Viet Tran

As a proud queer Vietnamese immigrant and child of refugees during #PrideMonth and #IHM2019 — I reflect on the unique, nuanced, and beautiful history of my communities. And it starts with my own story and history. #IAmAnImmigrant 2/

The Vietnamese diaspora carries a heavy history, marked by warn-torn stories, unspoken trauma, and unfamiliar transitions in new homes and countries. My story starts with my mother's -- as the child of immigrants, our stories are often connected to our parents and families. 3/

Following years incarceration in so-called "re-education camps," my father would not make the trip to the U.S. with my mother and me. She named me "Tran Hoai Viet," after my father but my name also meant "Eternally Vietnam" — to always remember the country after we left. 4/

Though I was born abroad, I grew up in the United States, and like many other immigrants and first-generation folks, I struggle to navigate and reconcile my Vietnamese roots and my American upbringing. I am Vietnamese American, but not always necessarily in that order. 5/

When I first came out as gay, I was afraid at how it would further complicate my multiple identities and two distinct cultures and traditions. Through the years, it was a two-front battle to navigate being a queer API immigrant. #IAmAnImmigrant 6/

To me -- being a queer Vietnamese immigrant means that my coming out experience is a lifelong and ongoing process. In 2008, I came out to my friends in English. In 2018, I came out to my mom — yet this second time was entirely in Vietnamese. #IAmAnImmigrant #PrideMonth 7/

Today, there is still a need for more representation and visibility across the spectrum. We need more #LGBTQ stories, we need more #API stories, and we need more immigrant stories. Our nation's diversity is only as beautiful and strong as the stories of its people. 8/