Local rights groups have marked the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by calling attention to the “discrimination and abuse” faced by the country’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community. A statement issued by the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, the Women’s Network for Unity and Rainbow Community Kampuchea Sunday stated that people deserve the right to express their sexual identity freely. “LGBT people have always been part of Cambodian society – they are not a new phenomenon; they have remained hidden because of society’s lack of acceptance of them,” the statement said.
