“I cried a lot and so did my mum. What she told me that is still deeply in my mind,” Huy said sadly.

Similar stories like Huy’s are popular among the community of homosexuals and transgendered in Vietnam and the world. They are discriminated and harassed by people in society and especially their families, said Hoang Tu Anh, director of the Center for Health and Population Initiatives.

According to Tu Anh, when they know their children are gays or lesbians, many families seek to gently admonish to scold, starve, isolate and force them to treat at mental hospitals. All of these actions aim to change their children into normal people. A 24-year-old gay in Hai Phong city was even chained for three weeks.

The boy was confined to a room and was supplied with one bowl of rice with fish sauce and a bottle of water. The room had no electricity and water, but only a chamber-pot and some toilet papers.

“I was fed up like an animal in that room. I could only cry until I felt exhausted and fell into sleep. During that time, I did not bath, starved and was scolded and beaten every morning,” Thanh described that terrible period.

Some gays were beaten by their fathers because “I’m angry already, seeing you I’m more angry” or “I beat you to cast out your womanishness.”

Some people call their children “freak”, “unhealthy” or “Are you a morbid one? I could not hold my head high to see others?”

It is pity that such reactions do not bring about expected results, but opposite effects. Their children can fall into depression, quit school, leave home and even commit suicide.

A research in the US shows that the rate of suicide committed by homosexual teens doubles that of normal teenage. Many of them are forced to live on the street. They face high risks of sexual abuse and HIV infection.

“They lose trust in life and some of them commit suicide. However, like domestic violence, this phenomenon of violence is still considered family affairs, not the violation of the rights of homosexuals,” Tu Anh said.

Le Quang Binh, rector of the Institute for Social, Economic and Environment Research, said that Vietnam has the law on prevention of domestic violence but homosexuals, transsexual and intersexual people are not mentioned in the law.

“Violence against these people is gender and domestic violence,” Binh said.

Experts say that it is needed to improve the awareness of families, schools and the society about this issue. Homosexual, transsexual and intersexual people must know about their rights.

PV