Rainbow colours have been popular among Vietnamese. (Photo: iSEE) Hanoi (VNA) – The rainbow colours, awidely-recognized symbol of LGBT people, have become popular among Vietnameseand it is not uncommon to see rainbow flags pinned to shirts and on car bumpersin the country.
It showed a tolerant attitude towards the onceextremely sensitive issue in Vietnam -- sexual orientation as years ago, LGBTpeople wishing to come out always faced prejudice and discrimination from thepublic and even from their families.
Rainbow,not only in sky
Civil organizations have played a diverse rolein the LGBT movement in Vietnam, helping it achieve remarkable advances insocial acceptance.
The Institute for Studies of Society, Economyand Environment (iSEE) is among the pioneers.
“Toi dong y” (I agree) campaign was the firstlarge-scale event mobilising rights for LGBT people in Vietnam,” Director ofthe Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE) Luong MinhNgoc told Vietnam News Agency.
“Over 76,000 activists of all levels joined inthe event in 2012 and 2013 to change the public mindset on the LGBT group.”
“Today, LGBT people feel more accepted than adecade ago when stigma and discrimination against LGBT individuals werepopular,” she said.
iSEE’s “Toi dong y” made significantcontributions to seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage in the VietnamMarriage and Family Law in 2015 and created positive discussions about the LGBTpeople in the country.
"Toi dong y" campaign made significant contributions to seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage.(Photo: VNA)
Also, VietPride has led the way.
Inspired by the international Pride movementwhich advocates for the acceptance of LGBT persons, VietPride was created in2012 to join global calls to end prejudice, discrimination and shame on thegrounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.
During five years of operation, VietPride hasworked hard to change the lives of Vietnamese LGBT people.
Rainbow-hued bicycles were one of the firstpublic displays hosted by VietPride to depict the growing movement in Vietnam.
In 2012, hundreds of young people wearingrainbow flags gathered at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi for a bike paradeas part of three-day long event held for homosexual people’s rights.
VietPride was created in 2012 to join global calls to end discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Photo: VietPride) The VietPride events the following years wereheld in larger scale with rainbow colours worn by LGBT people and their peersin many cities and provinces across the country, including Hai Phong, ThanhHoa, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho. Theevent was even aired by Vietnam Television channels like VTV4, VTV6 and VTV9.
Many activities were featured during the event,including film screenings, discussions on various LGBT issues, exchanges withthe Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), musicperformances, speed dating and a LGBT history exhibition.
The VietPride Hanoi Committee, which comprisedof many organisations and individuals working for LGBT rights in Hanoi,including 6+ , Hanoi Queer, NextGEN, CSAGA and iSEE, is supported by severalembassies and international NGOs in the country.
Rainbowsparkles
The Embassy of Canada in Vietnam has helpedsupport one of the largest LGBT festivities in Vietnam, VietPride 2015.
“We have been advancing the human rights ofLGBTI persons by engaging with grassroots LGBTI organizations in Vietnamthrough the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives,” Ambassador of Canada PingKitnikone told Vietnam News Agency.
Earlier, the Embassy of Canada backed thescreening of Canadian film director Deepa Mehta’s “Fire” in recognition of thesecond annual VietPride day celebrations. The film also contributed to thediscussion on same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in Vietnam.
The Embassy once announced a grant of 94,252Canadian Dollar through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives 2014-2015 forthree local NGOs: ICS Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, the Centre for Developmentand Integration (CDI) and the Center for Creative Initiatives in Health andPopulation (CCIHP) in Hanoi. The grants were used support projects on LGBTrights and anti-human trafficking interventions.
Recently, the Canada Fund for Local Initiativesalso directly funded a project through LIFE Centre based in Ho Chi Minh City.
“This project worked toward building self-esteemand advancement of the rights of transgender individuals in health care, andpromoted a more inclusive, gender sensitive and non-stigmatizing health serviceprovision,” Ambassador of Canada Ping Kitnikone said.
