Sustaining the Vision: Oral History Interview 04 — Tuan Vu
Two Decades of Leadership: Tuan Vu on Lambda’s Growth
Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada’s 40th-anniversary oral history series continues with a conversation that traces two decades of behind-the-scenes stewardship and financial leadership.
Each instalment in this project highlights a different part of Lambda’s evolution; this one turns to the organizational discipline and long-term commitment that kept the Foundation moving through periods of uncertainty and growth.
The fourth interview features Tuan Vu, whose 20-year involvement has made him one of the Foundation’s most enduring contributors. Beginning as a young volunteer, Tuan eventually stepped into the role of treasurer, where he helped stabilize Lambda’s financial operations, navigate ongoing fundraising challenges, and maintain the continuity needed for an all-volunteer organization.
Tuan reflects on how Lambda’s mission expanded over time, the realities of sustaining LGBTQ scholarships before they were widely recognized as essential, and the importance of signature events like Wilde About Sappho in building both revenue and community visibility. He also underscores the critical role of partnerships—formal and informal—in strengthening Lambda’s national reach and preparing for the Foundation’s future direction.
His perspective offers a view of Lambda shaped not only by activism and cultural work, but by careful governance, persistence, and a long-term belief in the value of educational access for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
This interview is part of a seven-episode series. Three more conversations will be released soon, each providing a different window into Lambda’s 40-year history and ongoing direction.
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About the Interviewer: Christopher DiRaddo
Christopher DiRaddo is the author of the novels The Family Way (2021), shortlisted for the F.G. Bressani Literary Prize, and The Geography of Pluto (2014). His essays and short stories have appeared in First Person Queer: Who We Are (So Far), Here & Now: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing, and The Globe and Mail. He has also written for several publications, including Elle Canada, XTRA magazine, and enRoute magazine, for which he won a National Magazine Award. In 2014, he created the Violet Hour Reading Series & Book Club, which has to date provided a platform for more than 300 LGBTQ writers in Canada to connect with new audiences. He lives in Montreal. Check out his website and subscribe to The Violet Letter: Your guide to LGBTQ+ lit in Montreal (and beyond).
