Myanmar: Gay couple weds even though marriage has no legal standing

Law criminalizing same-sex relations not strictly enforced

A gay couple in Myanmar who have lived together for 10 years got married March 2 even though their union has no legal standing in the country, the Bangkok Post reports.

The wedding of Tin Ko Ko and Myo Min Htet, attended by 200 guests, was performed according to the rites typically observed in other Myanmar marriage ceremonies, the report says.

Myanmar’s penal code, a colonial-era legacy, criminalizes same-sex relations, with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for those who break the law.

The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a non-profit media organization, says that while Section 377 does not specifically refer to homosexuality, it has been invoked against consenting adult homosexuals but less and less frequently over time. The penal code also contains a variety of provisions that could be used against gay people, including Sections 269 and 270, which prohibit a person from “negligently” spreading a sexually transmitted disease; Sections 292 to 294, which ban making, selling or distributing “obscene” material to adults or minors, or engaging in “obscene” acts in public; and Section 469, which prohibits being involved in a marriage ceremony apart from a legal marriage.

The DVB report notes that another same-sex ceremony was held in November in Mon State and attracted considerable media attention because the event was made public.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Read More About:
Power, News, Marriage Equality, Justice

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose