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(Sri Lanka Brief/02 October 2025) Archuna’s theory that being crazy is no longer a problem and being gay is a tragedy and the LGBTQIA+ community
Jaffna District Parliamentarian Ramanathan Archuna’s statement yesterday (30) “It’s okay to call us crazy! But we are not gay” drew a lot of attention in the media and social media.
Archuna clearly states that rather than being crazy, being gay, or a man expressing his sexual orientation to another man, is a disgrace or a problem.
However, this statement cannot be limited to male homosexual orientation alone, as he is expressing this idea in line with the idea he expressed in Parliament about the entire LGBTQIA+ community. In that case, according to Archuna, all sexual orientations other than straight or heterosexual relationships are a matter of disgrace.
What is LGBTQIA+
LGBTQIA+ is a small but broad term used to describe people who are diverse in their sexual identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. The letter L stands for Lesbian, the letter G stands for Gay, the letter B stands for Bisexual, and the letter T stands for Transgender.
However, the letter Q can be interpreted in two ways. The first is Queer. That is, people who do not clearly fit into any of the above categories or who challenge traditional sexual and gender frameworks. The second is Questioning. That is, people who are still exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. The letter I stands for Intersex, which means that people are born with physical characteristics that do not belong to a more diverse group of physical characteristics (sex organs, chromosomes, hormones) traditionally defined as “male” or “female.” The letter A stands for Asexual, which means people who do not feel sexual attraction to anyone.
The + sign here represents all other sexual orientations and socio-natural identities that are not included in the above definitions, and for example, identities such as Autosexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, etc. can be included under this representation.
Accordingly, this statement made by Archuna in the public media is an accusation that applies to all representations within LGBTQIA+. If he calls people with mental illnesses madmen, why should we compare this LGBTQIA+ community to someone who is mentally ill? The question that arises is, why should we compare this LGBTQIA+ community to someone who is mentally ill? As some suggest, are this sexual minority community also mentally ill?
Theory of ‘Hierarchy of Mental Illnesses’
Homosexuality was introduced as a mental illness in the ‘Hierarchy of Mental Illnesses’ published in America in 1968. However, in 1973, the American Psychological Association held a session with the participation of all members of the association and held a vote asking whether homosexuality should be further considered a mental illness or not. Accordingly, 5854 psychiatrists voted that homosexuality is not a disease, and 3810 voted that it is a disease.
Although the vote ruled out homosexuality as a disease, it did not remove homosexuality from the hierarchy of mental illnesses. They then introduced it as an “unnatural condition.” However, homosexuality was completely removed from that hierarchy in 1987. Homosexuality was removed from the ‘International Classification of Diseases’ published by the World Health Organization in 1992. Therefore, homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness in psychology. Nor is it attempted to be treated.
This implies that there are still people who, decades later, recognize homosexuality or other sexual orientations that differ from traditional sexual orientation as a mental illness and a condition that requires treatment.
It was later recognized that the fear of homosexuality or opposition to homosexuality is a mental condition called homophobia. When Freudian theories emerged, it became a popular theory that homophobia arises from the fear of unconscious homosexual feelings emerging. (Freud did not comment on this. It is a theory that was later developed based on his teachings on the unconscious.)
Does sexual orientation change over time? The question of whether sexual orientation changes over time is also among the main questions seen today. Some people allege that due to these different sexual orientations, their children may also be inclined to homosexual or other identities.
However, for most people, their sexual orientation remains the same throughout their lives. This sexual orientation, which is determined at birth by a complex combination of genes, hormones, and environmental factors, can change later in life for some people. This is called “Sexual Fluidity.” This sexual fluidity is caused by a person’s self-exploration, or self-discovery, during adolescence or later, and by initially suppressing their true identity due to social pressure, but then accepting it later.
The World Health Organization and major psychological associations strongly state that sexual orientation cannot be changed through “treatment” or coercion. Such attempts are harmful and ineffective, and can cause serious damage to a person’s mental health. Therefore, it has been scientifically proven that by watching or seeing these individuals, one’s identity is revealed, but that social status cannot be forcibly changed.
In such a situation, the statement made by a Member of Parliament like Archuna, the statements made by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith about this community, the negative statement made by some that the Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau that a tourism promotion campaign targeting LGBTQ+ tourists will be carried out, and the statements made by the Mahanayake Theros in this regard, imply that they are just saying things without proper knowledge or education, and that they have no study in this regard.
Aren’t the people of Kuliyapitiya who said that AIDS is spread by the wind, and those who believed that they are sterile due to kottu and bras, also irrational people who believe in similar fake news?
(Translation of a Sinhala article by Jimuth Indusara on whatnewss.lk )