VIETNAM: Gay Marriage No Longer Banned, But It's Not Recognized Either

This week Vietnam's repeal of its constitutional ban on same-sex marriage went into effect. But marriage still isn't legal or recognized.

Same-sex couples can now hold symbolic weddings and cohabitate without interference or fines from authorities. However, they will not receive the same rights as straight married couples, a halfway point some lawmakers have hailed as the first step towards marriage equality. "They can organize wedding parties and live together but their marriage is not legally recognized by a certificate of marriage," Bui Minh Hong, an official from the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Economic and Civil Legislation, told DTiNews. Vietnam was one of the first countries to ban gay marriage in 1992 but was the first to repeal such a law in June last year.

Some observers believe that Vietnam will become the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage, but no legislation is pending.

Gay Ambassador To Vietnam Takes Office

Yesterday Ted Osius was sworn in as the US ambassador to Vietnam and in the clip below he introduces himself in Vietnamese. Featured in the video is his husband and their son. Osius is the seventh openly gay ambassador to take office during the Obama administration.

At Vietnam Pride 2014

The third-ever gay pride event was held in Hanoi this weekend.

Around 300 activists led a colourful parade through Hanoi on Sunday in the nation's largest ever gay pride event, as communist Vietnam shows signs of increasing tolerance of sexual difference. The city streets were awash with rainbow flags, as a mainly young crowd cycled and danced through the capital urging an end to discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Homosexuality remains taboo in Vietnam, but a series of gradual advances, including the removal of fines for same-sex wedding parties, have been welcomed by the LGBT community in recent years. In 2012 lawmakers even briefly considered legalising gay marriage -- a move which would have thrust the authoritarian country to the forefront of gay rights in Asia -- but stopped short. Sunday's event was the third gay pride parade in Vietnam and attracted a wide range of people including local activists, foreigners and curious bystanders. "I'm here for the rights of homosexuals. I want them to be treated fairly like everyone else," Le Kieu Oanh, a 20 year-old art student told AFP.

VIETNAM: Gay Wedding Ceremonies Legalized, But Not Same-Sex Marriage

As of yesterday, it's no longer illegal to stage gay weddings or commitment ceremonies in Vietnam.

The south-eastern Asian country has officially allowed same-sex couples to organize weddings and have the right to live together. While the unions won’t be legally recognized, gay rights campaigners believe it is a large step on the path to equal marriage. The Government has taken this step after two fines were handed out to gay and lesbian couples who chose to have a marriage ceremony in the southern provinces of Kien Giang and Ca Mau.

Last week Vietnam's National Assembly began hearings on removing the ban on same-sex marriage, the first step towards legalization.

VIETNAM: Hundreds Rally For Marriage

Yesterday hundreds rallied in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi in support of next week's legislative debate on same-sex marriage.

The event was part of the “Toi Dong Y” festival, which translates as “I do,” or “I agree”, organized by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) groups across the country. One participant, 18-year-old Truong Duc Anh, said same-sex marriage is an important topic for Vietnam. He said he believes love does not have a wrong or a right side and the most important thing is that society treats people equally when it comes to love. The festival is being held ahead of a planned debate on revisions to the Marriage and Family Law at the National Assembly on November 5. The draft does not include the legalization of same-sex marriage, but removes the article banning them in the current law and includes provisions for same-sex couples who live together.

Activists say that a repeal of the same-sex marriage ban will ultimately lead to legalization. Vietnam's first-ever gay pride parade was held in Hanoi last year. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: "Marriage equality continues to spread, with major milestones this week that span from the Great Lakes region to the Mid-Atlantic. Plus, New Zealand becomes the 13th country to legalize the freedom to marry, and international progress continues from Colombia to Vietnam."

Vietnam Official Calls For Marriage

An interesting development:

Vietnam should legalize same-sex marriage immediately, the deputy minister of health was quoted as saying today by local media. As human beings, homosexuals have the same rights as everyone else to live, eat, love and be loved,” Nguyen Viet Tien told a government meeting discussing the upcoming review of the Marriage and Family Law, newspaper Thanh Nien said. The National Assembly is scheduled to discuss allowing same-sex marriage when the law is reviewed in May.

Vietnam only had its first gay pride parade last year. Image via Memeograph.

Vietnam Drops Gay Wedding Fines

Same-sex marriage remains banned in Vietnam, but the government this week announced that couples who hold ceremonies will no longer be fined.

Under the draft decree that would have taken effect this July, homosexual couples that get married would have been fined VND200,000-1 million (US$9.55), twice the current fine introduced in 2000. Gay rights activists lambasted the proposal, dismissing it as a “step back” for the protection of LGBT rights in a Confucian society where homosexuality was once labeled as taboo and even a “social evil.”

After a firestorm of criticism from the media and the public, authorities took note and did away with the fine. And by doing so, they have implicitly acknowledged the “nonsensical” implications of the draft laws, gay-rights activists say. “This is another new step forward that is in line with Vietnam’s current trend [of] protecting the rights of LGBT people,” said Le Quang Binh, a sociologist who runs the iSEE.

The Vietnamese legislature is expected to begin considering a marriage equality bill some time in 2014.  

On Trans Women In Vietnam

Via Gay Star News:

A short film about trans women in Vietnam made by LGBT rights organization ICS has been watched over 200,000 times on YouTube. The film follows Yuki and her friends, showing the people behind the label 'pêdê' - the title of the film - a abusive term for trans women in Vietnam. 'We decided to name it "Pêdê" - the word that society still uses to stigmatize transgender people - as a way to have a closer look at a familiar yet taboo topic,' says ICS in the description of the video.

The film is in Vietnamese, but you can watch it with English subtitles by clicking over to YouTube and pressing the CC button.

VIETNAM: Gay Flash Mob In Hanoi

More photos at The Advocate.

Vietnam To Hold First Gay Pride Event

The first gay pride event in Vietnam's history will take place this weekend in Hanoi.

Viet Pride will run from Aug 3-5 and will feature film screenings, research presentations, music live performances, and a cycle parade through the city center on Sunday morning beginning at My Dinh Stadium and ending at Ly Tu Trong Park. Organised by Nguyen Thanh Tam and a group of volunteers, the event is supported by the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) where Tam is casually employed. The 25-year-old self-described “freelance activist”, who has lived in Singapore for the last six years, was inspired to organise Viet Pride after she and other activists were sponsored to attend Stockholm Pride last year. The event is also supported by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE), and Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS); venue and in-kind sponsors Goethe Institute, Lebox Produktion (Sweden) and Hearst Entertainment (US); and in-cash sponsors Embassy of Sweden and Embassy of Canada.

Props to Sweden and Canada for their support!

RELATED: Earlier this week the Vietnamese government indicated that it was in the early stages of putting forward a marriage equality bill.