Free and Equal Journey: Happy Beginning for Queer Community

Free and Equal Journey gala took place in Hanoi on September 22, within the framework of Hanoi Pride 2023.

On June 2023, at a meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee, a proposal on building a Law on Gender Change was put forward by National Assembly member, Professor Nguyen Anh Tri. The project, among several others, will receive NA-wide feedback during the eighth plenary session in October 2024.

Given that context, from July to September 2023, the UN Free and Equal project by the United Nations in Vietnam coordinated with IT'S T TIME, an organization advocating for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community, and iSEE, Institute for Social, Economic, and Environmental Research, to hold diverse activities aiming to create a Happy Begining for the queer community in Vietnam.

At the gala, speakers presented reports on the achievement of the UN Free and Equal project over the past three months. Accordingly, in the project's framework, 30 people from the LGBTIQ+ community shared their stories and experiences and talked about barriers that they face in their daily lives and their hopes for the law proposal.

Along with that, a communication campaign, "To A4 - Bat dau co hau" (A4 Sheet - Happy Beginning), is carried out by members of the LGBTIAQ+ community and their friends to spread knowledge about legal issues related to the law proposal and open discussions about cultural, social and legal issues related to the LGBTIAQ+ community. The campaign also coordinates with influencers and key opinion leaders to disseminate more than 15 stories from the LGBTIAQ+ community on social media and other platforms.

As an effort to connect the queer community with the press and communication sector, “Human Library - Trans sach song” was held earlier in September to gather 20 journalists with 15 "living books" - members of the LGBTIAQ+ community who told their unique stories.

At the event, participants discussed issues related to law proposal and the LGBTIAQ+ community in Vietnam.

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