CFLI – LIFE project launch (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Canada to Vietnam)
Inaddition, the US Embassy, in collaboration with the Australian Embassy, theEmbassy of the Netherlands, European Commission (EC) and Oxfam International,sponsored the BUBU town event in 2017. The annual event aims to celebrate theInternational Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17.
Ted Osius,the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam at the time, put the embassy’s support behindthe event to spur a positive shift in the perception of the LGBT community inthe country. The former ambassador also led 1,000 young Vietnamese on acity-round bicycle tour meant to show support for the LGBT in the nation.
The US Consulate in HCM City alsoissued the first fiancé visa to a same-sex couple in Vietnam.
Rainbow,also in people’s hearts
Despite difficulties accepting their children’ssexual orientation, many parents of LGBT people ended up supporting them andbecoming activists to promote LGBT rights.
Dinh Thi Yen Ly, a mother from Ho Chi Minh City,was distraught when she learned her son, Teddy Nguyen, was gay.
Ly demanded Teddy to change his lifestyle andeven took him to a psychology consultancy centre for treatment.
She then received a heart-wrenching letter fromher son, in which he apologized to his mom and begged her to accept him. Theletter made Ly realise that how hard her son was struggling with his sexualorientation.
It took Ly five years to get closer to her TeddyNguyen and find out more about his son’s feelings.
She then took interest in LGBT rights and joinedthe Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Vietnam, anorganisation aiming to unite people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender with their families and friends, in 2013.
Two years later, Ly became the President of thePFLAG Vietnam. Its inception was nurtured by the Information Connecting andSharing (ICS) project and it was officially established in 2011.
It works to speed up the growth of the parent community and provide astrong impetus for LGBT members to win their rights.
In 2014, PFLAG Vietnam launched “Hanh trinh hieuve nhau” (Journey to understand each other), aiming to connect LGBT people andtheir parents and the event has been held in 20 provinces and citiesnationwide.
Dinh Thi Yen Ly (third from left) became the President of the PFLAG Vietnam in 2015.(Photo: Cộng đồng PFLAG.vn)
Unlike Ly, Pham Thi Minh Hoa (from Thai Nguyenprovince) was slightly more accepting of her daughter.
“I’m not happy when my child is a transgenderbut I feel lucky when my child realizes her true sexual orientation,” she said.
“Mom Hoa” is a popular name in the LGBTcommunity in Thai Nguyen province. Along with turning her house as a‘headquarters’ for LGBT people, Hoa is also an activist for LGBT rights inVietnam as a member of the PFLAG Vietnam.
Ly, Hoa and other parents in the PFLAG Vietnamhave been working to promote their children’s fight for equal rights.
They have overcome social prejudice and inspiredothers of the LGBT movement in the country to protect their children. They havejoined training courses on human rights and child protection and psychologyconsultancies.
Everyonewants to see beautiful rainbow, so do LGBT
“For sure, I will have meaningful activities forthe LGBT community after returning to Vietnam with this victory,” Nguyen HuongGiang told the media after becoming new Miss International Queen 2018 at acontest on March 9 in Pattaya, Thailand.
Giang came to Thailand for sex reassignmentsurgery seven years ago. She said she felt lucky when her parents then acceptedand welcomed her sexual orientation.
In the Q&A part of the contest, when askedwhat social campaign she would launch to make the world a better place, theVietnamese singer answered: “I will work for equality for transgender people.Everyone wants to be happy and so do transgender people. We all want a goodlife where we are treated like everyone else and not discriminated against.”
According to PhD Nguyen Huy Quang, Head of theLegal Department under the Ministry of Health, Giang’s victory has shown that LGBTpeople must be recognised by the whole of society and it will serve to drivethis recognition of transgender people in the country.
Efforts made by LGBT people and their supportersover the years have created a substantial change in the public awareness of thecommunity.
Also, they have worked hard for the acceptanceof same-sex marriage in legal documents, and the approval of the amended CivilCode in 2015, which includes a new provision of recognition of the right to sexreassignment.
“Please think of the child’s happiness asparents are only happy when their child feels contented with life,” Huong Giangsaid.-VNA
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