Myo Ko Ko San (; born 1 September 1994) is a Burmese transgender model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was elected Miss International Queen Myanmar 2014 and represented Myanmar at the Miss International Queen 2014.

Early life and education

Myo Ko Ko San was born on 1 September 1994 in

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

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 ...

, as a boy. She is the second child among three siblings, having a younger brother and an older brother. She experienced

gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to inconsistency between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender i ...

beginning in early childhood, and began her gender transition at the age of 15 while attending school. She studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Technological University, Mandalay The Technological University, Mandalay () is located in the northern Mandalay near the Mandalay Hill in Mandalay, Myanmar. From 1955, the school was known as the Government Technical Institute. In August 1999, it was upgraded to a Government T ...

. She underwent sex reassignment surgery in Thailand in 2017, sponsored by Kamol Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery.

Career

In 2013, she participated in Miss Rainbow Ribbon 2013, a pageant for transgender women held on October 23, 2013, at the Hotel Mandalay by Rainbow Ribbon Network Myanmar. Following her victory, she was chosen to represent Myanmar in Miss International Queen 2014, the world's largest beauty pageant for transgender women. She represented Myanmar at the Miss International Queen 2014 pageant, held on November 7, 2014, in Pattaya, Thailand, competing against participants from 20 other nations. She achieved the 1st runner-up position for Talent. After participating in the Miss International Queen 2014 pageant, she gained recognition as Miss International Queen Myanmar and went on to pursue a career as a transgender model. She is set to appear in an untitled film portraying a transgender person who stands up for her rights, even to the point of death. However, in 2016, she declined the offer because the production intended to replace her male voice. On 19 June 2018, she received the ASEAN-LGBT Community Pride Awards 2018. Myo Ko Ko San competed in Miss Universe Myanmar 2022 and made history as the first transgender woman to participate in the Miss Universe Myanmar Pageant. She achieved a top 10 placement.

Lawsuit

Myo Ko Ko San was sued under section 66 (d) of the telecommunications law by actress

Wutt Hmone Shwe Yi Wutt Hmone Shwe Yi (, , sometimes anglicized as Wut Hmone Shwe Yi; born on 10 August 1988) is a Burmese actress. She is recognized as Myanmar's highest-paid actress according to records .Also she is considered the most commercially successful a ...

, who filed a lawsuit against Myo for defamation, accusing Myo of being the administrator of Cele Cele Small, a Facebook page which posted allegedly defamatory material towards the actress. Cele Cele Small was a Facebook page with over 1 million likes that reveals inside information on the private lives of Myanmar's celebrities and artists. Police took the model into custody at

Yangon International Airport Yangon International Airport ( ) is the primary and busiest international airport of Myanmar. The airport is located in Mingaladon township, north of central Yangon. Many domestic Myanmar carriers and international airlines operate at Yangon ...

on her return from a visit to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, Thailand, and she was held at the

Yankin Township Yankin Township (, ) is located in the north-central part of Yangon. The township comprises 15 wards, and shares borders with Mayangon township in the north, Thingangyun township and South Okkalapa township in the east, the Inya Lake, Bahan t ...

Police Station on 17 January 2017.

Aftermath

In Yankin Township Court, Myo Ko Ko San denied involvement with the Facebook gossip page and questioned why the police had the right to arrest her without strong evidence. After four days in jail, Myo Ko Ko San was released and the defamation case against her was declared spurious as investigating officers found insufficient evidence to support the lawsuit. After being released, she conducted a press conference, emphasizing the necessity for Wutt Hmone Shwe Yi to publicly apologize to her for the false accusations.

LGBT activism

Myo Ko Ko San is an icon within Myanmar's LGBT community and an advocate for

LGBT rights in Myanmar Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Myanmar face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal and section 377 of Myanmar's Penal Code 1861, enacted in 1886, subjects same- ...

. Engaging in numerous campaigns for LGBT rights activism, Myo aspires to contribute to educating people about LGBT issues and fostering a deeper understanding in society.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Myo Ko Ko San 1994 births Living people Burmese beauty pageant winners Burmese transgender actresses Transgender female models People from Mandalay Burmese LGBTQ rights activists 21st-century Burmese LGBTQ people