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There is one place in traditional Burmese society where LGBT people have found acceptance: in the role of nat kadaw — a type of shaman, or spirit medium. Nats are indigenous spirits that are worshipped alongside Buddhism in Burma, and it is the job of the nat kadaw to channel the energy of these spirits to the common people via trances. Though being a nat kadaw was traditionally a hereditary female profession, in the s the role began to be filled by transgender women, gay men, male transvestites, and other members of the LGBTQ community who could not find acceptance in otherwise heteronormative Burmese society.
The Burmese have always worshipped and celebrated nats with festivals, and in modern times these traditional events have become unofficial celebrations for the gay community. Burma is currently in the throes of great political and social change, and with this has come a growing acceptance of homosexuality. Though incidents of homophobic brutality do still occur, the prevailing atmosphere is one of tolerance — and this is only likely to improve under the jurisdiction of the pro-LGBT Aung San Suu Kyi.
Gay and lesbian couples already openly cohabit in Burmese cities, and there is a small but burgeoning gay scene in Yangon. The country even celebrated its first public gay wedding in Yangon — and though Myo Min Htet and Tin Ko Ko have no legal status in the eyes of Burmese law, the fact that their marriage was even allowed to happen is evidence of progress.
The films aired here show the positives along with the negatives of LGBT life in Burma: the short documentary film Soul Mates by Lei Lei Aye, for instance, celebrates the love of an LGBT couple who have won support from their family and even achieved a sort of celebrity within their community read more about it here.
Slowly but surely, all of these events and developments contribute toward increased acceptance for the LGBT community in Burma. Though the gay community is disappearingly small in Yangon — and even smaller in Mandalay — things are changing fast, and you can expect plenty more gay-friendly venues to spring up in the coming years. Despite the persistence of discrimination and conservative attitudes, you are very unlikely to have any trouble travelling as a gay person in Burma. Most Burmese will simply assume that you are friends.
Specific bars and event info can be found on sites like Travel Gay Asia , Sticky Rice and Utopia Asia , but the information available tends to be rather sparse and out-of-date. As Burma is changing so fast, travel forums and social media are the best place to find up-to-date information. Lonely Planet also has a small section on advice for gay travellers to Burma. Recent Activity.
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Burnet Institute Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar. Marie Stopes, Yangon, Myanmar. Share this article Share with email Share with twitter Share with linkedin Share with facebook. Free full text. Published online Feb PMID: Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Vanessa Veronese, Email: ua. Corresponding author. Received Apr 23; Accepted Jan Go to:. Conclusions High HIV incidence and new diagnoses being associated with reporting no testing history points to undiagnosed HIV driving transmissions in Myanmar. Data management All data entered into the eDMS between 01 August and 30 November were extracted for analysis.
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