A founder of Klo and Kwe(h), Saw Kapi, defends his right not to associate with anyone he wants here. Until it is clear that he did not practise homophobic discrimination then we can also exercise our right not to associate at all with Klo and Kwe. Let's do it.

[him] moderator

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A Test of Tolerance
The Irrawaddy Magazine
June 2010
    
A Karen singer’s complaint that he was blacklisted by a foundation in Burma because he was gay has triggered a debate about sexual prejudice in Burmese society.

The barred singer, Saw Yuri, told The Irrawaddy that the Rangoon-based Klo and Kweh Foundation had informed him he couldn’t perform for the organization any more, telling him “there are no gays in the Karen ethnic group.”

The Klo and Kweh Foundation, founded in 2001 by Karen people living in the United States and Burma, organizes social work and events for Karen communities.

Yuri worked for the music awards scheme of the foundation since its formation. He has published two albums of Karen songs.

Yuri now lives with a Thai man in Thailand since the pair celebrated a marriage ceremony there three years ago. Gay marriage is prohibited in Burma. .
Saw Yuri

Several leading figures in Burma’s arts and entertainment scene condemned the Klo and Khwe Foundation’s action in blacklisting Yuri.

The popular author Nu Nu Ye (aka Inwa) said Burmese society should accept gays and “allow them to enjoy their rights, including marriage.”

Phyu Phyu Thin, a Rangoon-based HIV/AIDS activist, told The Irrawaddy that some Burmese believe gays should be shunned because it is thought they spread the HIV virus.

“Instead of saying whether they should be in society, we’d better think about how to deal with them,” she said. “As long as we don’t recognize them, gays will remain hidden away. Without openness and understanding, the spread of AIDS is likely to increase.”

Khaing Mar, a young Rangoon man, told The Irrawaddy that Burmese attitudes towards gays had changed, but only slightly. “There are still many limitations for gay couples,” he said.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18683#

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ay 15, 2010
Letter to Kawekalu Editor

click here to read in Karen - http://kwekalu.net/opinio/kapi.html

Dear Kwekalu Editors,

Since you and Violet Cho recently wrote an article about Karen Gay issue in general and its implications to the Klo & Kweh Music Team in particular on Kwekalu Web Site, I would like to let you know my thoughts.

Personally, and this is strictly personally, I do not have any problem with someone's sexual orientation unless his or her individual right infringes upon mine.

However, I reserve the right to choose who I will associate or dissociate myself with in accordance with my value, belief and/or character. I will respect the reverse as well - that is, I have no problem if someone does not want to associate himself or herself with me because of his or her value, belief and/or character.

Just as I will not compel upon others my belief, value and/or characters, I will not allow others to compel upon me to embrace his or her value, belief and/or character.

Hopefully this clarifies some confusion.

As one of the founders of Klo & Kweh Foundation, I have to let you know that Klo & Kweh has its very specific objectives and is not funded by any tax-payer's money, so it reserves - as it has - the right to choose who it wants to associate or dissociate with based not only on its core objectives but on the values, belief and characteristics it subscribes to.

That said, during the last Klo & Kweh trip, we did not invite any previous Klo & Kweh singers who had left Rangoon and are currently living in Thailand. For example, Naw Eh Wah, Saw Eh Ler Tha, and Naw Merday Say were not invited to participate in this trip either simply because the trip was designed to bring those Klo & Kweh members out of the country and have much needed fellowship with their fellow Karens and fans in Thailand.

No other Klo & Kweh member made any complaint about not being invited to this trip, but the one who complained happen to be a homosexual Karen man, and yet we cannot treat him differently than we treat others.

We have many important tasks ahead, and there are many human rights abuses that are taking place on daily basis inside Burma and I have not heard a single Karen homosexual man stands up and fights against those human rights abuses.

Klo & Kweh has done great things in relief works after Cyclone Nargis, and to date, we have managed to provide scholarships to more than 800 young Karen high school students in Burma. People don't write or complain anything about it. My only point is that we are very busy doing many other important things that impact thousands of Karen people's lives. Like we have stated before, the Klo & Kweh has to operate in a very sensitive and restricted social and political environment inside the country. We simply did not have enough resources or time to respond to any undue attention repeatedly “demanded” by a Karen homosexual man.

Allow me to repeat this: we have no problem whatsoever with anyone’s sexual orientation; all we want is our right to do our own things to accomplish our stated objectives in accordance with our own principles and values.

Thank you.

Saw Kapi
Founding Member
The Klo & Kweh Foundation

http://ieds.blogspot.com/2010/05/letter-to-kawekalu-editor.html