The Asexual Diaries of Dipa Mahbuba Yasmin

Yasmin always sensed she didn’t belong in the molds life tried to press her into. While others were swept up in tides of love and desire, she stood still, a lighthouse in the storm. But her quiet truth was like a flame flickering in the wind—fragile, misunderstood, yet fiercely alive. It was only when she discovered the word asexuality that her inner world began to make sense.

The world around her, however, was not ready for her revelation. Society saw her as an enigma; her family, as a problem to solve. To them, Yasmin’s difference wasn’t a nuance of identity but a defect in need of repair. They turned to rituals and remedies, from sacred water imbued with whispered prayers to visits with doctors whose cold clinical words confirmed what Yasmin already knew—she was not broken.

Yet, the attempts to “fix” her escalated. Her mother, desperate for a resolution, sought divine intervention through a revered Sufi. Yasmin endured the rituals, the blessings, and the relentless pressure to conform. When the spiritual cures failed, the focus shifted to science. Doctors probed, tests were taken, and in the end, all they could declare was that Yasmin was healthy. Still, her family’s desperation deepened.

“The asexual community in Bangladesh faces the harrowing reality of corrective assault, compounded by family-enforced conversion practices, forced marriages, and misdiagnoses by mental health professionals. Deeply entrenched cultural and legal barriers perpetuate violence and erasure of queer identities, intensifying personal suffering. Yet, their journey is also one of resilience, highlighting the power of self-acceptance, community support, and global solidarity in challenging prejudice and advocating for change..”

Asian Network of A-Spec Queer Activists

The weight of their disappointment became unbearable. Marriage was no longer a suggestion but an ultimatum. Yasmin’s protests were drowned in a sea of expectations. Accusations flew—her family, blind to her truth, labeled her psychologically flawed. “Gamophobia,” a psychologist pronounced, reducing her identity to a mere fear of commitment. But Yasmin refused to let the words of others define her.

Then came the final betrayal: a secret marriage arrangement. Her choices stripped away, Yasmin faced an agonizing decision—to submit or to escape. Summoning every ounce of courage, she fled, leaving behind the life she’d known for the unknown streets of survival. With no safe haven for queer individuals in Bangladesh, she wandered through hunger and uncertainty, carrying nothing but the will to live authentically.

Hope came in the form of a friend—a transgender woman who opened her doors and her heart. Through her, Yasmin discovered an underground LGBT+ organization, a hidden world of resilience and solidarity. Here, among people who shared her struggles, she began to reclaim her voice.

What began as whispered truths soon became a roar. Yasmin shared her story through vlogs, exposing the pain of conversion therapy and the invisibility of asexuality. Her words traveled across borders, amplified by platforms like BBC Bangla and Voice of America. From the shadows of rejection, Yasmin emerged into the light of global activism.

Today, Dipa Mahbuba Yasmin is more than a survivor; she is a trailblazer. Her fight for asexual visibility and her unyielding opposition to conversion therapy have made her a beacon for countless others. In every story she tells, in every barrier she breaks, Yasmin proves that resilience is an act of defiance and that living one’s truth is the ultimate revolution.