Israeli MP thinks the ‘gay phenomenon’ is ‘almost nonexistent in Arab society’
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/27/israe...aha-joint-list/



An Israeli MP has claimed that homosexuality is “almost nonexistent” in the Arab world.

Waleed Taha, a member of the Knesset for the Arab-majority Joint List, made the bizarre suggestion while opposing a bill that would ban conversion therapy in Israel.

According to Ynet, Taha claimed that the bill is “particularly problematic” because it goes against the views of “the vast majority of the society that elected [him].”

He told Israeli state broadcaster Kan that the “phenomenon of gays is almost nonexistent in Arab society”.

Taha insisted: “The issue is not debated in Arab society [and] if it exists, it is on a very small scale, and those who suffer from it are in no rush to identify themselves,”

The politician added: “Homosexuals have the right to undergo treatment to change their sexual character… this law prevents them from [receiving] treatment that would bring them back to normal.”

His claim that homosexuality does not exist in the Arab world will be news to many queer Arabs, who have existed just fine for quite some time.

The Times of Israel notes that thousands turned out to mourn after a well-known gay Palestinian ballet dancer, Ayman Safiah, drowned in May.

Rifts in Israeli government over conversion therapy bill

The bill banning conversion therapy, which passed an initial reading in the Knesset last week, has sparked conflict within Joint List.

The political alliance, comprised of smaller Arab parties, has had its future questioned after Joint List chief MK Ayman Odeh voted in favour of the ban, which was opposed by some of the other lawmakers.

The legislation also managed to cause a separate rift among prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition.

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, whom the PM is reliant on for support, responded furiously after another party in the alliance, Blue and White, voted for the bill alongside some rebels from Netanyahu’s Likud.

United Torah Judaism leader Yaakov Litzman raged: “Blue and White’s poor conduct, in violation of coalition discipline, is an open affront to our political partnership.

“Likud must decide whether it knows how to manage a coalition or if it is committing political suicide.”

The passage of the bill is still far from assured, as it still has to pass three readings and be approved by a Knesset committee before it becomes law.

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The insistance that gay people doesn't exist is in line with our ex-Tourism Minister's claim last year when he said "there is no such thing as gays in the country."

This post has been edited by internaldisputes: Sep 25 2020, 11:00 AM

They are bloody ignorant. If they are not then they must be blind.

Namakan lelaki cabar tuduhan seks luar tabii, kerajaan Selangor beritahu mahkamah
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...itahu-mahkamah/



PUTRAJAYA: Kerajaan Selangor mahu mendedahkan identiti seorang lelaki mencabar kecekapan badan perundangan negeri itu meluluskan undang-undang syariah yang menjadikan seks luar tabii satu kesalahan.

Ia disampaikan Penolong Penasihat Undang-undang Selangor, Siti Fatimah Talib kepada Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak, Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim dalam prosiding Mahkamah Persekutuan hari ini.

Kerajaan Selangor satu-satunya defendan dalam cabaran berperlembagaan itu.

Lelaki itu yang identitinya dirahsiakan pihak media atas permintaan peguam A Surendra Ananth, memfailkan permohonan rasmi Julai lalu untuk mendapatkan perintah mahkamah merahsiakan identitinya.

Lelaki itu berkata, ia bertujuan melindungi dirinya daripada gangguan dan keselamatannya.

Sementara itu, Majlis Agama Islam Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan mahu menjadi pencelah dalam petisyen lelaki berkenaan.

Peguam Halimatunsa Diah Abu Hamad dan Abdul Rahim Sinwan masing-masing mewakili Majlis Agama Islam Selangor serta Wilayah Persekutuan.

Siti Fatimah berkata, Selangor menyokong usaha kedua-dua majlis agama itu menjadi pencelah.

Abang Iskandar kemudiannya mengarahkan 2 majlis agama itu memfailkan afidavit dan penghujahan bertulis selewat-lewatnya 5 Okt atas bantahan untuk identiti lelaki terbabit dirahsiakan dan menjadi pencelah.

