The Myanmar regime’s Ministry of Information announced legal action against nine social media accounts accused of operating without publishing licenses and distributing queer literature that allegedly “misleads young people’s thinking and emotional understanding.”
The move has drawn sharp criticism from Myanmar’s LGBTQ+ community, who warn that the regime is using arbitrary morality clauses to further suppress freedom of expression.
In response to the announcement, the targeted social media pages were forced to deactivate, rename their accounts, or remove advertisements for LGBTQ+-themed publications.
Legal framework and statutory penalties
Regime authorities are leveraging amended press regulations alongside colonial-era laws to penalize independent writers, publishers, and online distributors:
| Legal Provision | Statutory Fine / Penalty | Operational Impact & Application |
| Printing & Publishing Enterprises Law (Section 15) | Up to 5 million MMK (~$1,100 USD) | Applied for publishing or distributing periodicals and books without a regime-issued license. |
| “Obscene Literature” Provision | Up to 3 million MMK (~$681 USD) | Weaponized by regime censors to obtain court injunctions and temporary publication bans against LGBTQ+ content. |
| Penal Code Section 377 | Up to life imprisonment | Criminalizes “unnatural offences,” historically used by law enforcement to target same-sex relationships. |
Although pre-publication censorship was formally abolished during the 2012 democratic transition under the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) administration, post-2021 coup amendments stripped key safeguards protecting independent media and publishing houses.
Broader media and publishing suppression
The targeted campaign against online queer literature reflects a broader post-coup assault on publishing and journalism across Myanmar:
Post-Coup Regime Censorship Metrics
├── 2025 LGBTQ+ Book Bans: At least 18 queer-themed books banned; authors criminally charged
├── Revoked Book Publishers: 15 publishing houses stripped of licenses
├── Revoked Printing & Periodical Licenses: 10 printing services & 1 magazine banned
└── Revoked Independent Media Licenses: 28 news outlets banned (including DVB)
“Young people cannot simply be misled or negatively influenced just by reading these kinds of books,” a member of Myanmar’s LGBTQ+ community told DVB, pointing out that the regime’s campaign aims to erase queer visibility while deepening controls over online information spaces.
