ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΑΦΥΛΙΚΟΤΗΤΑ ΣΤΗ ΜΥΑΝΜΑΡ

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Male to male sex (Burma)
By Carol Jenkins
In Myanmar, there are many terms to refer to males who have sex with males.

The more inclusive term is achau, which includes a wide range of gender

presentations. The main roles are labelled as apwint (open), apone (closed)

and tha nge (real men). The apwint, who are often clearly transgendered, hold a

special sacred role in that some may act as mediums for contacting the spirits

of one of the 27 nats. Nat worship comprises a complementary folk religion to

Burma’s Buddhism. Two of these nats, brothers celebrated at the Taungbyon

Festival and other Pagoda Festivals yearly in central Myanmar, are the patron spirits

of transgenders, who can become nat-gadaw, or wives of the brothers under the direction

of teachers known as nat saya. At these festivals or nat pwe*, they dance to

communicate with the spirits, and male-to-male sex is extensive and celebratory. At

these festivals, there is little concern about public opinion and reportedly a great deal of

anal sex takes place. In the main urban areas, apwint often work as beauticians and

clothes designers, and some become quite well-off and famous. There is a wide range of

cross-dressing from none or occasional and hidden, to full, i.e. those who use make-up

and hormones to feminize their appearance, wear long hair and feminine clothing nearly

all the time. Among these apwint are found elder mentors, the meme or mamu. Sexually,

apwint is seen as a receptive role and some maintain a long-lasting relationship with a

boyfriend, considering themselves married. Some, especially those who are older,

report that they often pay tha nge to have sex with them.
Among younger men, the majority of whom live at home with parents, the entire coming

out process can be very painful, as parents, especially fathers, expect sons to marry and

may throw their sons out of the house when they discover their behaviour. As a

consequence, a large number of achau remain apone, hid- den and passing, with a secret

life. On the other hand, if an achau is the main earner for the family, he may be provided

with respect and treated as the family’s decision-maker.


* Native Burmese religious tradition involves a belief in "nats," heroic humans who died premature deaths and now live on in the world as powerful spirits. Since nats have the ability to either help or hurt the living, villagers hold special "pwe" ceremonies to appease these omnipotent spirit forces. Mediums known as "kadaws"--who are often crossdressing gay men--act out the distinct personalities, costumes, songs, and dances associated with each individual nat. The result is a visually beautiful and artistically rich celebration of tradition, spirituality, and an extremely unique musical heritage.

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