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    Photos: Vietnam lotto shows offer mainstream platform to LGBT community

    In Vietnam, hundreds of LGBT performers have found confidence, and a way to earn a living through a lotto show, dating back to the colonial era that has transformed into a wildly popular night out for locals. The country is seen as relatively progressive on LGBT issues -- the one-party state lifted the ban on same-sex marriage in 2015 -- although it stopped short of full legal recognition for the unions and a long-promised transgender law to allow legal gender changes has not yet materialised.

    Updated on: Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM IST
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    1/8
    Transgender performer Nha Vy (C) and La Kim Quyen (R) of the “Sai Gon Tan Thoi” (Modern Saigon) LGBT troupe during a lotto show in Binh Duong province, north of Ho Chi Minh City. Hundreds of LGBT performers in Vietnam have found confidence, and a way to earn a living through a lotto show, dating back to the colonial era that has transformed into a wildly popular night out in buzzing Ho Chi Minh city and its surrounds. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    Transgender performer Nha Vy (C) and La Kim Quyen (R) of the “Sai Gon Tan Thoi” (Modern Saigon) LGBT troupe during a lotto show in Binh Duong province, north of Ho Chi Minh City. Hundreds of LGBT performers in Vietnam have found confidence, and a way to earn a living through a lotto show, dating back to the colonial era that has transformed into a wildly popular night out in buzzing Ho Chi Minh city and its surrounds. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    2/8
    La Kim Quyen of the LGBT LoTo troupe inspects an outfit in her one-room rented accommodation before a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. Up until the 1990s, such performances were a regular part of rural life in the south but their appeal began to fade until Sai Gon Tan Thoi burst onto the mainstream nightlife circuit in 2017. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    La Kim Quyen of the LGBT LoTo troupe inspects an outfit in her one-room rented accommodation before a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. Up until the 1990s, such performances were a regular part of rural life in the south but their appeal began to fade until Sai Gon Tan Thoi burst onto the mainstream nightlife circuit in 2017. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    3/8
    LGBT performers getting ready backstage before the start of a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. According to a report by AFP, much of the audience at the shows in Ho Chi Minh City and next door Binh Duong province is young, and view the rainbow of swishing gowns through their phone screens. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    LGBT performers getting ready backstage before the start of a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. According to a report by AFP, much of the audience at the shows in Ho Chi Minh City and next door Binh Duong province is young, and view the rainbow of swishing gowns through their phone screens. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    4/8
    A transgender performer eats a meal next to a makeup kit before the start of a lotto show. “Not many people from the LGBT community have top class jobs... we generally don’t make it to higher education because we are bullied at school,” Nha Vy told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    A transgender performer eats a meal next to a makeup kit before the start of a lotto show. “Not many people from the LGBT community have top class jobs... we generally don’t make it to higher education because we are bullied at school,” Nha Vy told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    5/8
    A transgender performer shows a number to participants during a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. “We perform with our sweat, tears and blood -- not just to sell fun but because I want people to understand this is a real profession,” La Kim Quyen, who has been performing with Sai Gon Tan Thoi and other lotto troupes since she was a teenager, told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    A transgender performer shows a number to participants during a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. “We perform with our sweat, tears and blood -- not just to sell fun but because I want people to understand this is a real profession,” La Kim Quyen, who has been performing with Sai Gon Tan Thoi and other lotto troupes since she was a teenager, told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    6/8
    Patrons during a game of lotto conducted by the LGBT LoTo troupe in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is seen as relatively progressive on LGBT issues -- the one-party state lifted a ban on same-sex marriage in 2015 -- although it stopped short of full legal recognition for the unions and a long-promised transgender law to allow legal gender changes has not yet materialised. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    Patrons during a game of lotto conducted by the LGBT LoTo troupe in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is seen as relatively progressive on LGBT issues -- the one-party state lifted a ban on same-sex marriage in 2015 -- although it stopped short of full legal recognition for the unions and a long-promised transgender law to allow legal gender changes has not yet materialised. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    7/8
    Transgender performer La Kim Quyen (L) burns incense sticks before the start of a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. In schools, misinformation about sexual orientation and gender identity is rife and some children are taught by both teachers and parents that homosexuality is a mental illness, according to a Human Rights Watch report published this year. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    Transgender performer La Kim Quyen (L) burns incense sticks before the start of a lotto show in Ho Chi Minh City. In schools, misinformation about sexual orientation and gender identity is rife and some children are taught by both teachers and parents that homosexuality is a mental illness, according to a Human Rights Watch report published this year. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    8/8
    Transgender performers during a lotto show . Vuong Kha Phong, LGBT rights programme officer at Vietnamese NGO iSEE, said such shows help promote visibility of sexual and gender minorities but warned that while they were “a good first step”, they are not enough. “While you may enjoy the show, you don’t really necessarily think about how they deserve access to healthcare or to good employment opportunities,” Phong told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Jul 01, 2020 6:57 PM

    Transgender performers during a lotto show . Vuong Kha Phong, LGBT rights programme officer at Vietnamese NGO iSEE, said such shows help promote visibility of sexual and gender minorities but warned that while they were “a good first step”, they are not enough. “While you may enjoy the show, you don’t really necessarily think about how they deserve access to healthcare or to good employment opportunities,” Phong told AFP. (Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

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