A Burmese language translation of this article is available here.
Gay people in Burma are resisting homophobia and marginalisation through the creative use of new communication codes. In doing so, they are making a significant contribution to linguistic diversity in Burma and raising the visibility of their community in important ways.
‘It is important to publicise these codes created by gay people to show that we are creative and have a special ability to make new terms quickly, that are actively used in speech’ said Aung Myo Min, the founder of the Committee for Lesbigay Rights in Burma.
In this article, the term ‘gay’ is used because it is a popular self-identifier in urban, web-accessible areas, as is the term ‘homo’, both loan words from English. The term denotes some men who have sex with men, who can be varying degrees of feminine or masculine.
There are two broad categories of communication codes used among gay Burmese people. The first translates as ‘hidden language’, designed to disguise meaning from the straight world. It is only used when gay people talk amongst themselves.
The second category translates as ‘slang’, which is more open and has been adopted by parts of straight Burma, even being used by some celebrities. Gay slang is subverting contemporary Burmese in subtle ways and demonstrates the growing visibility of gay Burmese, despite ongoing homophobia. Examples of vocabulary in this article fall into this category.
Burmese gay communication codes are participatory. It involves giving new meaning to old words, and also changing basic words like ‘to eat’ so they are unrecognisable by those outside the community.
The language plays a key role in creating a sense of community amongst gay Burmese men, who are marginalised in Burmese society. The language is therefore important as a way of building a proud and defiant community.
The ‘hidden language’ has various practical uses. It allows people to gossip in public without repercussions, which is important for creating a sense of in-group solidarity. It also works as a defence against homophobia, which is common in Burma and comes in the form of physical violence, verbal abuse and other forms of social stigma.
Homosexuality has ambiguous legal status in the country. Under Section 377 of the colonial-era Penal Code of 1882-88, which is part of the inheritance of British colonial rule, ‘carnal intercourse against nature’ is punishable with imprisonment of up to ten years. While this law is not usually enforced, it renders gay men all the more vulnerable to police harassment.
Pagan yauk bu la? (Have you been to Pagan?) England la? (England?) In gay slang, geographical terms are also subverted. ‘Having been to Pagan’ means ‘being gay’, deriving from a bridge in Yangon that doubles as a popular gay hang out. ‘Being England’ means ‘going first’ as the receptive partner in gay male sexual intercourse.
The history of gay Burmese slang is uncertain but it is at least as old as when cake was introduced to the country. This is known because ‘cake’, used as an adjective, is the word for large-sized male genitals, introduced into gay slang when cake was a new popular phenomenon in the country.
Terminology for gay-identifying men has been a problem in Burmese and remains an ongoing debate. A chauk and gandu, the most common words for gay men in conventional Burmese, are derogatory but are still used by some gay men in remote places. A chauk literally means ‘dry’, but the reason for adopting it is unclear. One common explanation is that it is used to suggest that gay men do not have semen, that it is dry. People use the term as an insult. Aung Myo Min coined the phrase layn thu chit thu, which translates as ‘those who love the same gender’. Others simply use the identifying term mummy.
Demand for new words and terminology adopted reflects the changing culture of the gay community, as well as cultural shifts in Burma generally. One recent introduction to the language is the term cake moe poe thin tan (baking training), which means group sex. As group sex is new to Burmese gay culture, a term for it has only recently been needed.
Some words given new meaning derive from moments in popular culture. If someone says they love to read Shwe Thwe Magazine, previously popular amongst children, it means they like teenage boys. If someone says they read Tayza Magazine, previously popular amongst young adults, it means they like men from that older age group. Both of these magazines are beyond their heyday, but their linguistic meaning continues, as these words entered the language when the magazines were at their popular peak and young gay people honour this history.
One practice under contention is that a senior gay person sets the protocol for codes to be used in a conversation. When a younger gay person speaks to an older person, they have to follow the same codes as used by their senior. Introducing new codes in a particular conversation is seen as a sign of disrespect. Seniority comes from age and is enhanced by signs of status, such as wealth, popularity and networks.
This practice is now being questioned, largely with the help of online social networking technology. In one popular gay Burmese web forum, there has been lively debate, with users arguing that the language should be democratised so younger men can speak as equals with their seniors.
According to Yuri Geller, the initiator of the social networking site, this debate is important for the community. “People really want to practice this language in a democratic way and there are many people who want to get rid of these hierarchies. I think respecting elders is something that comes from Burmese culture, which is good to maintain, but it doesn’t mean that we need to practice this with our slang”.
As Burma’s gay communities continue to grow and better network, gay Burmese cultures and identities will no doubt keep evolving. Hidden language and slang will likely remain a key part of this process.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Owen // Oct 25, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Going to Pagan
In 2000, a young American intern who had requested to work with one of our MSM projects in Myanmar asked to meet me in our Yangon office. After a brief chat, he became very intense and said he had to ask me a “most serious question.” The question was whether I would “be upset” with him as it was his intent to “introduce gay culture to Myanmar”. After a suitable moment of stunned silence, I collapsed in a fit of laughter.
