YANGON, Myanmar — In the month since they donned traditional wedding suits and pledged a lifelong commitment before family and friends, Tin Ko Ko and Myo Min Htet have been afraid to sleep in their own home.

The two men, whose celebration was trumpeted around the world as Myanmar's first gay wedding, say they fear arrest after police told a local newspaper they would be investigated. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Myanmar and several laws criminalize same-sex relationships.

The men themselves initially described their event as a wedding and both wear gold wedding bands. But in the wake of negative reaction to their news — mainly in police quotes to newspapers and disparaging comments on news sites and social media — they have changed their language.

"We are not married. It was a celebration of our 10th anniversary as a couple," said Tin Ko Ko. "Marriage is not legal for gay people."

Tin Ko Ko, 37, and Myo Min Htet, 28, are not the first gay couple in Myanmar to have had a commitment ceremony. But they are unique for having had theirs in a relatively public setting, discussing their plans in advance and allowing a newspaper to attend and photograph the ceremony.

The debate over their ceremony has amplified discussion of LGBT rights in a country that until very recently was cut off from most of the rest of the world, under control of a repressive military regime for five decades. In 2011, the military junta dissolved and opened the door to free elections. Myanmar since has exploded with new ideas, new liberties, and new calls for protection of human rights and freedom of expression.

Before the reforms, the military government quashed LGBT rights. Activists worked in exile or under the umbrella of groups concerned with HIV and AIDS. Now, with the government and societal transition, LGBT groups have emerged and gained a voice. But resistance remains strong in most of this heavily religious, largely conservative country.

"The issue of LGBT has become something people have started talking about, but many people still think it's a taboo, that it's a threat to the culture, to the religion," said Aung Myo Min, an openly gay activist who worked for many years in exile and finally returned to his native Myanmar in 2013. "LGBT people are becoming more visible and there's a bit more tolerance than before."

Myanmar, a former British colony, has the same sodomy law on its books as India, Singapore, and many other parts of the former British Empire, known as Section 377. But its law is one of the most extreme, allowing for life in prison.

In their only interview since the ceremony, Tin Ko Ko and Myo Min Htet discussed their life together, the public celebration of their love, and the state of Myanmar's newly energized LGBT rights movement.

"Before the ceremony, we lived our lives in peace and didn't have any problems," said Tin Ko Ko, seated next to his partner, both cross-legged and dressed in traditional longyi, the long skirts worn by Burmese.

"We dress conservatively and behave conservatively," he continued. "After the publicity, people began to recognize us and there have been problems."