Achieving Authenticity: Finding Happiness Beyond the Rainbow

As the world rapidly expands with increasing connectivity, there is also an increasing rarity of simply being authentic, to live your truth in the face of overwhelming pressure to adhere to societal norms. Worldwide the LGBTIQ+ community, with inspiring strength and bravery, respond to discrimination and ignorance by striving to find their own authentic voice in the drone of judgement. Silencing this judgment is 29-year-old gender fluid Bhutanese LGBTIQ+ activist Pema Dorji who is harnessing their experience and knowledge to empower those around them. Dorji who identifies with the pronouns He/Him, She/Her and They/Them champions for equal and fair treatment of the Bhutanese LGBTIQ+ community,  

“The exposure to more inspirational representation on TV and in literature, movies and also my advocacy work and interaction with our community both within the country and outside has made me a much more confident person. It has also encouraged me to explore the options of living my life as my authentic self” smiled Dorji.

Dorji’s passion to help others on their path to self-acceptance is a deeply personal one as their own journey was not easy and took a great deal of time and introspection to accept themselves for who they truly are. Their resolve was only strengthened by overcoming years of bullying they experienced growing up, simply for showing femininity,

“Most of my life I was quite ashamed of my feminine side as I was constantly ridiculed and made fun of, because of it. I tried to hide it but failed miserably. It was around last year when I was able to embrace my femininity as part of who I am and discovered my gender identity. My journey towards self-acceptance is ongoing as I am still working to accept who I am but I do know that I have taken the first step to start this journey of healing, self-discovery and acceptance” shared Dorji.

Blossoming forth as a phoenix from the fire, determined and driven, Dorji rose from their struggles to actualize their dream in creating a safe space that Dorji dreamed of having during their own formative years. Co-founding the popular platform “Queer Voices of Bhutan” (QVoB), Dorji formed an online advocacy group that endeavours to raise awareness and inform the Bhutanese community about LGBTIQ+ issues in the country. Queer Voices of Bhutan utilizes the power of social media to create visibility and awareness about the Queer experience in Bhutan,

“We started QVoB because we felt there was a real need for more relatable, home-grown content curated for the Queer community in Bhutan. We felt it was important to humanize the Bhutanese LGBTIQ+ experience by sharing their stories, creating resource material to spread awareness and better inform the Bhutanese population” enthused Dorji.

The fast-growing online advocacy network, QVoB is emblazoned with the mission to reduce the stigma and discrimination towards LGBTIQ+ Bhutanese and to protect their right to gender expression and identity.  Great emphasis is placed on the importance of giving a face to unique individuals, allowing us to see beyond just a collective to the very real people who are part of this vibrant community. QVoB features dynamic outreach activities ranging from episodic documentary series called “Queer Stories Bhutan” showcasing Bhutanese LGBTIQ+ stories, to organizing make-up tutorial workshops for Trans- women. QVoB has learned to adapt to the current landscape by understanding the limitations caused by the global pandemic and learning to evolve with it. By harnessing the power of social media for their advocacy work, they are able to navigate social distancing while still remaining close to their community. An example of their triumph despite such difficult times is the production of the “Inside Queer Bhutan” booklets that were published during Pride Month in June of 2021.

“The booklets are the first of its kind in Bhutan. Our team has developed the nine booklets and a chart which consist of self–help information for both the community members and our allies on Queer terminologies, gender pronouns and gender identity. These booklets which are free and readily available on our Instagram platform, are produced with great care to create a reliable resource tailored to the Bhutanese who wish to learn more about the Queer community or their own gender expression” detailed Dorji.

On the 17th of February of this year, Bhutan took the welcomed final step in decriminalizing same-sex activity, a process which started by the repealing of the Penal Code 213 by our National Assembly in 2019. 

“As a country we were able to achieve a major milestone with the decriminalization of same sex activity in Bhutan. Progress like this shows that we are heading in the right direction. Still the LGBTIQ+ movement is very young in our country and we remain in the phase where raising awareness is still a vital aspect of our work. Through advocacy and educating the Bhutanese population on Queer issues, we strive to empower the LGBTIQ+ community and to validate and share the Queer Bhutanese experience” said Dorji.

Article contributed by Jetsuen Wangmo for the UN/JICA We Care We Share Initiative