Vietnam

Sexual Rights Alliance (SRA), a group of Vietnamese NGOs, conducted an IDAHOT event in Ha Noi on May 15 with “Free Expression” as the key theme of the action and LGBT youth groups conducted an event in support of the Campaign Tôi Đồng Ý 16+. Additionally, PFLAG Vietnam sent out a message of respect and love on IDAHOT.

In partnership with United Nations Vietnam, the purpose of the event was to urge the Vietnamese government to take more action to protect Vietnamese LGBTI communities but also to celebrate progress in reducing stigmatisation and discrimination.
To underline the message of the event, participants from the National Youth Theater took to the stage to express how stigma and discrimination affect young LGBTI Vietnamese people.

The event included an opening speech by UN representative and SRA representative, a video clip about how Vietnam has changed in protecting LGBT rights, contemporary dance on IDAHOT 2014 theme: Free Expression and drinks & finger food and free hang-out afterwards.
On the occasion of IDAHOT, the LGBT Nha Trang community also hosted a public event as part of the Campaign Tôi Đồng Ý 16+ (I Agree 16+). More than 30 young people attended the event that promoted the petition for equal rights for LGBT. It aims to

1. adjust the law on marriage and family & (modified) of which referred to article 16, the provisions on the settlement of the legal consequence arising out of the Union between two people of the same gender (femalespersonal, property, etc.)
2. adjust the law Registrar, including on the issue of change/adjust your registrar information as a citizen. This is especially meaningful to the transgender community in changing their identity in legal documents.
3. law of citizen identification. Along with the law Registrar, adjusting the personal information of each citizen according to their identity is important to the community.

Pictures were taken as part of the campaign that were published on social media. Find out more about the campaign here.

PFLAG Vietnam, the organisation for parents, friends & families of LGBT people, has sent a special message of solidarity as part of the celebration of IDAHOT to their children and the entire society. The called out to other parents to take their children’s side and to stand by them when they face discrimination, violence and prejudice. And they addressed Vietnamese society to not tolerate these prejudices and discriminations.