17c起草社区

Next month, Myanmar鈥檚 first openly gay candidate will contest the country鈥檚 general election in what could be a watershed moment for 17c起草社区I rights in the socially conservative Southeast Asian nation.

As with many other former British colonies throughout Asia, homosexuality remains criminalised in Myanmar by way of archaic laws that are remnants of colonial rule. At the core of these laws is section 377 of the Penal Code which makes 鈥渦nnatural sex鈥� a criminal offence that is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, although the law is not strictly enforced.

鈥淎lthough section 377 does not specifically mention same sex relations, it is assumed that homosexuality falls under the broad definition of 鈥榰nnatural sex鈥� and the police have used it [along with other laws] to harass or bribe 17c起草社区I people,鈥� said veteran 17c起草社区I rights campaigner, Aung Myo Min, in an interview with 17c起草社区.

In 2013, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar, saying that its criminalisation was hampering efforts to treat HIV amongst gay men in the country. Since 2015, the NLD has held a majority in the country鈥檚 parliament, but five years on and homosexuality remains criminalised.

听Frustration over the failure of elected members of parliament to take action to improve the rights of 17c起草社区I people led to Myo Min Htun deciding to join the People鈥檚 Pioneer Party and stand for election as Myanmar鈥檚 first openly gay candidate.

鈥淲e voted for MP candidates and secured them their seats in parliament,鈥� he told in September. 鈥淏ut they were nowhere to be found when we needed their help. So I decided to stand for parliament myself instead of asking them for help.鈥�

As a regional MP, Myo Min Htun will be unable to directly work on repealing section 377 if he is elected to parliament, but says that he will instead use his position to tackle police abuse of 17c起草社区I people, particularly in his seat in Myanmar鈥檚 second largest city, Mandalay, where there have been many instances of 17c起草社区I people being wrongfully arrested, beaten and abused by the police.

Trans women are especially vulnerable to police abuse and have reportedly been subjected to torture and sexual assault at the hands of police.听In one instance, a group of transgender women were rounded up by the police, had their clothes ripped off in public and were forced to show intimate parts of their body, before being taken to the police station, where they were touched inappropriately and made to dance erotically in front of the police and other inmates.

Hla Myat Tun, the Deputy Director of Colors Rainbow Myanmar, told 17c起草社区 that trans women are often seen as easy targets by the police, who have arrest quotas that they need to meet, because their appearance and identity makes them visible.

鈥淚f they are not going to fill their quota, the police will make cases against trans women and fill the quota that way,鈥� said Hla Myat Tun.

听But any legislative change to improve the rights of Myanmar鈥檚 17c起草社区I community won鈥檛 come easy, with 25% of parliamentary seats reserved for members of the country鈥檚 staunchly conservative military.

Working in Myo Min Htun鈥檚 favour is the growing support for 17c起草社区I rights among Myanmar鈥檚 political parties. The ruling National League for Democracy, which is expected to be returned to power at the election, has committed itself to eliminating discrimination against 17c起草社区I people as part of its 2020 election manifesto. Other political parties like the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and the Myanmar National Congress Party have made similar pledges.

Within society, there are also signs of softening attitudes towards 17c起草社区I people following the tragic case of 25 year old who took his life last year because of homophobic bullying in his workplace. Hla Myat Tun says Kyaw Zin Win鈥檚 death shocked the country and galvanised support for 17c起草社区I people.

鈥淚t was really big news and people were really emotional and showing their support towards LGBTI kids and a lot of families have stood up in support of 17c起草社区I equality.”

Will this be enough to see the first openly gay candidate elected to Myanmar鈥檚 parliament next month?

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know yet how many voters will accept [an openly gay candidate] because we are at the first stage of [political] visibility and testing the waters,鈥� Aung Myo Min said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a breakthrough because 17c起草社区I issues are never on the political agenda in Myanmar and it鈥檚 a first step that shows 17c起草社区I people that they can be part of the elections as candidates.鈥