Semua permohonan itu akan didengar 6 Okt ini.

Surendra berkata, hakim akan mendengar permohonan pencelah terlebih dahulu, disusuli permohonan lelaki itu untuk merahsiakan identitinya.

Pada 14 Mei lalu, Abang Iskandar yang bersidang bersendirian, membenarkan pemohonan kebenaran lelaki itu yang difailkan di bawah Perkara 4(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Lelaki itu didakwa di Mahkamah Rendah Syariah tahun lalu kerana cuba melakukan seks luar tabii dengan beberapa lelaki tertentu di Selangor pada November 2018.

Di bawah Seksyen 28 Enakmen Jenayah Syariah (Selangor) 1995, ia adalah kesalahan bagi sesiapa saja melakukan “persetubuhan bertentangan hukum tabii” dengan mana-mana lelaki, wanita atau haiwan.

Mereka yang didapati bersalah boleh didenda sehingga RM5,000 atau dipenjara maksimum 3 tahun atau disebat maksimum 6 kali atau kombinasi hukuman itu.

Lelaki itu turut ke Mahkamah Persekutuan untuk mencabar kesahan dan keperlembagaan Seksyen 28 Enakmen Jenayah Syariah (Selangor) 1995.

Dia memohon perisytiharan peruntukan itu tidak sah kerana Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor tiada bidang kuasa untuk meluluskan undang-undang itu.

Katanya, hanya Parlimen mempunyai kuasa menggubal undang-undang jenayah, seperti yang diperuntukkan di bawah Senarai Pertama Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

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The authorities know full well if the plaintiff's identity becomes public, he will be subjected to intense public pressure and yet they do it anyway. Hopefully common sense will prevail and the challenge will proceed anonymously.

Has anyone seen a recent survey that a news article did on Malaysians' view on freedom of gender identity? The results were pretty depressing but unsurprising.

Also I like this topic a lot. I've been struggling with my sexual orientation/identity in general cuz I was raised in a conservative religious family and now I'm just confused with myself in general

Hey there!

Not really sure which survey you are referring to, but in general majority of Malaysians are not very open-minded when it comes to LGBT. If we are looking at trends however, some people especially millenials are starting to see that there is nothing wrong with us.

So while the situation is dire, there is still a glimmer of hope out there.

I'm working in Taiwan now. I know they accept it here but I am still Malaysian and my parents are still in Malaysia. However even though officially the country accept, but society is still biased. Especially the corporates. At my high position the expectation is still to have "normal" family. I guess to please my family and bosses I should simply tolerate being married to a girl just for the sake of complying.

Life is too short to care about pleasing others instead of yourself. You don't want to wonder and regret when you are old and dying what is it like to be with someone you love.

Oh, I didn't know that Taiwanese corporate culture still cannot accept LGBT. That's really a shame.

I understand where you are coming from. It's a tricky subject—every gay person is struggling with acceptance from their family, friends and society including myself. I wish you all the best! About your plan to marry a girl someday, I hope you will not make any rash decisions because you're possibly trapping an innocent person in your personal dilemma if you do so.

Yet another airline ditches the exclusionary phrase ‘ladies and gentlemen’ in favour of gender-neutral greetings
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/28/japan...travel-flights/



Japan Airlines will stop using the the phrase “ladies and gentlemen” in during in-flight and airport announcements to be more inclusive of trans and non-binary people.

From 1 October, JAL “will abolish expressions that based on (two types of) sex and use gender-friendly expressions” like “good morning” and “good evening”, a spokesperson for the airline told AFP.

Although the expressions used by the airline are already gender-neutral in Japanese, the mandate will apply to announcements made in other languages.

Japan Airlines is the first Japanese airline to adopt this more inclusive approach, and it seems others could follow suit after a spokesperson for rival ANA Holdings told AFP they would “study the issue based on comments from our customers”.