A similar context-free worldview diminishes the otherwise valuable contribution of this piece: that slang, particularly among sexual sub-cultures, is always changing and is worthy of study to better understand emergent risks, strengths and vulnerabilities. The contribution seems to suggest that, before their arrival, GLBT in Myanmar were unaware of the amazing wonders of, well, being GLBT. The “before us they didn’t know about any of this” (group sex, for example) tone suggests that they didn’t look beyond the gang with whom they were hanging out.
Of course, the young of each generation think they invented sex and find it difficult to imagine that their elders were ever as young, frisky or as adventurous as they imagine themselves. While the contribution to observations about the discursive economy among certain groups of GLBT in Myanmar is excellent, it suffers from this affectation.
As with all identity-related terms, the nature of stigma is relative to the context in which the term is deployed. Any of the terms/labels can be and often are appropriated and re-deployed in ways meant to subvert dominant attitudes and affirm self-identity. The coining of new terms also occurs with each new cohort (as with the historical “cake” example).
While aware of several of the famous hangouts, I had not heard the title phrase, nor the “being England” – which is simply fabulous given the historical context of relationships with England.
The term “a chauk” is more often translated as “dry flower”, rather than just “dry”, and refers to the barren nature of the individual. As several informants have explained to me, they may “be” women, but they cannot breed. Thus, the term “dry”. Just FYI.
The discussion of specific cultural code markers, such as magazine titles, is yet another excellent contribution. OTOH, the wider code of social respect due to elders does belong to traditional Burmese (and many other Asian cultures) culture. The struggle against such codes is timeless.
I do hope that these researchers return/continue to explore the rich culture(s) of gender identities in Myanmar.
2 Stephen. // Oct 26, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Actually, “dry flower” in Burmese would be ban chauk. This would thus not be a literal translation of achauk. With the a prefix on the adjective chauk (dry) the word achauk is a noun, something like “dryness”. The way it was explained to me, the term derives from the fact that for MSM relations, sex is conducted in a manner that is not naturally lubricated.
3 Owen // Oct 26, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Technically, this is correct. Yet this makes for a curious observation: How would the specific details of male inter-sexual relations become the dominant noun by which G/T individuals are known among the broad population? Would the common person be happy to say “Oh, yes, they are called “dryness” because they don’t use lubricant during sex”? Somehow, most especially in the hyper-conservative social and language context of Burma/Myanmar, I doubt it.
The notion of “dryness” as a noun equating to “barren” makes much more sense in the common and discursive use of terms. It’s certainly been what I’ve been repeatedly told. The idiomatic translation as “dryness” to be “dry flower” is clearly not exact, and, as you point out, not even linguistically correct. Yet, I’ve heard this from multiple sources over the course of a decade’s exploration. The exuberant cross-dressers are sometimes even called “flowers” or “flower men” (other phrases I have heard repeatedly). Perhaps this shows more about the POVs of respective informants than of those being so described?
Frankly, I didn’t and certainly don’t mean to raise this into a contentious issue, as the search for more broadly acceptable – and self-selected – terms of identity continues. This older term is among the most dominant of those in common use, so it is interesting to compare notes on its origins.
I hope others continue the exploration. There is still much to learn.
4 Ethan // Oct 27, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Tissues:
I’m fascinated by the use of the word ’tissue’ in Burmese gay slang. From my understanding, a ’tissue’ is a mildly derogatory term used to describe a one-night stand. Like you use a tissue to blow your nose and then throw it away, the same as with a one-night stand who you never see/meet again.
It goes further. A silver tissue is someone who you meet with for sex from time to time; a gold tissue is a keeper. Even a gold tissue, however, is still a tissue, not equivalent to a partner.
5 Moe Aung // Oct 27, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Owen
You are reading too much into it. ‘Achauk’ simply means ‘dry stuff’, and it does indicate the lack of natural moisture characteristic of the female genital ready in acceptance ( in heat if you like). That’s how I’ve always understood it, growing up in Burma.
Burmese can be painfully blunt in the use of language. Ever heard of the Burmese expression ‘ once a beggar has a full stomach, he gets an erection’? It aptly describes the obsession with sex in a well-fed society such as the West – sensual pleasures next and foremost once you don’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from.
6 Owen // Oct 28, 2009 at 1:08 am
Very interesting comments. All I can say is that I’m open to hear yet more. It IS really true that Burmese colloquial sayings can be brutal. I’d not heard that one, but have others equally blunt. I hope others chime in with their own favorites!
7 Owen // Oct 28, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Are there other pages, forums, reports or papers that explore the wider GLBT world(s) in Myanmar?
I would certainly appreciate suggestions.
Thanks.
8 Gay slang in Burma, in Burmese // Nov 9, 2009 at 2:50 pm
[...] Mandala readers who enjoyed our recent post, “Going to Pagan: Gay slang in Burma”, will be pleased to know that it is now available in [...]
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