Myanmar LGBT Festival Goes Public for First Time

Fluorescent wigs askew and leaving broken stiletto heels and a cloud of glitter in their wake, Myanmar drag queens pounded across the finish line and crashed into a waiting coterie of photographers at a groundbreaking festival. The race and other games including handbag throwing were some of the highlights of the “&Proud” festival, which took place in public for the first time in a country where same-sex relations are still officially illegal. “Some people don’t know about LGBT people,” said 20-year-old Thaw Zin, who attended the weekend event at a Yangon park sporting a bright pink T-shirt, dyed strawberry blond hair and blue contact lenses.