In probably a first for a South Asian head of state, Sri Lankan President in a post on Twitter acknowledged the rights of LGBTQI Sri Lankans. Human rights activists said the President’s message was significant as Sri Lanka is one of the 69 countries in the world that has laws that criminalise consensual same-sex acts. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa posted the message on Twitter on March 1, a day that is celebrated by the United Nations as ‘Zero Discrimination Day’. “Today is #ZeroDiscriminationDay. As the president of Sri Lanka I am determined to secure everybody’s right to live life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, physical appearance, and beliefs,” the President posted.