Boys of Bangladesh, popularly known as BoB, is the oldest and the largest network of self-identified Bangladeshi gay men from home and abroad. Based in Dhaka, this non-registered, non-funded and non-formal group is run by a pull of volunteers.[1]
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BoB started its journey as an on-line Yahoo! Group in late 2002[2] with aims such as bringing together the isolated gay men in Bangladesh, creating a platform where gay men can help each other come to terms with their sexuality by sharing their thoughts, feelings and experiences and ultimately building a gay society based on friendship and solidarity.
Finding it difficult to grow up as a gay teenager without much support and more importantly a like-minded community to belong to, Dhaka-born, Quazi Haque, now residing in Australia, founded the BoB Yahoo! Group as it "was the easiest method" he "found to connect the gay population of Bangladesh." back then.[3] Over the years the Group has undergone changes as the community and time demanded.
From 2002 to 2005, BoB mostly remained an online group with sporadic, closely guarded, off-line social events for its selected members. The group largely concerned itself with ‘friendship’, devoid of political edge. The first attempt to assert itself politically came as late as May 2005, when BoB sent letter to The Daily Star newspaper, regarding the first International Day against Homophobia. The response was mixed with some support as well as extreme criticism.[4]
Around the same time, safe sex campaign was also initiated and members were encouraged to go for voluntary HIV testing at Jaagori, a sister concern of International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B). In the same year BoB also had a meeting with Ayeen O Salish Kendro (ASK - Law and Arbitration Center) and helped with a survey on sexual diversity carried out by ASK.[5]
In July 2007, Tanveer Reza Rouf, then a Senior at BRAC University and affiliated with BoB, attended the first International Workshop on Gender and Sexuality organized by BRAC University's James P Grant School of Public Health at the BRAC Centre, Dhaka. He presented a paper titled 'Middle Class Gay Identity in Dhaka City', in which he talked about the intersection of sexuality, class, gender/sex and religion (i.e. Islam) within the urban landscape of Dhaka city.[6]
In 2008, BoB celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) at a prominent cafe in the Capital city Dhaka. It was the first event where BoB appeared openly as a gay group with the acknowledgment of the venue authority. In September 2008 another gay activist from BoB, Shakhawat Hossain participated in an international workshop in Kathamandu, Nepal. The workshop was titled ‘South Asian Partnership Building Workshop’[7] organized by Blue Diamond Society of Nepal in cooperation with LLH, Norway. A good number of organizations and activists from South Asia participated in this workshop, which opened up a whole new world for BoB: the world of LGBT activism. Since then BoB has increasingly become involved in LGBT advocacy, campaigning and networking in the country.
In February 2009 BoB, with the help of LLH, facilitated a workshop in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. It was titled ‘Workshop on Sexual Diversity, Partnership Building and Networking’ and was the first ever workshop in Bangladesh that brought together the diverse LGBT community to talk about their issues and concerns from a human rights perspective.
Only very recently the group has been able to secure a small space to be used as office and a resource center. On March 20, 2010 BoB hoisted a Rainbow Flag in the office premise to announce its existence as well as express its solidarity with the worldwide LGBT movement. This was the first time a Rainbow Flag had been unfurled at a public place in Bangladesh.[8]
On October 2010, BoB took part in the second installment of 'Under the Rainbow', a cultural event initiated by Goethe Institut in Bangladesh to promote LGBT issues in the country.[9] Under the slogan “accept diversity and end discrimination”, the five-day festival included movie screenings, art exhibitions and musical performances and brought together leading human rights activists from within the country and abroad.
BoB maintains a website, a Yahoo Group, a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account. These platforms work as the primary networking and communication medium.
In addition to the on-line activities, BoB organizes social events like get-to-gathers, film shows, picnics, parties etc. These events provide a sense of belonging, which helps boost self-esteem of the gender and sexuality minority population of Bangladesh. These events are also crucial in order to increase visibility and unite the like minded people.[10] BoB's primary focus is community mobilizing and strengthening as it is essential to have a strong united LGBT community before actually striving for acceptance and equality.
BoB envisions a world free of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation enabling every LGBT individual to enjoy the blessing of life, love and companionship. BoB does not endorse the term MSM as it is more clinical, whereas being gay or homosexual is an identity and has more to do with issues such as psychological need, partnership, equality and human rights etc.[11]