Wednesday, January 14, 2015

On gay rights, Vietnam is now more progressive than much of the US | GlobalPost

On gay rights, Vietnam is now more progressive than much of the US | GlobalPost: "BANGKOK — US politicians of all stripes are fond of condemning Vietnam’s poor human rights record. As one US Senator from Arkansas puts it, America has a “moral obligation" to stand up to oppression” in the communist nation.

But when it comes to gay rights, conservative US states like Arkansas are actually lagging behind Hanoi.

Vietnam’s communist party abolished a ban on same-sex marriage last week. Unlike states such as Texas — where vindictive politicians want to stop paying any official who certifies a gay wedding — Vietnam’s political class has responded with a collective shrug.

Make no mistake: Vietnam is an authoritarian state. Dissent is criminalized. Critics who blog or protest against the government end up in prison. Human Rights Watch, which points to a “human rights crisis” in Vietnam, has catalogued abuses ranging from rampant bribery to abusive police.

But as long as gay couples refrain from denouncing Vietnam’s communist party, they’re generally left alone."



'via Blog this'

No comments:

Post a Comment

 
Think local. Act global. Learn more about the Peace Corps