Viet gays & lesbians call for strong numbers in San Jose Tet Parade

San Jose 2007

Proclaiming a need to let the Vietnamese-American community know more about LGBT, the coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who had marched in the Westminster Tet Parade are planning to march in San Jose’s Tet Parade this Sunday.

(Yes, San Jose does its Tet Parade a month after Tet, but that’s another story.)

A press release by the group – which now has a name: Partnership of Vietnamese LGBT Organizations – says that the opposition by the Vietnamese Interfaith Council to their marching in the Westminster Tet Parade is proof that

in the Vietnamese-American community, 1) there are individuals who do not have a clear understanding of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism, 2) there is a segment still unaware of the Vietnamese-American LGBT community, and 3) still another segment that refuses to accept that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism exist in the Vietnamese-American community.

So they call for LGBT people to “march in strong numbers” in San Jose. The press release adds:

To join us in the march, please meet at the following time and place:

Time: 9:00 am (Sunday March 28, 2010)

Place: Victory Parking Lot on Market Street,  between E. Santa Clara and St. John (next to JumboGumbo Restaurant and behind Washington Mutual Bank)

*Look for our banners: Sống Thật Radio, Ô-Môi and Gay Vietnamese Alliance in the parking lot.

**There are many parking spaces on St. John Street and many parking spaces nearby.

Organization Contacts:

Thanh (Gay Vietnamese Alliance): (408) 718 – 7647

Vương (Sống Thật Radio): (408) 476 – 3977

Full text of press release follows the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2010

Press Release Contact:  Duc Le (408) 332-0100

The Partnership of Vietnamese Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations will march in unity at the San Jose Tet Parade on March 28th to raise community awareness and to demonstrate the presence of the Vietnamese-American LGBT Community.

San José, CA – Press Release

There were strong oppositions and degrading comments about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals made by the Vietnamese Interfaith Council of America and Westminster’s Councilman Andy Quach to the presence of Vietnamese-American LGBT groups marching at the Tet Parade in Westminster on February 13, 2010.  The Vietnamese Interfaith Council of America encouraged their followers, other groups and the public to boycott the Tet Parade.  They accused homosexuals as being the ills of society and families.  They laid claim that homosexuality was not accepted in the 1000 years of Vietnamese culture and therefore gays and lesbians didn’t deserve to participate in the Tet Parade, which is a showcase of Vietnamese culture.

All of this creates great pain for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, as well as parents whose children are LGBTs.

This demonstrated to us that in the Vietnamese-American community, 1) there are individuals who do not have a clear understanding of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism, 2) there is a segment still unaware of the Vietnamese-American LGBT community, and 3) still another segment that refuses to accept that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism exist in the Vietnamese-American community.

These are the reasons why the Partnership of Vietnamese Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations need to march in strong numbers at the San Jose Tet Parade on March 28^th. We need to demonstrate to those who oppose LGBT or those who deny the existence of LGBT in the Vietnamese-American Community that we are here and a part of the larger Vietnamese family.  Our strong showing will also help the community at large to understand more about who we are and sympathize with our plight.  We hope that this will translate into greater support for gay marriage and equal rights, while at the same time encouraging parents to accept and love their LGBT children. This Partnership is composed of Sống Thật Radio, Gay Vietnamese Alliance, Ô-Môi, and Vietnamese Lesbian and Bisexual Woman Network and Friends.

We look forward to your enthusiastic participation at the San Jose Tet Parade on March 28th.  Thank you very much.

To join us in the march, please meet at the following time and place:

Time: 9:00 am (Sunday March 28, 2010)

Place: Victory Parking Lot on Market Street,  between E. Santa Clara and St. John (next to JumboGumbo Restaurant and behind Washington Mutual Bank)

*Look for our banners: Sống Thật Radio, Ô-Môi and Gay Vietnamese Alliance in the parking lot.

**There are many parking spaces on St. John Street and many parking spaces nearby.

Organization Contacts:

Thanh (Gay Vietnamese Alliance): (408) 718 – 7647

Vương (Sống Thật Radio): (408) 476 – 3977

Sống Thật Radio is a grass roots organization which has the dual task of operating a radio program and of organizing social and political events that advocate, support and empower the Vietnamese-American LGBT community by increasing LGBT visibility and inclusiveness. The mission of the Radio Program is to enhance community awareness of LGBT issues that can then enable social change in attitude towards LGBT people.

Our goal is to improve the quality of life of Vietnamese LGBT people by reducing and eliminating the disparities within the Vietnamese-American community in dealing with LGBT issues.

Ô-Môi is a support group for lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender of Vietnamese descent. Our goal is to provide a support and resource space for queer, female Vietnamese to come out and network.

Gay Vietnamese Alliance provides a safe and supportive environment for gay, bisexual, and transgendered men of Vietnamese descent from all over the world to network, voice issues, promote wellness and foster leadership.

The Vietnamese Lesbian and Bisexual Woman Network and Friends is a support network of women, young and old alike, who provide support to Vietnamese women who are questioning their identities or simply proud to be Lesbians or Bisexual women.

In our ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships with the mainstream Vietnamese and American society, we welcome open dialogue with the media and other community partners.

For more information about our organizations, please visit the following websites:

Sống Thật Radio: http://www.songthat.com/

Gay Vietnamese Alliance: http://www.gvalliance.org/