Well known LGBTQ+ makeup artist, 34-year-old May Oo, told VOA that “there's no legal protection for LGBTQ+ persons in Myanmar,” in an interview coinciding with LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the United States.
June is celebrated as LGBTQ+ month every year in the United States to commemorate the nationwide gay pride movement that began on June 28, 1969, after brutal police crackdowns at New York's Stonewall Inn gay bar.
In February 2021, the renowned Myanmar makeup artist participated in nationwide demonstrations against the military coup. In March of that year, May Oo refused to provide makeup services to affluent families attending a religious ceremony organized by the junta. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and his home was ransacked by police. May Oo evaded capture, and eventually escaped to an opposition-controlled area near the Thai-Myanmar border. After spending several months there, he arrived in the United States as a refugee.
While hiding in the jungle, May Oo received weapons training to help overthrow the military regime but now he pursues his makeup career in the United States and devotes his time to raising funds for the anti-coup movement.
He was interviewed via Zoom from his home in New York.
VOA: As an LGBTQ+ person who came to the United States as a refugee, how do you view the activities of American LGBTQ+ people?
May Oo: When I came to America last year, I went to the New York Pride celebrations in June. I saw events that I had never witnessed before. I discovered extremely different things here after having spent my whole life in Myanmar. Here in the U.S., whatever you want to be, whatever you want to do, you have the opportunity to accomplish it. You have the legal right to do so; but, despite having so many opportunities in such a sophisticated country, some people’s rights are still unfulfilled. That is why everyone continues to fight for their rights. Here, they can do it openly. Here, I can state what I want to be and do without hesitation or fear of being judged. As a gay man, I have never seen anything like what I’m seeing in the United States. It feels like I'm entering a new world, and I really feel a sense of freedom in my life.
VOA: Before the military seized control in Myanmar, there was a measure of democracy under civilian rule. Why is it still so difficult for LGBTQ+ individuals despite the existence of a partial democracy?
May Oo: Burma/Myanmar is fundamentally a conservative country, and there is little tolerance for other cultures or ways of life outside of the mainstream. Myanmar is also a very religious country, and many people believe that being gay is because of sin from a previous life. LGBTQ+ people have been living under legal oppression. Now, it is even worse because there is no rule of law at all.
VOA: What kinds of laws in Myanmar have put restrictions on LGBTQ+ people?
May Oo: Consensual sex between people of the same sex is prohibited under Myanmar law. For example, the Penal Code Section 377 states that anyone who willfully engages in sexual intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal shall be punished with transportation for life (relocation) or imprisonment of either kind for a time that may extend to 10 years, as well as a fine. Under this law, we can be banished and/or imprisoned at will. We can be arrested at any time because of our sexuality. There is no legal protection for us. From my own experience, I have been mocked for being gay. I have faced both verbal and physical abuse, causing severe emotional trauma; but there is no law to protect people like me. There is nowhere to go to complain when you are harassed, there is nowhere to turn. It's even worse if you come from a conservative family. Your own family will blame you for anything that happens to you because of your sexual orientation. There is no protection for LGBTQ+ people in Myanmar.
VOA: On the other hand, you are a well-known makeup artist in Myanmar. Your life can be an inspiration for other LGBTQ+ people who see you with wealthy celebrities. So, aren't LGBTQ+ people's lives also filled with success and happiness?
May Oo: The environment alters as a result of a person's status as a celebrity, it’s true. It appears that there is support for one’s accomplishments; however, the ridicule persists. No matter how successful you are, or how hard you try, there will always be a perceived shame around being gay. As a result, gay and LGBTQ+ people in Myanmar face more challenges than ordinary people because of their sexual orientation.
VOA: How do LGBTQ+ people face more challenges than other people in Myanmar?
May Oo: In New York, for example, if you self-identify as a female and need to use the restroom, you can use the women's restroom. You can use the boys' restroom if you self-identify as a male. In Myanmar, a transexual man dressed as a woman can only use the men's restroom. You are not permitted to enter the women's restroom. How can a man dressed as a woman enter the men's restroom? The men know we're queer if we go into the men's room. Verbal harassment, and physical assault can, and does, occur in those situations. These are situations that injure us emotionally and physically and we have no protection.
VOA: Following the military takeover in February 2021, the LGBTQ+ community took part in widespread rallies against the coup. Why?
May Oo: LGBTQ+ organizations enjoyed the right to organize, advocate, and educate for security throughout the democratic government from 2015 until 2020. Only democracy can make LGBTQ+ people's lives better. Human rights will be lost in Myanmar as long as democracy does not survive. Normal human rights deteriorate over time in the absence of democracy. Don't even consider it if you're LGBTQ+. We seek a democratic government to ensure the protection of LGBTQ+ people. That is why LGBTQ+ people rejected the military coup: they want a government willing and capable of enacting laws that protect us.
