Homosexuality in Vietnam - Essay Example

Homosexuality in Vietnam Like other South East Asian countries Vietnam is also not absolutely tolerant of homosexuality. The past decade, however, has seen more tolerance regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, and it has become easier for gays and lesbians in Vietnam to openly claim their sexual orientation. In 2002 the Vietnamese government called homosexuality a “social evil”. In fact, they were so much against gays and lesbians that a short term campaign was launched against them. It needs to be mentioned, though, that homosexuality has not exactly been absolutely illegal there according to Vietnamese law. Prostitution, however, is against their law as that is considered immoral and indecent. Gay marriage was banned in Vietnam in 1998 by the country’s national assembly. This ban was placed right after two lesbian marriages had taken place even though the local officials had tried their level best to stop them. The marriages not only happened, but were also publicised. The national assembly thought it better to stop gay marriages there and then before other LGBTs got the nerve to follow example. Gays were openly discriminated and there was no law that could stop that. There has now come a change in the country regarding LGBTs. The views are changing and the government is taking steps to protect the LGBT persons. LGBT people in Vietnam are treated separately from the non-LGBT. While those having a straight orientation have no problems whatsoever, same-sex sexual activity is not what one can say legal and same-sex couples are not given the same protection from law as the non-LGBT persons. The Vietnamese culture is such where homosexuality is a taboo. However, with time the things are changing in Vietnam and now LGBT rights have started being recognized, all thanks to the LGBT community and some civil rights unions that have worked together to bring about this to happen. Awareness groups are trying their best to protect such people. In fact, the government is trying to make same-sex marriages legal. In 2012 the minister of Vietnam, Ha Hung Cuong, revealed that the government is contemplating on whether same-sex marriages should become lawful or not. He pointed out, and rightly, that the LGBT should also be given protection and therefore, in order to protect their individual freedoms the government should allow them to marry a person of their own gender. The Ministry of Justice submitted a bill for revoking the ban placed against same-sex marriage in the Marriage and Family Law in 2013. By October the National Assembly was supposed to debate over it. In November it was decided that Vietnam would legalize gay weddings, but not gay marriages (Morgan). By this it means that same-sex couples can organize weddings and can live together as a couple, but these weddings will not be officially considered a legal marriage. Still, the gay rights campaigners do consider it something that they have accomplished and believe that it is this way. only by taking small steps that they can one day live in a society where gay marriages are legal and allowed, and LGBT persons are not persecuted or stereotyped. “Vietnam is advancing rights for same-sex couples, but still needs to take the final step to guarantee marriage equality for all,” said Brad Adams (Human Rights Watch). One of the reasons for the government interfering in this matter and allowing gay weddings is because a gay and lesbian couple had been previously fined for organizing their marriage. Since the Law on Marriage & Family did not allow marriage between same sex people, these two couples had to pay a penalty because they contradicted the habits and customs of Vietnam. Therefore, the government had no choice but to allow the organisation of such weddings in order to provide somewhat protection to the LGBTs – whether straight or gay, the people are the responsibility of the country. They have lifted the ban on same-sex weddings but these marriages aren’t considered legal and neither are they recognized. This year on the 3rd of November a rally of hundreds of people was organised in Hanoi that supported equality for gay couples. Even the government allowed gay pride parades to be held, and that is saying something for a government that normally avoids public gatherings, or to the least, controls it. This was the second such rally that took place in Vietnam, the first being in August of 2012. One of the reasons behind the Vietnamese people being hesitant to accept the LGBT community is misunderstanding. A gay rights conference was held not very long ago where the think-tank leader, Le Quang Binh, gather statistics regarding the view of the Vietnamese about LGBT community. 