My name is Jason. I am from Australia but have been living in Siem Reap for 6+ years. My background is in Psychology, Sociology and Child Protection. In Australia, I volunteered at an LGBTIQ+ drop-in centre. I learnt so much about myself and others through the visitors we had, the other staff and volunteers and the events that we held. After moving to Cambodia and getting a feel for the culture and climate for LGBTIQ+ individuals, I thought that Khmer people could really benefit from the same kind of thing. I entered a cake competition at a local café, raised our first $100 and immediately started using my Khmer lessons to create Khmer-specific LGBTIQ+ resources. It kind of felt like starting from scratch, but in other important ways Cambodia is further along than countries like Australia. Overall, I think the future is bright for LGBTIQ+ people and I want to help other people believe that, too.

My name is Sivat and I am one of the Facilitators at APTBY. I have been working with APTBY officially since the beginning of 2022, but I was a visitor long before that. I found out about APTBY through my boyfriend and at first, I felt a bit strange as I had never visited or joined a space that was specifically for LGBTIQ+ people. I didn’t know that Siem Reap had a safe space like this. I only knew the way that society taught me, and my identity was not a part of that. I feel like I found myself when I found APTBY. My previous workplaces were full of straight people, and I felt as though I had to pretend to be that way, too. I had to hide my feelings and my identity. Sometimes I felt so stressed, and I had no one to talk to. Now, my team comes together weekly and we always start by checking in with each other. At APTBY, I feel like I am home – I can be myself and I wake up happy and ready to work. I am so proud to be a part of APTBY where I am valued, can share my experiences, work with youth, host events and learn from our visitors whilst providing them with essential peer support. I love being a part of bringing LGBTIQ+ people into general society and showing that we are all human, no matter how we identify.

My name is Lyhuor and I am 29 years old. I have been a Facilitator at APTBY since January 2022. I first heard about APTBY when they were looking for volunteers for a short video related to inclusive healthcare. Before that, I did not know there were places that supported LGBTIQ+ people in Cambodia at all. I reached out to the Director of APTBY and he asked me to send my CV. I went for an interview and he showed me around the drop-in space. I felt strange to see pictures on the wall explaining each letter of the LGBTIQ+ acronym. I was happy and surprised because these letters were talking about me! At that time, I did not feel very confident or brave. I was not comfortable speaking out in my community or even amongst my friends. When I started to work with APTBY, I learnt more about my community and my rights. Now I feel proud and confident. I think APTBY has helped me become who I am today. In the future, I hope to see more people who aren’t afraid to be themselves and who can share their love confidently like me. My advice for others: find your destination, be who you want to be and do what you want to do. Then you won’t have any regrets!

My name is Sophikun. I am a space facilitator at APTBY. I have been working here since March 2020.  I did not know about this place until one day my friend brought me here. I felt so surprised when I came here for the first time. Actually, I also identify as an LGBTIQ+ person. Normally, I feel uncomfortable to be myself in society. Instead, I have to try and pretend to be a straight man. Nevertheless, when I am at APTBY, I can be who I am without fear. I can speak out about my story and issues that are related to being LGBTIQ+ with confidence. I can say that it feels like my world when I am here. We have a lot of stuff to do here, including books to read in both Khmer and English, video games, instruments, etc. Another important thing I think that we offer is free counselling for the LGBTIQ+ community. I really love working here and I want to see people with different identities and backgrounds gathering and sharing their lives, loves and difficulties without shame.