Myanmar's first LGBT pride boat parade sets sail

Rainbow flags flew high and gay anthems blasted out over Yangon's river as a flotilla of boats took to the water of Myanmar's biggest city on Saturday for the country's first-ever Pride boat parade in a sign of growing acceptance for LGBT rights.

Some 600 revellers partied under a blazing sun as the discreet community slowly emerges into the limelight in a country where gay sex remains illegal.

Compared to just five years ago when the festival got off the ground, "Myanmar LGBT people, especially young people, are now more courageous and more 'out'," said Hla Myat Tun, co-director of &Proud, which organises the celebration and other events across the country.

Last year marked a milestone after authorities granted permission to hold the event for the first time in a public park with some 12,000 people coming along.

Flushed with their success, organisers re-branded this year's event as a true 'Pride', even if a full march through the streets remains an elusive goal in a country still