Phnom Penh Pride!
on Meg's Cambodian Adventures (Cambodia), 18/Jun/2009 00:15, 34 days ago
This is the article I wrote for the VSO newsletter ... :o)Were you in Phnom Penh between the 11th-17th May 2009? If so you couldn’t possibly have missed Phnom Penh Pride, where Cambodia’s LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) comminity joined people from all over the world to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia 2009. Events lasted for a week and there was something for everyone. The queer film festival at the Meta-house showed a range of films from hugely inspirational international struggles, to love stories and comedies exploring LGBT themes. A range of SE Asian queer films ensured the film festival was proudly Asian!Also at the metahouse, the‘I am Pride’ art exhibition included art from both Khmer and international artists (including our very own Alan Flux!). The exhibition featured interactive ’womens’ and ’mens’ spaces where guests could explore their own creativity and express ideas about sexuality and gender through art.Don’t forget the parties! Spirits were high and people were brimming with Pride- the perfect combination for people to dance the night away! The first party was held at MHSS (Mens Health Social Service) and the Mstyle boys led the party with games, performance, singers and a fab show- whilst delivering an all important safe-sex message. The show attracted a growing crowd of tuk tuk drivers, motodops and Khmer families, grannies and babies included! This contributed to an inclusive party which everyone enjoyed and just goes to show, you don’t have to be gay to be proud!MHSS set the standards high and the other venues didn’t fail to deliver. Gloryhole at Pontoon welcomed a fab, mixed crowd of ex-pats, travelers and Khmer boys and girls of all ages. The boat was packed with lots of beautiful, strong, proud people; many looking very sexy in their Pride T-shirts. Blue Chilli was so full that they had to hire a tent and take over the street to contain the crowd. An incredibly dramatic Khmer blessing dance from DeeDee kicked of the show and world- class international and Khmer drag acts followed. The cocktails kept flowing, the drag shows kept wowing the crowd and Blue Chilli certainly has a lot to be proud of after delivering such a superb show! Salt Lounge provided the perfect ending to the week and crowned one lucky boy ‘Mr Gay Cambodia.’ Members of the Khmer LGBT community celebrated, united with their international friends and these events provided a safe space for people to celebrate being themselves, and feel proud of who they loved.Whilst you couldn’t have missed the parties that painted Phnom Penh pink for the week, you could be forgiven for not noticing the important work going on behind the scenes. Whilst I am a big fan of the parties myself, there is much more to Pride than that. There are serious underlying problems that Khmer LGBT people face and the focus of Pride was to raise awareness of these issues, and provide an opportunity for LGBT people to meet and support each other. Pride 09 is the culmination of a huge collaboration between Khmer NGO’s, local businesses, LGBT volunteers and international NGO’s. VSO volunteers joined forces with NGO’s including Womyns Agenda for Change, Marie Stopes and Mstyle and together we were Ongka Pride and organised an Pride that was inclusive for LGBT people from the provinces. International LGBT groups further provided both moral and financial support, a powerful statement of unity as many of these countries are themselves facing struggles against homophobia and discrimination. Many of the LGBT community from the provinces had not previously met other LGBT people and some are living in isolation because of discrimination from society. Ongka Pride bought in 40 lesbians from four provinces, this is because there are NGO’s already working with gay men from a health perspective but until now, lesbians have been fairly neglected. We held workshops where men and women could voice their needs, meet others and learn about services/ support which are available to them. We also had a very special viewing of ‘Khnoyom chea neck na?’ Cambodia’s first lesbian film which, very conveniently for us was released in May! This was followed by a moving film made by PRySM, a group of LGBT Khmer people living in Prividence, USA. The film was made especially for Khmer LGBT attending Pride and was a message of encouragement, hope and unity. Pride also held a stakeholders workshop, which bought together NGOs concerned with LGBT health and support. This provided a good foundation for people working together in the future to ensure that people can expect respect regardless ofwho they love.Following Pride, the future’s looking bright for the Khmer LGBT scene. The metahouse planning a monthly queer film night and there are rumours of the FCC starting an LGBT night once a month. If that’s not your scene then Salt Lounge, Blue Chilli, Gloryhole and MHSS offer a variety of different social events that should keep most people happy. Perhaps one of the most important outcomes of Pride is that Khmer lesbians have had a chance to stand up, and be heard and as a result, NGO’s that work with MSM (men who have sex with men) are exploring ways to expand their work and include lesbians. The message of Pride thisyear was simple and evident to see, love is a beautiful thing and something to be proud of.