Gay and lesbian groups continue to fight for inclusion in the 2014 annual Tet Parade in Orange County according to a recent story from KPCC.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender groups were banned from last year’s lunar New Year festivities after the organizers of the parade voted to exclude open gay and lesbians from participating. The Vietnamese American Federation plans to run the parade for a second year in a row with the ban in place, but LGBT groups are determined to fight.
The group Viet Rainbow of Orange County has been building support in and out of Orange County and reaching out to Tet Parade business sponsors to withdraw their sponsorships.
In response, the organizers’ attorneys have suggested LGBT groups hold a separate event running 30 minutes before or after the regular Tet Parade. Another suggestion was to allow gay and lesbians to participate without any paraphernalia that would identify them as out, such as rainbow flags.
“We’re not going to be part of a legacy that tells the younger generation, the next generation, and even the current generation that it’s OK to be separate-but-equal, that being invisible is OK,” said Hieu Nguyen, co-founder of the Viet Rainbow of Orange County.
A hearing on the Vietnamese American Federation’s permit application to host the parade for a second year is scheduled for Dec. 11.
You can read why the gay rights group face an uphill battle and the support they’re getting from the general LGBT community on KPCC
