''Apwint'' ( my, အပွင့်) is a culturally-specific term to
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
which is used to refer to individuals
assigned male at birth
Sex assignment (sometimes known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex at or before birth. A relative, midwife, nurse or physician inspects the external genitalia when the baby is delivered and, in more than 99.95% of birt ...
who openly identify as women and are attracted to men. External to the local context, ''apwint'' are commonly regarded more broadly as
transgender women. However, according to Veronese et al., "unlike typical
Western characterizations
uch as in the LGBT community">LGBT.html" ;"title="uch as in the
uch as in the LGBT communitythat utilize separate categories to define Sexual orientation">sexual and gender">LGBT">uch as in the LGBT communitythat utilize separate categories to define Sexual orientation">sexual and gender identities, one set of labels are often used across Asia to characterize both sexual and gender identities."
Another Myanama term, ''apone'' ( my, အပုန်း), is used to describe males "who are sexually oriented towards other men yet conceal their sexual preferences in most
social spheres or circumstances and are often locally referred to as ‘hidden, or ‘hider’ for their presentation as ‘men’ in public and certain social environments." Both ''apwint'' and ''apone'' are believed to share the same ‘feminine’
inner self, but differ in their outward
gender expression.
of the British colonial penal code, which criminalized all
sexual acts "against the order of nature," was sanctioned during
British rule in Burma
( Burmese)
, conventional_long_name = Colony of Burma
, common_name = Burma
, era = Colonial era
, event_start = First Anglo-Burmese War
, year_start = 1824
, date_start = ...
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.
References
{{Gender and sexual identities
Gender systems
Third gender
Burmese culture