SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Rainbow 'revolution': Myanmar's LGBTQ activists march against coup
Yangon, Feb 19 (AFP) Feb 19, 2021
Strutting across a road junction in Myanmar traditional dress and wielding colourful paper parasols, Yangon's LGBTQ activists are stepping up to be part of a "revolution" against the military.

Their vibrant presence adds to the wide cross-section of Myanmar society -- from railway workers wearing hardhats to teachers dressed in their green-and-white uniforms -- who marched through the country's largest city Yangon Friday to demand the army give up power.

The nation has seen daily demonstrations for the past two weeks, with hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed in a military coup on February 1.

"We are coming together with everyone in our country because we are against this situation," said Shin Thant, carrying a lavender-coloured parasol to shield herself from the sun.

The well-known transgender activist was flanked by others in her community, some wearing traditional Myanmar fitted tops and a shin-length skirt called "longyi".

Others went for a more modern look, with multi-layer bridal gowns or glittery clubwear.

Hundreds of supporters marched carrying rainbow-coloured placards with prints of the three-finger salute -- a symbol of resistance borrowed from the Hunger Games film trilogy.

"We, the LGBTQ community, won't give birth and our generation ends with us," Shin Thant said.

"But I wanted to tell those who will have children that you should participate in this revolution."

Shin Thant is a former beauty queen and won Miss Trans Grand International Myanmar in 2018, but has reportedly faced harassment from authorities in the past.

The community still faces widespread discrimination in Myanmar, a conservative, mostly Buddhist country, with same-sex relationships criminalised under the penal code and trans people often harassed by authorities.

But Myanmar's LGBTQ community have been making tentative attempts in recent years to step out into the open, with activists organising pride parades and festivals that have drawn hundreds of supporters -- a possible sign of changing mindsets in the cities.

Shin Thant urged protesters to try and stick to peaceful forms of civil disobedience.

"We don't need violence -- our goal is for the long term," she said. "Please protest peacefully against all forms of injustice."


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Intelligent Control System Enhances Space Reactor Performance under Uncertainty
SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
Northrop Grumman Commits $50 Million to Firefly Aerospace to Drive Eclipse Medium Launch Vehicle

24/7 Energy News Coverage
France's upper house debates fast-fashion bill
Iran says no nuclear deal if deprived of 'peaceful activities'
In Canada lake, robot learns to mine without disrupting marine life

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Trump says Iran deal would not allow 'any' uranium enrichment
Danish PM warns NATO defence spending target 'too late'
UK to build attack subs as part of major defence review

24/7 News Coverage
Spain records highest May temps on record; UK registers warmest spring on record
Ancient Scottish Fossils Push Back Tetrapod Timeline
Rock record illuminates oxygen history



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.