PIVOT’S LGBTQ+ RIGHTS PLATFORM

LGBTQ+ people have always been and continue to be a beloved cornerstone of Vietnamese communities. As Western ideas of gender and sexuality entered Vietnamese culture over time, however, so too did homophobia and transphobia. In the U.S. today, LGBTQ+ rights remain under fire all the way from the Supreme Court down to local neighborhoods. Unequal treatment can involve bias and discrimination against sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. Discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ folks of all backgrounds and ages have been waged in rhetoric and situations related to restrooms, gender identity markers on documentation, and schools. For LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans, discrimination and violence may, unfortunately,  continue within their own households and the Vietnamese community. Living with these environmental stressors, holding an intersectional identity as both an LGBTQ+ individual and person of color in the U.S., and potentially also being genetically predisposed to mental health conditions (such as depression) from parents or grandparents who were refugees and immigrants have led to disproportionately high rates of mental health crises within the LGBTQ+ Vietnamese American community. PIVOT is dedicated to protecting and fighting for our beloved LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans, their rights, their families, and their health and well-being. LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans deserve not only to survive, but also to thrive.

Our Plan

  1. Raise public awareness of policies that affect the accessibility of health care, gender-affirming care, and mental health care for the LGBTQ+ community, their family members, and their allies. 

  2. Support policies that foster LGBTQ+ communities’ health, well-being, and rights so that they may thrive in a just society.

  3. Advocate for educational efforts and research studies on the disproportionately higher rate of suicide and mental health crises in the Vietnamese American LGBTQ+ community.

  4. Stand in solidarity with other LGBTQ+ partner organizations and collaborators to provide a safe space to exchange ideas, build trust, support intergenerational resources for families, have representation, and advocate for policy changes.