HA NOI (VNS)— The arts and literature are subjects that tend to bring the gay community closer to Vietnamese artists and local people in general, Nguyen Van Anh, director of the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), said at a conference held on Wednesday in Ha Noi.

The conference entitled Literature, Arts and the LGBT Community (grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) which was organised by CSAGA, offered Viet Nam's the LGBT and artists community the opportunity to meet and discuss a range of issues. While the LGBT community still finds it hard to generate empathy in local people, local artists also face many problems when creating works of art that feature this community.

The conference has attracted a number of well-known writers including Le Minh Khue, Bui Anh Tan, Trang Ha and Cao Nguyet Nguyen, and film directors including Bui Nhu Lai, Huu Muoi and Hoang Nhuan Cam. Numerous young people from the LGBT community and their parents also took part in the event.

"I hope that literature and the arts will play a vital role in promoting a change in the minds and attitudes of Vietnamese people towards the LGBT community," said Nguyen Van Anh.

At the conference, associate professor Nguyen Thi Binh gave a presentation of her research on the LGBT community within Vietnamese literature. The presentation began a discussion on the impact of literature and the arts on the judgement and behaviour of society towards the LGBT community in the country.

Viet Nam has made great progress in recent months as far as removing stigma and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

However, LGBT people in Viet Nam continue to be discriminated against by many local people.

As homosexuality still generally remains taboo in Viet Nam, not many writers in the country choose to write about the subject.

However the conference succeeded to a certain extent in motivating more writers to write about the issue.

"I didn't have enough knowledge to write about this controversial issue. However, after I attended the conference and listened to stories told by several LGBT people, I think I am better equipped to write about this issue in the future," said young writer Nguyen.

Tan is the first Vietnamese writer to have written about the LGBT community. His four novels including Mot The Gioi Khong Co Dan Ba (A World without Women), Les-Vong Tay Khong Dan Ong (Les-Arms without Men), Phuong Phap cua A.C.Kinsey (The Methods of A.C.Kinsey) and Bi Mat Hau Cung (Secret of the Harem) provide the public with a more positive image of gays and lesbians, which helps them get along much easier in Vietnamese society and face less discrimination. — VNS