February 13, 2010 Tet Parade

Please share your experiences of the day of the march. What was your experience getting to the parade site? What was your experience during the prep time before the march? What was your experience during the march? What was your experience after the march? What was your experience at the luncheon?

Here is a link to Nguoi Viet Daily News at the end of the day.
http://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=108320&z=3

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We sent out a press release at 2 something am of February 13, 2010 to the OC Register, Nguoi Viet Daily News, Nguoi Viet Herald and Vien Dong and KUCI radio.

February 12, 2010

To the Vietnamese Interfaith Council of America and Westminster City Councilman Andy Quách:

Tết Nguyên Đán (The Lunar New Year), also known as Tết, is a special and sacred holiday in Vietnamese culture and tradition. It is an occasion for Vietnamese people to share a common ideal of peace, kindness, and prosperity. This is a time when families gather to celebrate a festive holiday that is filled with love, hope, and joy in welcoming the New Year. Vietnamese cultural values are based on family unity and cohesiveness. People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) are also part of Vietnamese families. We are born into families, and we live our lives with our families. We are your sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters. We also attend service at temples and churches and many of us consider ourselves very devout and spiritual. Tết is one of the many ways that we celebrate our collective Vietnamese culture.
Around Tết when the New Year arrives, Vietnamese people graciously try to eliminate their old negative way of thinking. We do things to create auspicious energy to start the year full of possibility and good will towards others. It is unfortunate for the religious leaders planning on boycotting the parade because they will be missing out on the collective celebration of happiness and joy. The major religious teachings emphasize peace with oneself and to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. Religious and spiritual leaders should be role models for society in establishing bridges of understanding and love, not encouraging separation and intolerance amongst one another. Excluding oneself or others from the Tết parade is being socially irresponsible and does not foster a positive atmosphere in celebrating Tết and in building a stronger community.
Because we are part of the Vietnamese community, we feel that we, LGBT people, have the right to join our families and fellow Vietnamese in celebration of Tết. There is no better time to be united with our families within the Vietnamese community. The Interfaith Council and City Councilman Andy Quách would like to dictate who is and is not Vietnamese and who can or cannot celebrate Tết. That type of thinking is very backward. It is time to embrace the new world of freedom.
We have many reasons for peacefully and cheerfully marching in the parade. We wish to exhibit love and harmony to the Vietnamese people in wishing them a happy and prosperous new year. Some LGBT people are fortunate to have parents and siblings who acknowledge and accept them for who they are. Most Vietnamese LGBT people grow up in families that reject them, causing deep sorrow and suffering. We are determined to be visible at the Tết parade to make the lives of our LGBT brothers and sisters easier, to increase the Vietnamese community’s awareness that we are here and we are part of you – we are not mentally ill or immoral. We want to urge the community to support same-sex marriage because we are family members of the Vietnamese people. Most of all, we hope to march proudly in the Tết parade to promote love, support, good will, prosperity, and justice for everyone.

May love, understanding, and compassion prevail,
Sống Thật Radio, Ô-Môi, Gay Vietnamese Alliance,
and The Vietnamese Lesbian and Bisexual Women Network and Friends