Image 5Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in
Myanmar face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is
illegal and
section 377 of
Myanmar's Penal Code 1861, enacted in 1886, subjects
same-sex sexual acts (regardless of whether they were consensual or done in private) to a term of
imprisonment of up to 20 years in prison. Heterosexual
anal intercourse and
oral sex are also illegal. Transgender people are subject to police harassment and sexual assault, and their
gender identity is not recognised by the state. During the country's long military dictatorship under the authoritarian
State Peace and Development Council between 1988 and 2011, it was difficult to obtain accurate information about the legal or social status of LGBT
Burmese citizens. Following the
2011–2015 Myanmar political reforms, improvements in media and civil freedoms have allowed
LGBT people to gain more visibility and support in the country. Despite the
2015 electoral victory of the
National League for Democracy, which promised improved human rights and whose leader
Aung San Suu Kyi had once called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, there have been no changes to anti-LGBT laws. Nevertheless, LGBT activists have noted a growing climate of societal acceptance and tolerance toward LGBT people, in line with worldwide trends. (
Full article...)