Boys of Bangladesh

Boys of Bangladesh, popularly abbreviated BoB, for-

merly known as Boys Only Bangladesh,
[3]
is the old-
est running and the largest network of self-identied
Bangladeshi gay men living in the country and abroad.
Based in Dhaka, this non-registered, non-funded and
non-formal group is run by a pool of volunteers.
[4]
Boys
of Bangladesh operates since 2002 and maintains a web-
site, a Yahoo! Group
[5]
and a Facebook page
[6]
as
the primary networking and communication media. In
addition to online activities, BoB arranges events like
consciousness-raising workshops, takes part in LGBT-
related festivals and organizes social get-togethers such as
parties and picnics. Boys of Bangladesh aims at building
a gay community in the country
[7]
and repealing Section
377.
[8]
1 History
BoB started out as an online Yahoo! Group in late 2002.
It initially existed under the name Boys Only Bangladesh
and cooperated with another group, Teen Gay Bangladesh
(TGB), with aims such as bringing gay men in Bangladesh
together. BoBs founder, Dhaka-born Quazi Haque, cur-
rently residing in Sydney, Australia, created the platform
out of his determination to provide a support network
for the gay population of Bangladesh.
[4]
However, both
groups were closed down by Yahoo! authorities by the
end of 2002, and so later was Bangladeshi Gay Boys,
a new online community attempting to replace TGB.
Nonetheless, after reopening on 4 January 2003,
[7]
BoB
remains active to date, having undergone changes, such
as changing its name to Boys of Bangladesh.
Initially, BoB mostly remained an online group with spo-
radic, closely guarded, oine social events for its selected
members, staying devoid of any political edge. It was not
until May 2005 when it attempted to assert itself polit-
ically by sending a letter to The Daily Star newspaper,
regarding the rst International Day Against Homopho-
bia and Transphobia. The letter, which presented a brief
overviewof the situation of gay community in Bangladesh
and highlighted its main problems, met mostly with nega-
tive response, what made BoB decide to stay apolitical.
[9]
Around the same time, a safe sex campaign was initi-
ated, oering HIV testings at the International Centre
for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, and Boys of
Bangladesh knotted cooperation with a Bangladeshi hu-
man rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) for a
survey on sexual diversity. The number of group mem-
bers had signicantly grown by 2006, however, the state
of emergency introduced in the country stopped BoB
from organising any events for some period of time.
[10]
In May 2008, BoB celebrated the International Day
Against Homophobia (IDAHO) at a cafe in Dhaka, which
marked the rst time when BoB appeared openly in
public as a group of gay activists with the acknowledg-
ment of the venue authority.
[10]
In September, a BoB
member, Shakhawat Hossain, participated in an inter-
national workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal, titled South
Asian Partnership Building Workshop, organized by
a Nepalese LGBT rights organization, Blue Diamond
Society.
[11]
In February 2009, with the help from the
Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay
Liberation, BoB organized the rst LGBT-related work-
shop in Bangladesh, titled Workshop on Sexual Diver-
sity, Partnership Building and Networking. November
sawan arrangement of another event which met with pos-
itive reception.
[12]
Subsequently, Boys of Bangladesh secured an oce
space that would serve as its headquarters and resource
centre. A rainbow ag was hoisted in the oce premise
to announce its existence as well as express its solidarity
with the worldwide LGBT movement, which also marked
the rst time a rainbow ag had been unfurled in a pub-
lic place in Bangladesh. In October 2010, BoB took part
in the second installment of Under the Rainbow, a cul-
tural event initiated by the Goethe-Institut in Bangladesh
to discuss LGBT issues in the country.
[13]
The ve-day
festival included movie screenings, art exhibitions and
musical performances, bringing together leading human
rights activists from within the country and abroad. In
April 2011, BoB organized a conference with Bandhu
Social Welfare Society (BSWS) and South Asian Human
Rights Commission of Marginalized Sexualities and Gen-
ders (SAHRCMSG), and contributed to production of a
short lmWithout Any Windowof His Own,
[14]
which was
later screened at the International Festival of Documen-
tary Film on Liberation and Human Rights in Dhakas
Central Public Library.
[15]
2012 saw further events orga-
nized by BoB, including a series of Lets Talk work-
shops and a celebration of IDAHO with the presence of
international representatives.
[16]
2 Gallery
Members of BoB celebrating IDAHO in 2010
1
2 4 REFERENCES
Workshop organized by BoB in 2009
3 See also
LGBT rights in Bangladesh
LGBT rights in France
LGBT rights in Turkey
4 References
[1] Boys of Bangladesh (BoB) extquotedbl. www.msmgf.
org. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
[2] Editors Letter. pink-pages.co.in. Retrieved 2013-01-
09.
[3] Stewart, Chuck (2010). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of
LGBTIssues Worldwide. Greenwood Press. p. 343. ISBN
978-0-313-34233-2. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
[4] Getting connected in Bangladesh. www.starobserver.
com.au. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
[5] BoysOnlyBangladesh : Boys of Bangladesh.
groups.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
[6] Boys of Bangladesh (BoB) extquotedbl. www.facebook.
com. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
[7] The Boys of Bangladesh. pink-pages.co.in. Retrieved
2013-01-09.
[8] Bangladesh: Treatment of homosexuals including leg-
islation, availability of state protection and support ser-
vices. www.unhcr.org. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
[9] Tanveer Reza Rouf. Comfortable in the virtual closet.
www.himalmag.com. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
[10] History of the E-Groups and BoBs Evolution. www.
boysofbangladesh.org. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
[11] Announcement of South Asia LGBT Partnership Work-
shop, September 34, 2008, Kathmandu, Nepal.
gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2011-05-
10.
[12] One Day, One Struggle: Coalition for Sexual and Bodily
Rights in Muslim Societies. www.iglhrc.org. Retrieved
2011-12-31.
[13] Embracing love and equality in diversity. www.
daily-sun.com. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
[14] without any window of His own/Bangladesh. www.
youtube.com. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
[15] Without any window of his own. www.facebook.com.
Retrieved 2013-01-08.
[16] Tanvir Alim. Bangladesh Celebrates International Day
Against Homophobia (IDAHO) extquotedbl. glob-
alqueerdesi.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
3
5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
5.1 Text
Boys of Bangladesh Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_of_Bangladesh?oldid=618832102 Contributors: Bearcat, Orangemike,
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