Asian gays call for acceptance

_{By: Mu Byan Binn and Kwarn Lake}
 
Studying gender is not all about male or female in this modern society and Lebians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders (LGBT) from different countries in around the world are trying hard to be recognized in their societies.  The first ever pride march will start from Narawat Bridge to Chang Klan Road along the Night Bazaar this Saturday, 26 January.

The aim of parading and the conference is 'to be recognized, respect and to gain solidarity and have equality' said Aung Myo Min, who is a gay man himself and the director of Committee for Lesbigay Rights in Burma (CLRB) founded in 1999. 
 
Representatives from Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and United States will attend the conference, according to the statement. 
 
Aung Myo Min said 10 representatives from Burma will attend the conference. There are about 300 members in the CLRB, he added. 
 
When asked whether they got any support from the junta, he said, "in Article 1:377, Burmese government criminalizes homosexuality by law" and the government "is a Champion of Human Rights violation”.
 

_{Aung Myo Min}

But Burmese organizations in exile are more supportive and "it is no more a taboo for them", he said.

Women organizations in exile allow LGBT to become members and All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) had abolished their law that said homosexuality shall be punished, Aung said. 
 “With the current situation, we don't think it is necessary to have that law so we abolished that law during the sixth conference in 2001,” said Sonny, the general secretary of ABSDF. 
 
According to ILGA site," ILGA-ASIA is the Asian region of the International Lesbians and Gays Association (ILGA). It gathers 66 organizations throughout the region working for human rights and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people. It is an umbrella organization of ILGA which was founded in 1978, it now has more than 600 member organizations.  Every continent and over 90 countries are represented.