Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) 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 sexual acts between males; in 1995, Article 365 was amended to replace the word "males" with "persons" so that same-sex sexual activity between two consenting adult females was outlawed in addition to that between consenting adult males. Other laws that marginalize and disadvantage LGBTQI individuals are enforced against purported gender impersonation (Article 399, used against transgender people) and public indecency (Section 7, 1841 Vagrants Ordinance, used against sex workers, and anyone whose public behaviours are deemed to indicate same-sex sexual activity).
