越南考虑将同性婚姻合法化

When President Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage earlier this year, many people saw it coming, given the increasing number of states in the U.S. that recognize same-sex marriage and polls showing changing attitudes on the subject.

美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)今年早些时候表达支持同性婚姻的立场时，许多人已经预见到了这一点，因为美国已经有越来越多的州承认同性婚姻的合法性，民调也显示公众对同性婚姻的态度在不断发生变化。

It's fair to say not too many people expected the same from Vietnam.

但公平地说，不会有很多人指望越南也这么做。

Nevertheless, Vietnam's Communist government is now considering whether to allow same-sex couples to marry or legally register and receive rights. If it does, the country would be the first in Asia to do so, the Associated Press reported.

尽管如此，越南的共产党政府现在正在考虑是否允许同性恋人结婚或合法登记并享有权利。据美联社(Associated Press)报道，如果政府决定这么做，越南将是第一个承认同性婚姻的亚洲国家。

'This problem must be considered thoroughly in many aspects: cultural, legal, custom and ethical practices,' said Ha Hung Cuong, of Vietnam's Ministry of Justice. He added that he believes it is 'unacceptable to create social prejudice against the homosexual community,' Gay Star News reported.

据同志星闻(Gay Star News)网站报道，越南司法部部长何雄强(Ha Hung Cuong)说，这个问题必须从文化、法律、习俗和伦理实践等方面加以全面考量。他补充说，他认为制造不利于同性恋群体的社会偏见是不可接受的。

The minister said the legal rights of same-sex couples should be protected. 'The state should also have legal mechanisms to protect the legitimate rights such as legal personality, property ownership or children (if any) of same-sex couples living together,' he said, according to Gay Star News. The Justice Ministry said a legal framework is needed to help the courts handle disputes.

何雄强说，同性伴侣的合法权益应该受到保护。据同志星闻报道，何雄强说，国家应该拥有保护居住在一起的同性恋人群合法权益的机制，如法人资格、财产权、甚至包括其拥有孩子的权利。何雄强说，需要建立有助于法院解决此类纠纷的法律框架。

While Vietnam is a socially conservative country, the communist government has restricted the religious organizations that typically offer objections to same-sex marriage, Jezebel noted. Many countries in the same part of the world have strict laws against homosexuality, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Vietnam listed homosexuality as a 'social evil' several years ago, along with drug addiction and prostitution, AP noted.

知名博客Jezebel上的一篇文章写道，尽管越南的社会制度保守，由共产党执政的越南政府已经对反对同性婚姻的宗教组织加以限制。美联社指出，同一地区的许多国家都颁布了反对同性恋行为的严格法律，如印度尼西亚和马来西亚。几年前，越南曾将同性恋行为与吸毒和卖淫一同归为社会之恶。

Vietnam will see it's first gay pride parade in Hanoi on August 5. The Justice Ministry will consider opinions from the public and government agencies for several months, until the National Assembly considers the proposal.

8月5日，河内将迎来首次同性恋骄傲大游行。在国民大会(National Assembly)审议这项提案之前，司法部将在未来几个月考虑来自公众和政府机构的意见。