KUALA LUMPUR: In what gay activists have praised as a positive move, the United States Embassy in Laos held the country's first-ever lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride event in the country late last month. “We are all very excited about how the event went and are positive that we are finally getting some support and space to push for our rights,” LGBT activist Lin Yu told Bikyamasr.com on Saturday. According to the US Embassy's website, “the US Embassy, Laos held its first-ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride event on June 25 in Vientiane. “The event, called “Proud to be Us!", was produced by a group of young Lao LGBT activists and featured music, dance, skits, and dramas exploring issues faced by LGBT people in Laos today, such as discrimination, gender roles, and sexual health,” the statement added. The embassy said that more than 100 people were present for the event, which was held on the sports field on the embassy's premises. “The guests of honor were US Ambassador Karen Stewart and Dr. Bounpheng Philavong, Director of the Center for HIV/AIDS/STI (CHAS) at the Lao Ministry of Health. During their remarks, both Dr. Bounpheng and Ambassador Stewart congratulated the event organizers for taking an important first step to achieving full acceptance of LGBT people in Lao society,” the statement added.