The move follows JAL’s trial “LGBT Ally Charter” flight for same-sex partners and their families, which led the airline changing to its rules to extend spouse and family allowances to same-sex partners.

Other international airlines have already moved to make their language more LGBT-inclusive. Australia’s Qantas was among the first when it launched a “Spirit of Inclusion” initiative in March 2018.

The carrier asked employees to refrain from gender-specific words like “honey”, “love and “guys”, while the terms “partner”, “spouse” and “parents” were preferred above the more exclusionary “husband and wife” and “mum and dad”.

Air Canada similarly asked its staff to stop using “ladies and gentlemen” or “mesdames et messieurs” in October last year, opting for the more inclusive “hello everybody” or “tout le monde”.

The following year several major US airlines including Delta, JetBlue, United and American Airlines agreed to introduce a non-binary gender option on booking forms.

A spokesperson for United said: “As part of our commitment to inclusion, we want to ensure all of our customers feel comfortable and welcome no matter how they self-identify, which is why we will begin offering our customers the ability to select the gender with which they most closely identify during the booking process.”

Customers can now identify themselves as M(ale), F(emale), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding to what is indicated on their passports or ID.

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While our local airlines are busy restructuring and monitoring how female cabin crews should dress, other global airlines are tackling issues of inclusivity for LGBT.

RIP.

#TetapNormal: I’m an Evil LGBT and I’m PROUD
Source: https://www.queerlapis.com/tetap-normal-evil-lgbts/



I woke up feeling rather normal. I lay in bed for a while, then suddenly remembered I was LGBT and had an obligation to society to fulfil—doing evil things all day. I got so excited I jumped out of bed, startling my servant who had been waiting patiently in the shadows for me to wake up.

While sipping piping hot coffee extracted through child labour and prepared by my dutiful servant, I sent an email to several high-ranking officials about the millions I had just transferred into their offshore accounts.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please enjoy the money from xxxxx Fund, courtesy of the hard-working pilgrims saving up for the hajj. Soon, we will go on our own pilgrimage… to the casinos of Monaco! On a yacht! Syukur.

Regards,
Faris

“Syukur” justifies every sen of rezeki.

After my morning massage, I stood on the balcony and spat on the small children in the playground below. They howled in protest, but little Fatimah, cheerfully wiping the spit from her eye, chirped, “When I grow up, I want to be a gay so I can be evil, just like Uncle Faris.” What a clever child!

I had a meeting to attend, so my servant dressed me in my finest. My 6-foot-5 chauffeur/bodyguard, George, met me in my gleaming tax-free Bentley.

“You look very evil today, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Faris,” he said, after his customary bow and ring kiss. Duh, don’t I look evil every day? I chose this LGBT life and I deserve every moment of evil.

We ran every red light and drove well above the speed limit. Fines are cheap and only for poor, normal people. While snorting cocaine in the backseat, I checked my Twitter feed. Who the hell are all these #TetapNormal people? Parading their normalness like it’s natural! This is definitely a Western ideology and it’s not our culture. Next thing you know they’ll be demanding things like not wanting to be killed. Silly people.

I threw the empty coke baggies out the window, even though there was a bin in the car. One little baggie hit a police officer who had been chasing us on a motorcycle. We stopped the car so I could hand over an angpow stuffed with cash. The police officer’s eyes lit up as he opened it, and he offered to escort us the rest of the way so we wouldn’t be bothered by ambulances and tolls. How kind!

George parked in the disabled spot as it was closest to the entrance and I told him to growl at anyone who looked at him or the car.

The meeting was very boring. Something about a logging project in an Orang Asli area blah blah blah. I don’t see what the fuss is about. God created nature for us to make money, and there’s plenty of jungle for everyone. Why don’t the Orang Asli just move to the next one? It’s not like they have a lot of things to pack. Everyone at the meeting was also very gay and we laughed evilly as we shook hands and signed papers.

