Using queer cartoons to promote LGBT+ rights in Bangladesh

 | 
01/17/2019

In April 2016, the police found the bodies of Xulhaz Mannan and Tonoy Mahbub, two prominent LGBT+ rights activists, in an apartment in Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital. This week, police arrested one of the main suspects in the murder, stating that the killers had plotted the attack over the past six months. Mannan and Mahbub’s murders form part of a string of similar attacks on progressive bloggers and political commentators and sent shivers through lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities in Bangladesh – leading dozens of activists to flee the country.  Amid such threats and attacks, queer activists in Bangladesh have developed creative strategies to raise awareness, educate the public and carve out safe spaces for expressions of diversity. Visual arts have been an effective tactic. In 2015, Boys of Bangladesh began a cartoon series called Dhee, the name of the main lesbian character. Activists used the cartoon series in private events across the countries to teach about diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity, and acceptance.

Regions: ,

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 04/26/2024
04/26/2024
In August of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, the combination of torrential rain and flawed infrastructure proved deadly. More …
Added on: 04/26/2024
04/25/2024
Internet users’ public expression of their sexual orientation does not authorise using this data “for the purposes of personalised advertising,” a legal adviser at …
Added on: 04/26/2024
04/25/2024
Congolese member of parliament and former presidential candidate Constant Mutamba is standing by his bill that would criminalize gay sex for the first time in …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 04/26/2024
In Thailand, the perception of a welcoming atmosphere for LGBT individuals paints a picture of acceptance that many countries strive for. However, the layers …
Added on: 04/25/2024
There’s a new rainbow rising over Nepal. This is Sandip Roy in Kathmandu. The Himalayan country has always been known for tourism – Mountains forests old …
Added on: 04/24/2024
Over the weekend in Japan, 15,000 people took part in the 2024 Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade, one of the biggest LGBTQIA+ events in Southeast …