Abstract:
Since social attitudes have established that heterosexuality is the
one and only sexual orientation in human beings, homosexuality is defined as
a deviant behaviour and excluded from the society. According to literature,
homosexuals were excluded from society in the past because of their sexual
orientation (Bacchetta, 2007, p.103; Barnett, 2004, p.123; Bersani, 1995, p.8;
Dixon, 1983, p. 22). Also according to Bersani (1995), homosexuals hid their
sexual identity from the society, because they faced not only physical
violence but also emotional violence. First decade this was defined as a
mental illness (Bacchetta, 2007). However movements of black people and
feminist groups argued for their rights and today most countries see this
depends on individuals sexual orientation and make lenient. But still today
some other countries have more negative attitudes regarding homosexuality
including Sri Lanka. According to the Sri Lankan Penal Code 365(A)
homosexuality is a crime. Through this research I studied female
homosexality, known as lesbianism, how lesbians see their sexual identity
and what kind of social attitudes people have towards them. My main
research objective was to identify social attitudes towards homosexual
behaviour as literature also proved that lesbians are excluded from Sri
Lankan society and point out how social workers could create a more
positive social environment for them. The four research questions in this
study were: (i) how Sri Lankan society perceived lesbianism and how
lesbians perceived this, (ii) would these perceptions differ according to their
economic status, gender, education, age and geographical backgrounds; (iii)
What are the reasons that influence lesbians to be a lesbian and how society
believes the reasons for this sexual behaviour; (iv) Is society aware that
homosexuality is a crime according to our Penal Code, what society thinks
about this and does society think that homosexuality should be
decriminalized?
