Burma ~10 years to Life

[Guest]

According to Wikipedia, homosexual acts in Burma are still illegal and a penalty of 10 years to life is the punishment.  Although rarely enforced.

 

I was considering a visit, but perhaps there's a good case for continuing to boycott the country?  

[fedssocr]

All sorts of things are illegal in Thailand, but that doesn't stop us from going there. Plenty of other reasons for concern in Burma like the continuing discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. The endemic corruption that's not really getting any better. Political prisoners still in jail. 

 

But it's a fascinating country. The people are extremely friendly and hospitable. Some truly amazing sights. I became convinced that contact was preferable to boycott.

[Rogie]

 

I was considering a visit, but perhaps there's a good case for continuing to boycott the country?  

 

Anyone visiting Burma and expecting a gay scene immediately accessible to farangs will be disappointed. But the country has a lot to offer in many other ways. 

 

By the way, the article mentioned below suggests to me Burmese gay men have a great sense of humour as well as resilience and deserve to be given credit for that. 

 

 

But it's a fascinating country. The people are extremely friendly and hospitable. Some truly amazing sights. I became convinced that contact was preferable to boycott.

 

Agree.

 

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There was a mention of Polari, the language of gay men in London in the 50's and 60's, in the Lone Ranger thread in the Beer Bar.

 

http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9012-hi-ho-silver-the-long-ranger/?do=findComment&comment=70249

 

There is a Burmese equivalent! There are also slang terms.

 

Back to Burmese gay men and their ability to cope with ingrained prejudice: I came across a fascinating article in the New Mandala.

 

Here are a few quotes.

 

Going to Pagan: Gay slang in Burma

 

 

There are two broad categories of communication codes used among gay Burmese people. The first translates as ‘hidden language’, designed to disguise meaning from the straight world. It is only used when gay people talk amongst themselves.

 

The second category translates as ‘slang’, which is more open and has been adopted by parts of straight Burma, even being used by some celebrities. Gay slang is subverting contemporary Burmese in subtle ways and demonstrates the growing visibility of gay Burmese, despite ongoing homophobia. Examples of vocabulary in this article fall into this category.

 

Burmese gay communication codes are participatory. It involves giving new meaning to old words, and also changing basic words like ‘to eat’ so they are unrecognisable by those outside the community.   

 

The language plays a key role in creating a sense of community amongst gay Burmese men, who are marginalised in Burmese society. The language is therefore important as a way of building a proud and defiant community.

 

The ‘hidden language’ has various practical uses. It allows people to gossip in public without repercussions, which is important for creating a sense of in-group solidarity. It also works as a defence against homophobia, which is common in Burma and comes in the form of physical violence, verbal abuse and other forms of social stigma.

 

 

As we might expect, Burmese attitudes to homosexuality go back a long way:

 

Homosexuality has ambiguous legal status in the country. Under Section 377 of the colonial-era Penal Code of 1882-88, which is part of the inheritance of British colonial rule, ‘carnal intercourse against nature’ is punishable with imprisonment of up to ten years. While this law is not usually enforced, it renders gay men all the more vulnerable to police harassment.

 

 

It would be interesting to how Burma viewed homosexuality before this (the late 19th Century). I suspect the same as some other Buddhist countries do today, although I have no evidence for that. I think these attitudes would have been swept away a long time ago had it not been for the decades of stifling military rule. (Draconian regimes seem to thrive on regimenting their populace much more than democratic countries with free and fair elections. You're allowed to do this, but you can't do that, and if you do, you do it at your peril!)

 

Here are some examples of slang and the innovative way gay men have adapted to the prevailing situation:

 

Pagan yauk bu la? (Have you been to Pagan?) England la? (England?) In gay slang, geographical terms are also subverted. ‘Having been to Pagan’ means ‘being gay’, deriving from a bridge in Yangon that doubles as a popular gay hang out. ‘Being England’ means ‘going first’ as the receptive partner in gay male sexual intercourse.

