Britain’s Supreme Court recently issued a judgment interpreting the legal definition of “woman” to mean and include only a biological woman or a person recorded as a woman at birth. The decision has been welcomed by some, while those from the LGBTIQ+ community have raised concerns of discrimination and the roll-back of years of progress made on recognizing transgender rights. In a previous development in Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court, in an opinion on the "Gender Equality Bill of 2024” held that “…neither the concept called gender identity nor the concept called gender equality are concepts which the Constitution of this country has recognized.” In a prior opinion, the Supreme Court held that a Bill to decriminalize homosexuality would further the dignity of those from the LGBTIQ+ community.



This discussion will explore the idea of Gender Equality, its limitations and how and whether it can be achieved within the current legal framework and socio-cultural context.

Shyamali Ranaraja is an attorney-at-law with over three decades of experience as a practitioner, a researcher and an activist.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr Kalana Senaratne, Head of Department /Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Law - University of Peradeniya.

Please click here to register