Hosted on the All Out platform, the campaign alleges that universities and law-enforcement authorities have expelled, detained and imprisoned students for being gay, without evidence that they harmed anyone. It cites incidents at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in Dinajpur, where four students were reportedly expelled and two others handed to police in May 2026. Sign the Petition Click Here
The campaign also refers to an alleged case at a Dhaka Unani medical college, where a student was reportedly pressured to identify other gay students. According to the campaign, five people were subsequently imprisoned through a mobile court and lost their accommodation.
It further alleges that transgender people who gathered peacefully in Dhaka were attacked by a mob in April and that police refused to register their complaint. The campaign also raises the case of two women reportedly detained and jailed following a family complaint about their consensual relationship.
JMBF says these incidents reflect a wider pattern in which educational institutions, police and courts punish people for their identity or consensual relationships. The organisation argues that such conduct violates equality, personal liberty, privacy and protection from discrimination guaranteed by Bangladesh’s Constitution and international human-rights obligations.
The campaign calls for the immediate reinstatement of students expelled or suspended because of their sexual orientation, the withdrawal of charges against people imprisoned for consensual same-sex relationships, and an investigation into alleged coercive questioning.
It also urges authorities to ensure that police register complaints filed by LGBT+ people, investigate perpetrators of violence, and adopt clear policies protecting LGBT+ students from harassment, arbitrary disciplinary measures and the unlawful disclosure of their identities.
A central demand is the repeal of Section 377 of Bangladesh’s Penal Code, a colonial-era provision that criminalises consensual same-sex relationships and, according to JMBF, provides a legal basis for further persecution.
“Educational institutions have a duty to protect all students equally,” the campaign states, warning that universities must not become instruments of moral policing and that victims of violence must not be treated as offenders.
The petition urges the Government of Bangladesh, the Ministries of Education and Home Affairs, university authorities and medical-college administrators to take immediate action. It seeks 20,000 signatures in support of the campaign.
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