After the formalities, we turned on the TV to watch the election announcements. Every person we handpicked had been elected to their respective posts, just as we had planned. So many gays! It will be even easier to do business from now on.

To celebrate our success, we hit the clubs. As we sipped on champagne, my friend told me about his latest wife, who is 10 years old. Before this, I had my doubts on whether or not he was evil enough to be gay, but marrying a child confirmed it. He proudly showed me pictures of her and his similarly-aged daughter, at their school’s sports day. Their team had won the gunny sack race. May God bless this happy family.

That night in bed, surrounded by beautiful sleeping trafficked sex workers, I reflected on what a wonderful life I have. As my servant retreated into the shadows for the night, I whispered to her, “We should be grateful for this wonderful life.” Syukur, indeed!

Since the above-mentioned events, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Faris has been appointed to the boards of several government-linked companies.

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This is a parody article, btw.

Queer People Are Way More Likely to Suffer From Migraines
Source: https://www.thecut.com/article/lgb-people-m...-migraines.html



As a nearsighted person with comically thick eyeglass lenses — and a full-time screen-looker to boot — I have long been prone to headaches, but I never had migraines until a couple of years ago. I knew something was different when my headache pulsed from one temple, making me nauseous and sensitive to light. My wife, a longtime migraine sufferer, identified the unpleasant experience right away. Yes, that’s right: I am gay, and I started getting migraines just a year or two after coming out. Coincidence???

According to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people experience migraines at a rate 58 percent higher than our heterosexual enemies, I mean friends. One in six adults overall experience migraine headaches in their lifetime, but among lesbian, gay, and bi people, that figure jumps to one in three, per the study. Dr. Jason Nagata, the study’s author and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, speculates that added stress and discrimination may be responsible.

“There might be a higher rate of migraines in LGB people because of discrimination, stigma, or prejudice, which may lead to stress and trigger a migraine,” Nagata told Reuters. “Physicians should be aware that migraines are quite common in LGB individuals and assess for migraine symptoms.” Another potential contributing factor may be the barriers to health care faced by LGB individuals, Nagata said.

If added stress and marginalization are at work here, one might fairly hypothesize that migraine rates should be particularly high in trans individuals and particularly Black trans people, nearly half of whom report being harassed at school and at work. Nagata’s study (which surveyed 10,000 Americans) does not establish causation, and while he presumes some trans individuals were included in such a large group of people, the study did not explicitly consider the link between gender identity and migraines. “Understanding migraine disparities across gender identity is an important area for future research,” he says.

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Well that's explains my migraines these last few months.

Taiwan to host LGBT+ Pride parade despite coronavirus pandemic
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/02/taiwa...ic-2020-taepei/



As the coronavirus rages on elsewhere, Taiwan is set to go ahead with its LGBT+ Pride parade in what organisers believe will likely be the largest queer event held in 2020.

Now in its 18th year, the country’s Pride parade will see the streets of Taipei heave with the colours of the rainbow on 31 October.

Every last Saturday in October, the capital hosts the largest annual Pride parade in Asia. It normally welcomes an estimated 80,000 people each year, but organisers are expecting a lesser turnout due to the pandemic, according to Taiwan News.

While the coronavirus has made large gatherings unthinkable in many countries, Taiwan has almost remained impervious. The self-governing island has vastly contained its caseloads, enabling processions such as an LGBT+ Pride parade to go ahead with only minor restrictions.

As a result, organisers explained that they believe Taiwan LGBT+ Pride will likely be the largest queer gathering of any kind held this year after many Pride events were cancelled or digitalised.

But they nevertheless stressed for Pride-goers to maintain social distancing as well as wear face masks when in attendance.

The procession will set out from the Taipei City Hall Plaza in the afternoon. Participants can choose to take the “north” or “south” routes, which goes through Zhongxiao East Road and Xinyi Road, before returning to the original point.

