Holding hands with my partner on Galle Road vs the Mirissa strip — how careful should two guys be?

Sri Lanka is socially conservative in public. Quiet neighborhoods and tourist beach strips are usually easier than busy urban thoroughfares for any couple that draws stares. Many LGBT visitors keep overt PDA low in Colombo — walking side by side, shared tuk, separate beds if a desk seems nosy — and relax a bit more in places used to foreigners. That is caution, not fear. Hotels that already host international guests rarely make a fuss if you are polite at check-in. Avoid arguments with strangers; move on. Laws and social norms can shift — read a current travel advisory from your own foreign ministry for the legal picture, then use ordinary street sense.