Mekong Delta authorities prevent lesbian couple from marrying
| Last Updated: Monday, February 20, 2012 |
The Vietnamese media has reported two same sex weddings – a lesbian couple in Hanoi and a gay couple in Ho Chi Minh City
Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has prevented a female couple from marrying, arguing that same sex marriage is outlawed in Vietnam, online newspaper VnExpress reported.
It has been more than one week since the incident, but residents in Dam Doi Town are still talking about the wedding of Nguyen Van Nhat, the 20-year-old “bride,” and Nguyen Thi Nhu, the 21-year-old “groom.”
Nhat and Nhu reportedly held a wedding ceremony at Nhat’s house with the participation of their families and relatives when local authorities showed up and ordered them to stop the proceedings.
Representatives from the Dam Doi Town People’s Committee explained that the wedding violated the Law on Marriage and Family, which banned same sex marriage.
They asked the two families to sign a report pledging not to hold a wedding for the two girls.
Nhu’s family then agreed to bring her back home and not to continue any rituals of the wedding.
Nhat and Nhu also told authorities they will break up.
Previously, Dam Doi Town authorities came to Nhat’s house following tip-offs from local residents, who saw Nhu in a boat used for a wedding ritual heading to the house.
According to Nhu’s family, she came to Dam Doi Town to work as a waitress in a beer shop and met Nhat.
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They fell in love and decided to get married.
When their families voiced protest, the two girls threatened to commit suicide. Their families then accepted the wedding.
Same sex marriage is still a controversial topic in Vietnam, but two same sex weddings – a lesbian couple in Hanoi and a gay couple in Ho Chi Minh City — have been reported by local media recently.