The theme of the parade will be “Beauty, My Own Way”, organiser Fletcher Hong said.

Hong said that people should “understand and respect each individual’s own identity”, speaking of how society should not force standards of beauty onto others.

Taiwan’s national Pride parade comes after the country threw a Pride parade in June on behalf of the countless countries unable to hold their own due to the coronavirus crisis.

LGBT+ rights activist and honorary chairman of the Taiwan Gay Sports and Development Association, Chyi Jia-Wei told CNA at the time: “I’m marching for New York because that’s the origin of the Stonewall uprising.

“I attended the parade there last year, but this year it has been cancelled.

“As June is pride month for the international LGBT+ community and so many cities cannot hold events, the parade in Taiwan is especially meaningful because it signifies our solidarity.”

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Taiwan is a beacon of hope in this volatile region.

Federal Court rejects man’s bid to stay anonymous while challenging Selangor Shariah law on unnatural sex
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...elangor/1910104



PUTRAJAYA, Oct 6 — The Federal Court today dismissed a Malaysian man’s bid to remain anonymous and not be named in public reports of his constitutional challenge in court over a Selangor state law that makes it a Shariah offence to have unnatural sex.

Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim said that he found that there was no cogent reason presented to him to justify the application to keep the man’s identity confidential.

The judge also noted that almost all the news reports by the media on this case previously had withheld the man’s identity.

“So on the balance, I will not invoke my jurisdiction to allow this enclosure. It is therefore dismissed with costs of RM1,000 to each respondent — Selangor and Mais. No costs awarded to Maiwp,” he said when delivering his decision.

Today was the Federal Court’s hearing of the man’s application for his name, address, photograph, video or any details that could lead to his identification to not be published and for him to be referred to as “ABC”.

Lawyer Surendra Ananth, who represented the 35-year-old man, had earlier argued that the Federal Court has inherent jurisdiction to give an order to keep his client’s name anonymous.

Surendra highlighted the risk of infringement of his client’s private life if his identity was to be publicly disclosed, pointing out that the right to privacy has been legally recognised in Malaysia.

Surendra highlighted that two of the applicants in a previous case to challenge a Negri Sembilan state law that criminalised cross-dressing had filed affidavits to support his client’s application for anonymity, and that they had shared with the Federal Court their experience of being heavily harassed.

He noted that two of the applicants in the Negri Sembilan case had faced a lot of harassment after their names were published in news reports on their case, with one of them shunned by the family and who had to resort to moving to different states due to the daily harassment faced, and with this individual also losing employment and subsequently suffering from mental health issues and needing medical help due to the harassment.

“All this harassment only started once their identities were published,” he said.

While noting that the main objection by other parties to this case was that his client has yet to face harassment, Surendra said this underlined the necessity for the anonymity order for preventive purposes: “My test is, is there a risk? If I wait for harassment, then it defeats the purpose for me to apply. I’m applying to prevent harassment.

“I think there’s sufficient material to grant this order, and my learned friends have not been able to point to any prejudice that would be suffered if My Lord grants this order,” Surendra said, highlighting that the media’s withholding of his client’s name indicates that the media themselves recognised there is no need to report his name.

Siti Fatimah Talib, the Selangor state assistant legal adviser representing the Selangor government, then voiced her objection to the request for anonymity, arguing that the man had not shown that he was threatened and that there were no special circumstances to justify his name being withheld.

She also argued that he was not a minor or a child that needs special protection, but was an adult.

Siti Fatimah also argued that the man should have filed the application for anonymity from the start when he had filed his court challenge, instead of only asking for anonymity at this point which she said appears to be an “afterthought”.

Lawyer Halimatunsa’diah Abu Ahmad, who represented the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) who is intervening in this case, meanwhile argued that court orders to withhold identity are usually granted when it involves the protection of children and highlighted that this man is not a child.

