Colors Rainbow organized a human right and SOGIE course to open mind for the second time in September in Yay Township, Mon state with the aim to decrease discrimination among people.

This course was held for second time within three years in Yay Township and it was held at Golden Guest hotel from 18 to 20 September.

“Previously, we had organized one discussion and one course together with CSOs. Since NGOs are small in number in this area, there is limited opportunity to access courses to open mind. As people have little experience on courses, they are afraid of course and many consider it as it is not their business. In Yay, LGBT have no respect on one another and no unity among them. For this reason, we organized this course,” explained Daw Aye Mon from Colors Rainbow based in Dawei.

Since most LGBT as well as staffs from Health Department of Yay Township attended this course, there were 22 attendees.

“We didn’t have such organizations to educate at our times. LGBT were a type of people who were being criticized and bullied by other people. For that reason, most LGBT got to wrong places where they should not be. They died after affected by diseases. Far from hearing about human right, they didn’t even know how to protect themselves. LGBT nowadays are very lucky. I am thinking to write about my life and lives of my friends who are just like me and send it to you,” U Thet who is a gay opened his feeling.

During the three-day course period, discussions and teachings on connection between human right and human dignity, group right, definition of LGBT, Sex and Gender, ideas upon Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE), seeing LGBT wrongly by people’s presumptions, having hatred on LGBT without any reason, discrimination and violation on LGBT, health problems related to LGBT and laws required to know by LGBT were made.