Queer Festival will Happen in Myanmar Despite Homophobic Laws

Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…

The government of Myanmar just approved a Pride festival, despite anti-LGBTQ laws.

According to New Now Next, the &Proud festival has been held in the past, but it was always held in secret. The festival celebrates rights and culture, and spans two weeks, featuring performances from the LGBTQ community, and education about the community. Attendance has more than doubled in the past year, with over 6,000 folks showing up in 2017.

“I would say this is not just for the LGBT community,” festival co-director Hla Myat Tun told AFP. “This is for the whole country, acknowledging equality and basic human rights.”

Drag queen race, handbag throwing among the highlights as Myanmar’s “&Proud” LGBT festival is held in public for the first time https://t.co/owOlvWa4rS pic.twitter.com/xe1hYyPuRV

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 29, 2018

This year’s events included some queer film screenings, including a viewing of A Simple Love Story, a story about two trans people in love, and This Kind of Love, a documentary about a queer activist.

If things go well this year, the first official &Proud festival will be the start of more queer inclusion in Myanmar.

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Addison Herron-Wheeler

Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.