Nguyên, 17
Throughout secondary school, Nguyên did not identify with the term gay yet, but only played with his female classmates. His teacher reported this to his parents, who were upset. The teacher assigned him to clean the classroom after school for three months as punishment and he stayed every day after school alone until 8 p.m. to clean. One day when he was at a clinic for a check-up, Nguyên saw a gay couple caring for each other. Seeing them supporting each other made him happy and hopeful.
© 2020 Sally Deng for Human Rights Watch