 

The history of gay Burmese slang is uncertain but it is at least as old as when cake was introduced to the country. This is known because ‘cake’, used as an adjective, is the word for large-sized male genitals, introduced into gay slang when cake was a new popular phenomenon in the country.

 

Terminology for gay-identifying men has been a problem in Burmese and remains an ongoing debate. A chauk and gandu, the most common words for gay men in conventional Burmese, are derogatory but are still used by some gay men in remote places. A chauk literally means ‘dry’, but the reason for adopting it is unclear. One common explanation is that it is used to suggest that gay men do not have semen, that it is dry. People use the term as an insult. Aung Myo Min coined the phrase layn thu chit thu, which translates as ‘those who love the same gender’. Others simply use the identifying term mummy.

 

Demand for new words and terminology adopted reflects the changing culture of the gay community, as well as cultural shifts in Burma generally. One recent introduction to the language is the term cake moe poe thin tan (baking training), which means group sex. As group sex is new to Burmese gay culture, a term for it has only recently been needed.

 

Some words given new meaning derive from moments in popular culture. If someone says they love to read Shwe Thwe Magazine, previously popular amongst children, it means they like teenage boys. If someone says they read Tayza Magazine, previously popular amongst young adults, it means they like men from that older age group. Both of these magazines are beyond their heyday, but their linguistic meaning continues, as these words entered the language when the magazines were at their popular peak and young gay people honour this history.

 

 

The article concludes:

 

As Burma’s gay communities continue to grow and better network, gay Burmese cultures and identities will no doubt keep evolving. Hidden language and slang will likely remain a key part of this process.

 

 

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/10/20/going-to-pagan-gay-slang-in-burma/

[Guest]

All sorts of things are illegal in Thailand, but that doesn't stop us from going there. Plenty of other reasons for concern in Burma like the continuing discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. The endemic corruption that's not really getting any better. Political prisoners still in jail.

 

Yes, but homosexuality in Thailand is perfectly legal, as it should be.  No 10 year jail sentences there.

[bkkguy]

Yes, but homosexuality in Thailand is perfectly legal, as it should be.  No 10 year jail sentences [in Thailand].

 

Well according to the wikipedia article :

 

Section 377 of the penal code [in Burma] prohibits same sex sexual activity and sodomy. Along with fines, the punishment is ten years to life, though no known enforcement has been done in recent years

 

 

so it would appear no jail sentences in Burma either!

 

sure a corrupt police or other official in Burma may decide to selective enforce the law in your case, but the same possibility exists here in Thailand - the way the prostitution laws are phrased in Thailand means that a corrupt police or other official could construe almost any sexual contact between a Thai and a western visitor or expat as prostitution and according to the penal code in Thailand customers of prostitutes face a jail sentence of up to 3 years and a fine up to 60,000 Baht but again the law is never enforced according to a police spokesman in the Bangkok Post today

 

if you want to use straw man arguments to keep you away from Burma then to be consistent the same arguments should keep you away from Thailand as well as many other countries - are you familiar with the laws in Singapore? Malaysia? some states in the USA?

 

bkkguy

[Guest]

In Thailand, one can legally have an adult boyfriend with no risk of prosecution, as such activity is perfectly legal.

 

In Singapore, whilst homosexuality is technically illegal, what punishment exists?  None.  They even have numerous gay bars.

 

I'm not sure how it would pan out in Burma, but the threat of 10 years in jail would be a nice little bargaining chip for any officials looking for large sums of tea money. 

[fedssocr]

There's plenty to do in Myanmar that doesn't involve having sex with anyone.

 

If you're bringing some one with you, then I am sure you have nothing to worry about.

 

But stay away if you want to. They've got too many tourists these days anyway

[Rogie]

 

If you're bringing some one with you, then I am sure you have nothing to worry about.

That's right. I went a few years ago during songkran with a young Thai man and it was absolutely fine. No problems at all and he loved it.