Last Friday, the Kingdom got its first website aimed at sourcing current news, legal documents and reports for Cambodia’s LGBT community, local NGOs and policy-makers.

A pilot project of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights’ Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project, the Rainbow Khmer Portal website intends to amplify issues surrounding LGBT issues by providing comprehensive and practical information, wrote Project Coordinator Theng Nan in an email.

“Awareness-raising is a key element towards creating a society which is tolerant and inclusive of all people – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity – and I strongly believe this portal will go a long way towards achieving this goal.”

Srun Srorn, a facilitator at Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK) and local activist, highlighted the importance of discussion to any pursuit of tolerance.

“Policy-makers are starting to learn more about the need to include us.”

In a report authored early this year, the CCHR called for LGBT-specific legislative protections in order to combat local authorities targeting LGBT individuals by misapplying anti-crime and public order laws.

While the Kingdom’s constitution protects the dignity of all citizens according to Article 38, a right that legally encompasses the LGBT community, there is an absence of policy explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation, advocates maintain.