Apwint

Apwint (

Section 377 of the British colonial penal code, which criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature," was sanctioned during British rule in Burma and was used to persecute apwint. Following the end of British rule in 1948, Myanmar retained the law as a legacy of colonialism. The Myanmar Police Force continue to use Section 377 to persecute apwint, who are "considered male in the eyes of the law," even if they are not engaging in any sexual activity, despite this being stipulated as a provision of Section 377. Apwint are stereotyped as "deviant and criminal" and threatened by police with arrest simply for existing in Myanmar society. Police have been recorded as using threats to force apwint "to solicit a bribe or sexual favor" in exchange for not being arrested. As a result of their status in society, the career and economic prospects of apwint are severely limited.^[3]

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