Apwint

Apwint is not a mythological origin story but a sociocultural category used in Myanmar. The literature locates the term and its contemporary legal and social salience within the history of British colonial rule and the inheritance of Section 377 of the colonial penal code; the colonial statute criminalizing sexual acts "against the order of nature" was retained after independence in 1948 and has been used in modern Myanmar to police and persecute apwint. Sources treat apwint as a socially-recognized identity rather than a supernatural origin narrative.

Sources do not provide a fixed physical description beyond gender presentation. Apwint are described as individuals assigned male at birth who openly identify and present as women. The primary distinguishing feature in the sources is visible feminine presentation and openness about attraction to men, contrasted with apone who present as men in public and conceal same-sex attraction.

Apwint are not attributed supernatural powers in the documented sources. The materials describe social behaviors and attributes: openly living as women, being attracted to men, and navigating social, economic, and legal environments shaped by stigma and policing. The sources record how this openness can trigger policing, extortion, and economic marginalization by authorities.