RMIT Vietnam celebrates the rainbow community

Tiếng Việt

RMIT Vietnam celebrates the rainbow community

RMIT Vietnam has concluded the celebration of its Pride Week together with the RMIT global community through a variety of face-to-face and online activities.

Pride Week came together for the first time in 2018 in RMIT Australia and was delivered by some of its diverse genders, sexualities and sexes (DGSS) staff members who were keen to not only show visible support and celebrate RMIT’s DGSS students and staff but also provide platforms and spaces for more diverse voices within the community.

Director of Human Resources at RMIT Vietnam Ms Annie Gale proudly shared that Pride Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of the University’s diverse genders, sexes and sexualities (DGSS) community.

Ms Gale emphasised "one of our core values at RMIT is inclusion - and our values are the heart of who we are and what we stand for at RMIT".

“This year, we celebrated our very own Pride Week last week, joining hands to raise awareness and reinstate our commitment to diversity and inclusion, with a combination of face-to-face and online platforms to provide opportunities for all to participate.”

Organiser of one of the activities of Pride Week – DGSS artworks exhibition at Saigon South campus – and RMIT Student Council Diversity and Inclusion Officer Le Thi Cam Huong said that her team wants students know that they are all welcome.

“Their questions on the boxes [displayed in the exhibition] will be answered, accompanied by encouragement and actions from RMIT, to reduce their stress and help them feel comfortable at RMIT,” Huong said.

Being passionate about crafting approaches to gender equity, respecting marginalised communities and DGSS matters in communications and community spaces, Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) student Do The Anh shared “rarely do I see any organisation or institution ask its members to share what they expect the leaders to do in order to build a friendlier, more open and safer community for all”.

And to RMIT Student Advisor at Saigon South campus Windy Lee, what Pride in action should look like is “we should all have access to a safe environment to learn, develop ourselves, and be supported”.

That’s a wrap

Building rainbow-Inclusive campuses

Organised by the Wellbeing department and Student Council at Saigon South campus, audiences at the Building rainbow-Inclusive campuses workshop were exposed to information and knowledge, different critical ideas and practical suggestions to build an inclusive campus for all from special guest speakers and students including Director of Ladies of Vietnam Ms Mia Nguyen and bisexual, asexual, gender non-conforming LGBTIQ+ rights activist Moc Linh Phan.

DGSS artworks exhibition

A corner of Saigon South campus turned into the colourful DGSS artworks exhibition to showcase 11 artworks which strongly showed the connection, care, and affection that the RMIT community shared with friends among the LGBTQIA+ community.

DGSS 101 workshop

The DGSS 101 workshop gave staff and students at Hanoi campus an opportunity to familiarise themselves with diverse terminologies, concepts, and in-depth understanding of the rainbow community (LGBTIQ+) in a general context. Audiences gained basic understanding of allyship, some “do and don’t” tips to build respectful, inclusive and safer places for all.

Library staff put their purple on in response to Wear It Purple Day.

Wear It Purple Day was founded in 2010 in response to global stories of real teenagers, real heartache, and their very real responses. The annual LGBTIQA+ awareness day received positive support and response from staff and students. Purple could be seen around RMIT campuses last Friday to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTIQA+ community.

Colourful F.L.O.R.A.L Fest at RMIT Hanoi campus

RMIT Student Council at Hanoi campus rocked Pride week with its fellow queers and allies. Stand for Fun Land of RMIT’s Allies and LGBTQIA+ Community, F.L.O.R.A.L Fest uplifted LGBTQIA+ voices, celebrated LGBTQIA+ culture and promote LGBTQIA+ acceptance and equality.

There were a variety of other face-to-face and online events happening in RMIT Australia with staff and students from RMIT Vietnam joining remotely, and pre-Pride week activities including mini games, handicraft workshops, movie day, and redefining realness: sex, gender and sexuality seminar.

Human Resources Director Ms Gale emphasised that “while Pride Week is an annual opportunity for RMIT to celebrate and recognise the contributions of the DGSS community, our commitment to an inclusive and diverse community is deeply embedded in our everyday operations for staff, students, and our global community”.

Story: Hoang Ha

Media Release

Campus and community

30 August 2022