She also argued that this man does not fall under the categories listed in Section 15 of the Courts of Judicature Act, which provides that the court may order that the name, address, photograph of a court witness and other details that may lead to the identification of the witness to not be published.

She also said that the man should rely on Article 8 of the Federal Constitution for equal protection of the law if he were to face threats as a result of this court challenge, and questioned why he was seeking to have different treatment from others by asking for his identity to be anonymous.

“And if at all the petitioner is being affected or pressured by any other party, he should be protected under Article 8 — equality applicable to all Malaysians — then he can always report to authorities and have protection just like any other person, just like us. And all the affidavits have not shown any evidence or proof of him being threatened or about to be threatened,” she said, further noting that two online postings cited by the man did not name him and that this man had only said he may face risk or be threatened.

Lawyer Abdul Rahim Sinwan, who represented the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (Maiwp) as amicus curiae, meanwhile argued that it was only an assumption of danger to the man or that his safety would be under threat and that it was not a real issue.

In responding to all these arguments, Surendra said that they had all failed to show or indicate how publishing the man’s name would be critical or important for the public or for public interest, pointing out that this challenge is based purely on legal issues instead of facts.

“In criminal trials, I accept the name and identity of the person is important because it goes into facts, but here we are not concerned with the facts. I ask Your Lordship to consider that his name is not important for publication,” he said, further highlighting that his client was only asking for his name to not be published and not asking for other parts of the proceedings to not be published.

While acknowledging that it is difficult to quantify what harassment is and what would happen in the future, Surendra said the court will have to weigh the risk, noting that Selangor and Mais which objected to the anonymity order had not shown why it was important to publicise his client’s name and that his client on the other hand faces risk of harassment and does not need to wait for harassment to happen first.

“As to the point when we should have filed this, at the outset, when we first filed the writ, we didn’t go to the press. It was only once the case was taken up by the press and statements made by public figures, then our client felt the need for a protection order. So I don’t think it can be held against us for not filing from the start,” he said.

Surendra also highlighted that the Federal Court had previously recognised that it has the powers to issue a gag order on an entire trial in the case of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s SRC International Sdn Bhd case, noting that he was only seeking for a much milder version to withhold his client’s name. The Federal Court had previously rejected Najib’s bid to impose a gag order on his SRC trial.

When met outside the courtroom, Surendra said that the judge formed the view that on balance there is no risk of harassment, based on evidence that was produced before the court.

“Because most of the media did not report the petitioner’s name, I think that was a factor the judge considered to say there is no risk of harassment, so there is insufficient material before him to form the view that there is risk of harassment,” he explained to reporters.

S. Thilaga, founder of human rights group Justice For Sisters which is monitoring the case and supporting the applicant in this case, pointed out the problems that could arise if the man’s identity is published.

“Because our concern is if the name is out, one can be vulnerable to online doxxing for non-consensual disclosure of information, other online threats and even termination of jobs,” she told reporters here.

“We thank the media for practising such high standards of ethics and in protecting the person’s privacy and we hope that this will continue.

“We hope the media will continue not to publish the name, the media has already practised high standards of privacy, and anonymised the name from the beginning so I think it’s okay to continue that, because the practice by the media led to the lack of harassment. So I think that should be continued in the interest of the privacy and wellbeing of the petitioner,” she added.

Earlier today, the judge allowed Mais’ application to be an intervener as he found that it has a direct interest in the case.

The judge today however disallowed Maiwp’s application to be an intervener as he found that it did not have a direct interest in the case, but allowed it to be an amicus curiae.

The Federal Court today also fixed December 14 for the hearing of the man’s court challenge.

His court challenge is specifically on whether the Selangor state legislative assembly has the powers to enact the Selangor state law — that makes it a crime to have unnatural sex — in the first place.

Under Section 28 of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995, it is an offence for any person to perform “sexual intercourse against the order of nature” with any man, woman or animal, which is punishable by a maximum RM5,000 fine or maximum three-year jail term or maximum six strokes of whipping, or any combination of the penalties.

