''Apwint'' () is a culturally-specific term to

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

which is used to refer to individuals

assigned male at birth Sex assignment (also known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex, typically made at birth based on an examination of the baby's external genitalia by a healthcare provider such as a midwife, nurse, or physician. In the v ...

who openly identify as women and are attracted to men. External to the local context, ''apwint'' are commonly regarded more broadly as

transgender women A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

. However, according to Veronese et al., "unlike typical

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

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'' (), 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 Gender expression (or gender presentation) is a person's behavior, mannerisms, interests, and appearance that are associated with gender in a particular cultural context, typically understood in terms of masculinity and femininity. Gender expr ...

Section 377 Section 377 is a British colonial Penal Code provision that criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature". The law was used to prosecute people engaging in oral and anal sex along with homosexual activity. As per a Supreme Court of I ...

of the British colonial penal code, which criminalized all

sexual acts Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...

"against the order of nature," was sanctioned during

British rule in Burma British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of ''Burma'' as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally i ...

and was used to persecute ''apwint''. Following the end of British rule in 1948, Myanmar retained the law as a legacy of

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

. The

Myanmar Police Force The Myanmar Police Force (), formerly the People's Police Force (), is the law enforcement agency of Myanmar. It was established in 1964 as an independent department under the Ministry of Home Affairs. History The Police Force in Myanmar h ...

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 Culture of Myanmar