Neal
June 10th, 2012, 15:46
QUIET GAY PRIDE IN MYANMAR
LGBT people in Myanmar and their allies held a series of events across the country last night to for the first time celebrate gay pride, including a concert and discussion attended by about 400 people in Yangon (also called Rangoon).
Though Myanmar, also called Burma, has become more liberal since the military regime's fall, same-sex relationships are still a crime, the BBC reports, which means most LGBT people weren't comfortable holding a full-blown gay pride parade.
Burma is a conservative, mainly Buddhist country where many gay men and women feel they cannot come out.
As such organisers decided against hosting a street parade, which is a traditional feature of gay pride events around the world.
Instead, around 400 people attended an evening of music and talks held in the ballroom of a hotel in Rangoon.
...
"In the past we didn't dare do this. We've been preparing to hold this event for a long timeтАж and today, finally it happened," gay make-up artist Min-Min told the AFP news agency.
The event was timed to coincide with today's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/quiet- ... z1xNVzrXA1 (http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/quiet-gay-pride-in-myanmar.html#ixzz1xNVzrXA1)
LGBT people in Myanmar and their allies held a series of events across the country last night to for the first time celebrate gay pride, including a concert and discussion attended by about 400 people in Yangon (also called Rangoon).
Though Myanmar, also called Burma, has become more liberal since the military regime's fall, same-sex relationships are still a crime, the BBC reports, which means most LGBT people weren't comfortable holding a full-blown gay pride parade.
Burma is a conservative, mainly Buddhist country where many gay men and women feel they cannot come out.
As such organisers decided against hosting a street parade, which is a traditional feature of gay pride events around the world.
Instead, around 400 people attended an evening of music and talks held in the ballroom of a hotel in Rangoon.
...
"In the past we didn't dare do this. We've been preparing to hold this event for a long timeтАж and today, finally it happened," gay make-up artist Min-Min told the AFP news agency.
The event was timed to coincide with today's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/quiet- ... z1xNVzrXA1 (http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/quiet-gay-pride-in-myanmar.html#ixzz1xNVzrXA1)