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It's unfortunate that the application for gag order was rejected by the court. The media can now publish the name of the man challenging the Syariah Law but due to ethics and request from the lawyer, they're not gonna do it. So proud of the local media.

While the government is busy promoting conversion therapies under the disguise of religion, some private entities are promoting the opposite kind of therapy.

'I don't want to lie': Openly gay candidate stands in Myanmar election
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/0...anmar-election/



YANGON, MYANMAR – Outraged over ongoing discrimination in Myanmar, Myo Min Tun decided to stand as the first openly gay election candidate in a country where same-sex relations are illegal.

His decision to enter the political fray came after transgender friends told him how they had suffered police harassment.

The officers allegedly forced them to remove their bras and kneel in humiliating positions before touching them inappropriately, Myo Min Tun said.

“This was a violation of their rights,” he said. “And I realized there’s no one in parliament to talk about this.”

So he decided to run for a seat in the regional assembly in his home city of Mandalay.

“I’m doing this to be a pioneer for all LGBT people so they know we can be anyone we want.”

From florist and noodle soup chef to HIV prevention worker, the 39-year-old says he has been lucky not to suffer discrimination in his varied career in Myanmar’s second city.

But a British colonial era law means same-sex relations are still illegal — even if space is opening up for the LGBT community in the conservative country.

Yangon’s Pride party in February attracted more than 10,000 people, with many painting their little fingers pink to campaign to decriminalize same-sex relations ahead of November’s election.

But Myo Min Tun thinks it is too soon to fight that battle.

Instead, he vows to tackle the daily acts of discrimination the community faces, an issue thrust into the spotlight with the prominent suicide of a gay man last year.

Workplace bullying was widely blamed after the man’s final Facebook post displayed mocking comments and photos from colleagues.

An official probe concluded, however, the employer was not responsible, saying the man had simply been “mentally weak.”

“We still have a long way to go,” Myo Min Tun said, sighing.

Myo Min Tun knew he was gay when he fell in love with a fellow student while in ninth grade.

His father disapproved until his death although he “never physically beat” him.

“But I think my mother loved me even more for it,” he said with a smile, adding that neighbors and family friends even encouraged him to stand in the election.

“I have always been actively involved in my community, so they recognize me for who I am.”

Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) is widely expected to be returned to power in the Nov. 8 national and regional vote.

The NLD’s manifesto states it stands against discrimination based on sexual orientation but has done nothing to address the issue in its first term, say rights groups.

Myo Min Tun instead chose to run for the People’s Pioneer Party because of its “anti-discriminatory stance and because they favor young people.”

But leader Thet Thet Khine, who set up the party last year after being kicked out of the NLD, told AFP it was “not the time” to try to decriminalize same-sex relations, even if she admitted this was a basic human right.

“People will not care. There could even be a lot of backlash if we advocate for this.”

Myo Min Tun admits he did not mention he was gay in his interview with the party — but says it was important for him to come out publicly.

“I didn’t want to lie to get votes,” he said.

“I believe if I’m fair and truthful, people will support me.”

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Such a brave man! Wonder if we gonna have an openly-gay/lesbian candidate in our election soon.

there's an organization called enbyspeaks on instagram who are looking for nb/gnc malaysian folks to make art or stories for something, thought that's something worth sharing to everyone ^^

i never knew there were small lgbt organizations. i wonder how they operate? one of the organizations offered to donate binders to queers (which i applied)..... hope it'll work out.

speaking of which, has anyone been experienced with binders before? how are they like?

Looks like toxic masculinity not exclusive to straight men. Imagine how women must feel

Sport bra+layers of shirt will do the trick to hide breast A~C cup, more than that maybe can try binder. Not recommend to use it unless you planning to do top surgery in the long run though.

Anyway, you can buy from shopee or lazada, no need to accept donation one as its relatively cheap to purchase.