48% of Vietnamese believe there is an actual cure for homosexuality while 57% just considered it a social fad. And although the state should be protecting the LGBT community against discrimination, the police of the country actually make their life difficult. They haul in lesbians and charge them with accuses such as having an identity card bearing their gender as female while themselves looking like a boy (Phillips). This is an extremely petty issue and no one has the right of telling anyone how to dress up, especially if they are not spreading harm or injuring others. It is the social conformity that is responsible for such an attitude. The people are told that homosexuality is evil and thus they cannot understand homosexuals and take them to be bad people, thus discriminating against them. In fact this discrimination is so high that the Vietnamese frown upon homosexuals. They try to ignore their existence. There does not exist any such thing in their culture or in the minds of the Vietnamese. It is not only the people of Vietnam, but even the state-controlled press avoids the subject. The medical team does not learn or research into the issue of homosexuality (Stewart 524). Where the issue of homosexuality is completely ignored the LGBT community can still live peacefully as they get a little freedom. They feel that since they are not given any kind of an identity they can do whatever they want, staying in etiquette of course, and others would not say anything. In fact, two men or two women hold hands in public and it is perfectly okay. Even sharing of beds with same sex persons is normal. Since “gay” is not an identity, one man sleeping with another does not have to worry about it. Besides, there is no religious prohibition against homosexuality, because Buddhism is the dominant religion there in Vietnam, which has no such say in the matter. Even though such advantages exist, a homosexual culture/community there is far from ideal. LGBT persons there can have physical relationships with their same sex partner. The issue arises when they openly claim their identity. They come out and tell people that they are homosexual. They do not wish to marry and reject marriage, and everything that is typical of a straight person. This is what the Vietnamese do not tolerate of the LGBT people and they consider it unacceptable. LGBT people in Vietnam have still managed to continue with their life in spite of the contradictions that exist in their sexuality, sexual identity and what is expected of them as a normal, family person. They usually find it easier to hide their sexual identity, only opening up to close colleagues whom they can actually call friends, or to other homosexuals. And because there is no kind of support from the society more often than not these same-sex relationships are not able to last a long time. In fact, many times the LGBT Vietnamese sacrifice their own wishes and marry a person from the opposite gender – this could be because of the discouragement they get from their family as well as the society (Stewart 524). Another reason that could be behind the LGBT people turning back to their “sense of duty” is that it is also known that LGBT people face violence from their families. There have been reports of physical violence that includes beating and starving; and mental torture as well which may include insulting and grounding the people. They are, thus, forced to marry people of the opposite sex, even if they are coerced into doing so. In some families the issue is of such a grave concern that a man responding to the CCIHP survey told that: I was hurt most when my father told me that if he had known his son would be gay, he would have asked my mother to abort the baby” (Vietnam: Homosexuals face violence in their own homes). Le Quang Binh, the head of the Institute for Studies of Society, quoted that 77% of the parents of LGBT children who had been surveyed were disappointed when their children came out. There are other parents who think that homosexuality is acquired and is unnatural; they blame LGBT for being mentally ill or having acquired this “problem” from their bad friends. In fact, in some cases they even admitted LGBT people to hospitals to get them treated from this “disease”, and were told not to keep in contact with their partners and friends. In spite of this all, there is reason to believe that Vietnam will further improve in future regarding the matters of LGBT, and the attitudes and perceptions of Vietnamese will change. The recent lift in the ban of same-sex weddings was one step and it is hoped that the day is not very far away when gay marriages would be considered legal in Vietnam. The authorities have started realizing the rights of LGBT people and how unfair it is to discriminate against them. According to Nguyen Viet Tien, deputy minister of health, “in terms of human rights, people of the same sex have the rights to live…to love and pursue happiness” (Thanh Nien News). Works Cited Human Rights Watch. Vietnam: Give Marriage Rights to Same-Sex Couples. 20 November 2013. 10 December 2013 . Morgan, Joe. "Vietnam legalizes gay weddings." 13 November 2013. Gay Star News. 09 December 2013 . Phillips, Jak. LGBT Rights Blossom in Repressive Vietnam, but No Sign of Further Freedoms. 13 July 2013. 10 December 2013 . Stewart, Chuck, ed. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of LGBT Issues Worldwide. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Thanh Nien News. Activists parade for gay rights in Vietnam . 04 August 2013. 10 December 2013 . "Vietnam: Homosexuals face violence in their own homes." Asia News Monitor (2011). Read More