LGBT group says it’s been ousted from Tet parade

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A coalition of lesbian and gay Vietnamese groups was told to ‘sacrifice’ and not march in Westminster’s annual Tet parade, a Lunar New Year event expected to draw as many as 10,000 spectators to Little Saigon this weekend, according to a spokesperson for the LGBT group.

After asking the group not to participate, said spokesperson Ai Van, ‘they suggested that we obtain our own permit and have our own parade, and not be a part of the community parade.’

The Tet parade, scheduled for Sunday, is a tradition dating back nearly three decades. The LGBT coalition has marched in the parade the last three years, over the objections of some religious leaders in Orange County’s Vietnamese community.

LGBT participants last week submitted $100 along with an application to join again this year, according to Pierre Tran of the Gay Vietnamese Alliance.

Monday afternoon, about three dozen people protested in front of the office of the parade organizers, the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California. Its leader, Nghia X. Nguyen, was not present to comment.

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-- Anh Do

Twitter: @newsterrier