Homosexuality and transsexuality are no longer considered mental illnesses in Vietnam
In Vietnam, LGBTQIA+ activists can claim a great success. The government has made a paradigm shift. This states that homosexuals and transsexuals will no longer be considered mentally ill. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health now communicated the corresponding changes.
However, this is not just a new type of assessment "on paper". Rather, for those affected, it also means that they no longer have to undergo any imposed treatment.
After all, the government in Vietnam has now also recognized that these measures are discriminatory. However, the positive developments in the country could go even further. Discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community is to be tackled in the future as well.
Among others, the WHO has also advocated a new perspective
The WHO (World Health Organization) and the "American Psychiatric Association" have announced that homosexuality is not a disease or mental disorder and accordingly cannot be "cured" or "treated". In this context, homosexuality was already removed from the list of mental illnesses 32 years ago.
For many years, LGBTQIA+ activists have been fighting for a new definition. Due to the political situation in Vietnam, this was a real challenge. Probably it was now the famous "mix of everything" that made the Vietnamese government think differently now.
With the change in mindset that has been accomplished in Vietnam, it is now hoped that the position of homosexuals and transsexuals in society will change in other countries as well.
What does the change mean for society?
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch is enthusiastic about the decision of the Vietnamese health department. And indeed: The situation for many homosexual and transsexual persons and their families throughout the country should have improved.
But of course, complete equality is still a long way off. Society will probably remain divided for a long time to come. After all, it's not easy to break habits and go against principles that have been taught since childhood.
Maybe everything is not going as fast as hoped. But: With this decision, a path has been paved for queer people so that they can ideally live freely and without restrictions in Vietnam in the future.
Several successes have already been celebrated in Vietnam
The decision to no longer consider queer and transgender people in Vietnam as "sick" is a huge step. But even before that, there were successes for the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate. For example, Christopher Street Days can now be celebrated here largely without problems. Same-sex relationships are also permitted.
Transsexual persons are also entitled to change their personal data, such as first names and gender, on public documents. All this would not have been possible decades ago.
Unfortunately, however, many types of discrimination still take place. Although homosexuality has never been a punishable offense in Vietnam, many queer issues are hushed up instead of being dealt with. This is exactly what is still true today, and that is why LGBTQIA+ activists will still have some work to do before queer being is finally part of normality in Vietnam. However, with the decision to no longer declare homosexuality as a disease, an important step has been taken.