Campaigners hail landmark decision as a ‘huge paradigm shift’ in attitudes towards sexuality
Being gay, bisexual or transgender should not be considered an illness and cannot be treated, the Vietnam government has announced in “a huge paradigm shift” in LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
The Ministry of Health said medical professionals should treat LGBTQ+ people with respect and ensure they are not discriminated against. In an announcement sent to provincial and municipal health departments earlier this month, and posted on the government website, the ministry said being LGBTQ+ “is entirely not an illness” so it “cannot be ‘cured’ nor need[s] to be ‘cured’ and cannot be converted in any way”.
It said that medics should not “interfere nor force treatment” on LGBTQ+ patients. If any support is needed, “it must be in the form of psychological assistance and performed only by those who have the knowledge of sexual identity”, said the ministry.Leave with Pride campaign from the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy, and Environment petitioned the World Health Organization in Vietnam to affirm that being gay is not a disease. In a video, the iSEE posed the question: If queerness is a disease, shouldn’t LGBT+ Vietnamese be able to get sick leave?
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