals are rendered vulnerable due to their “different” gender identities and expressions, which diverge from the dominant heteronormative standards in Sri Lanka. In this context, LGBTIQ+ individuals frequently encounter harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, criminal activities, and other forms of harm directed toward their biological bodies. Moreover, societal reactions contribute to a pervasive belief among LGBTIQ+ individuals that “visibility is a trap.” This paper examines how their biological bodies become targets for physical, sexual, and psychological violence, compelling many to conceal their identities within mainstream society. The paper argues for the necessity of understanding the connection between an individual's biological body and their gender identity and expression as a circular and complex process, rather than a simplistic linear relationship between body and mind. By doing so, it aims to provide a more nuanced perspective on the experiences of the LGBTIQ+ community in Sri Lanka.