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Our expert Ed Salvato from Man About World gives us the lowdown on how LGBTQ travelers can stay safe while enjoying beautiful Cambodia.
Photo © Getty Images/ValentinWolf
Compared to many other Asian countries, Cambodia is surprisingly gay-friendly for visitors. There are no major gay pride events here and legal recognition of gay unions or even anti-discrimination laws are still far off. Still, LGBTQ travelers will feel welcome and safe everywhere they travel. There is a relatively large gay scene in the capital, Phnom Penh.
LGBTQ Legal Status
The country is known for its abysmal human rights record and gender inequality. Though there are no anti-LGBTQ laws, local authorities and police have reportedly used various laws to infringe on the local community's rights. However, while homosexuality is not celebrated culturally, LGBTQ locals enjoy a degree of visibility and acceptance in society (especially in larger cities) not seen in many other more conservative countries.
There is a small gay pride celebration that has taken place annually in Phnom Penh since 2003 and the country got its first LGBTQ magazine called Q Cambodia in June 2017. The Cambodian government also announced it will introduce a new gay course in schools called "Life Skills" to teach students about LGBTQ issues, sexuality and gender.
LGBTQ-Friendly Areas
You will see fellow LGBTQ travelers and locals in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, especially in higher-end accommodation, and locals are used to seeing gay couples and groups. In remote areas, locals will not react with any hostility to LGBTQ travelers, though they may watch you with curiosity. If you request a single bed, your wishes will be respected without question. Tour guides will most certainly have seen many other gay visitors, and the gay tour operators mentioned below hire gay qualified guides when possible, vetting all their guides to ensure they are comfortable with LGBTQ guests.
The only caveats about traveling in southeast Asia as a LGBTQ traveler is to respect the local norms and customs. Open displays of affection (whether same-sex or opposite-sex) are very uncommon.
If you want to be meet other LGBTQ travelers, consider joining a tour. Check with your government travel advisory prior to travel for LGBTQ safety information.
Trip Planning
- Utopia is a good source for LGBTQ information in
southeast Asia especially forbar , sauna, and sexually-focused information. - Travel Gay Asia offers information on bars, clubs, saunas, beaches, and hotels. You can book hotels here which are fulfilled by a gay-owned and gay-managed travel agency, OutOfOffice.com.
- NomadicBoys is the blog published by Stefan and Sebastian, a gay couple writing about their global adventures.
Legal Services
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) publishes an annual survey of sexual orientation laws.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) conducts top-notch reporting and advocacy including for LGBTQ people around the world.
LGBTQ Tour Operators
While the following highly recommended tour companies cater primarily to gay men, most welcome lesbian travelers.
LGBTQ Friendly Mainstream Tour Operators
The following mainstream river cruise companies extend a warm welcome to LGBTQ guests.
- Pandaw offers luxury small ship river cruises in Asia. The manager is openly gay and the staff is gay-friendly.
- Aqua Expeditions offers luxury cruises on the Mekong River and is known for excellent food, service and a focus on sustainability.
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4 Comments
Thanks for the article. I just wanted to point out that although you surely didn't mean to discriminate, you wrote a whole article asking whether or not it was safe to travel if you were LGBTQ and answered - yes, if you're gay. There's a lot more that just the G in LGBTQ. I personally was looking for information about safety for a trans woman. It may be useful to connect the article with the title.
Thanks
This article was okay, but only if you’re gay. What about the T in LGBT? This was quite discriminatory and useless for anyone looking for trans related info, male or female.
Hi Griffin and Charly,
First of all thanks for your feedback! You’re right, the focus is mostly on gay male travelers, despite the inclusive name.
We're working to add more safety information for our lesbian, bisexual and transgender travelers. But in the meantime our writer, Ed Salvato, does offer information for trans and women travelers here: https://www.manaboutworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/LGBTQ-Guide-to-Travel-Safety.pdf
These general principles may help, but are not specific to Cambodia.
Cheers,
Amelia, World Nomads
I know as a gay bloke I’m meant to be super inclusive of everyone’s needs and desires but I’m gay - not queer or trans or Q or bi or whatever else is the current flavour of the week minority group. I want info on what I need as a gay traveller, I don’t need info on any other group, partly because what e.g. a trans male/female, needs is no more relevant in a gay forum as it is in a straight forum. Let’s keep things (specific info) separate and come together and support each other when it’s actually beneficial to do so.