← Gender and Women's Issues

That’s My Child! So What!

Completed Gender and Women's Issues

About this project

This initiative focused on strengthening family acceptance and public support for LGBTQI+ people in Cambodia. It combined storytelling, peer support, and public dialogue, moving between family spaces and wider civic engagement. Creative media shared personal stories of parents and LGBTQI+ individuals, while an online confession platform provided a safe space for people to anonymously express experiences of rejection, resilience, and hope. In parallel, peer support groups brought LGBTQI+ people and their parents together to reflect, learn, and build confidence in acceptance and advocacy. These conversations later extended into broader public and policy-facing spaces through a national survey, data validation workshops, and a public forum combining art, testimony, and dialogue with civil society and government representatives. Over time, the work evolved from family-level conversations into wider public engagement, contributing to increased visibility, dialogue, and momentum around family acceptance and LGBTQI+ rights in Cambodia.

Results

  • A series of awareness and documentary videos sharing personal stories of LGBTQI+ individuals and their families, distributed through digital platforms.
  • An original song and music video, *That's My Child! Unconditional Love*, produced and released as part of the digital campaign and Pride Month activities.
  • An online confession platform enabling anonymous story sharing, with selected submissions transformed into visual posters and shared publicly.
  • Online and offline public perception surveys on family acceptance and LGBTQI+ rights, generating community-based evidence to inform advocacy.
  • Peer support group sessions for LGBTQI+ individuals, providing structured spaces for discussion, learning about SOGIESC, and mutual support.
  • Peer support group sessions for parents and family members of LGBTQI+ individuals, focused on understanding, acceptance, and supportive roles within families.
  • A reflection and celebration workshop bringing LGBTQI+ participants and family members together to reflect on learning and mark the completion of the peer support program.
  • A data validation workshop with civil society organizations and community representatives to contextualize survey findings for advocacy.
  • A national public forum combining creative performance, survey findings, panel discussion, and dialogue with civil society and government representatives.
  • Survey reports and advocacy materials produced to support national dialogue and engagement with policymakers and civil society networks.