Vietnam's Gay Rights Events Mark Changing Times - VOA
August 08, 2012 Vietnam's Gay Rights Events Mark Changing Times by Marianne Brown Participants wave rainbow flags during Vietnam’s first Gay Pride parade, Hanoi, August 5, 2012. (Marianne Brown/VOA) HANOI — Although homosexuality is not illegal in Vietnam, conservative social mores have reinforced prejudices against gays. However, in a sign of changing times, the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender communities held two major events this month, including the country’s first Gay Pride parade. More than 100 people braved searing hot sunshine Sunday to cycle for more than two hours through the center of Hanoi. They waved rainbow flags and trailing banners with slogans like “I love LGBT” and “different not deviant”. The event was the culmination of the country’s first gay pride event, aimed at giving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community more visibility. Nguyen Thanh Tam, 25, the woman behind the bicycle parade, says she is happy with the turnout,
