Tag: burma

Myanmar Holds First Public Gay Wedding

A gay couple together 10 years tied the knot Sunday in conservative Myanmar. Tin Ko Ko and Myo Min Htet exchanged rings in a Yangon hotel in front of hundreds of friends and family. While their ceremony is a sign of growing acceptance of gay rights in the Southeast Asian nation, their wedding was merely… Read more »

The battle for gay rights in Burma

Loud dance music, strobe lights, vodka shots and cocktails: the fare at Rangoon’s Flamingo Club doesn’t stand out from what’s on offer at any number of nightlife spots around the city. But on the last Saturday of the month, things are slightly different. As of this month, FAB, the “the first party for lesbians, gays… Read more »

Myanmar’s HIV/AIDS Program: Cautious Optimism

Overwhelming Problems Remain Efforts are under way in Myanmar to bolster access to life-prolonging drugs for people with HIV/AIDS, but tens of thousands will probably still be left out, say health experts. “All the ingredients are there to make this work, but a comprehensive and integrated plan concerning all actors and activities is needed to… Read more »

Gays in Burma allege sexual abuse by police

12 gays and transgender individuals were detained for hours, stripped off and humiliated Gays and transgender individuals detained in a weekend crackdown by police officers in Burma’s second-biggest city have accused them of sexual abuse. From an area in Mandalay frequented by sexual minorities, law officers arrested 12 people last Saturday night, three of whom… Read more »

Myanmar: Gay Men and Transgender Women

Wrongfully Arrested, Violently Abused – IGLHRC and Myanmar LGBT Rights Network Call for Justice Dear Friend, On July 7, 20 plain-clothed police officers forcefully arrested 10 gay men and transgender women outside the Sedona Hotel in Mandalay, Myanmar. Nine were dragged, kicked and handcuffed while being taken to the Division Police Station for questioning—one person… Read more »

Study reveals discrimination against LGBT people in Burma

Police use law that criminalizes gay sex to abuse and blackmail LGBT people Research from human rights activists in Burma has revealed the extent of discrimination against LGBT people in the Southeast Asian country. Human Rights Education Institute Burma (HREIB) carried out focus groups and individual interviews with 24 LGBT people from five different cities.… Read more »

Changing attitudes towards men who have sex with men and transgender people in Myanmar

When Thet Mon Phyo underwent a gender change operation in 2005, her parents told her not to bother returning home. “They were ashamed and I had to go and live with my aunt,” 34-year-old Phyo recalled. “When I was young my father often scolded me for my feminine behaviour. Later, my lover left me because… Read more »