Cambodia Pride Week has become a regular event in the Kingdom since 2009. Before that time, Pride was first celebrated in 2004 with a Pride party in Phnom Penh which highlighted safe sexual health issues. An annual Pride party continued until 2009 when a group of Cambodian and international LGBT volunteers decided to pool their energy, ideas, skills and time to make a bigger celebration of Cambodia’s fledging LGBT community and to broaden the focus of Pride to the whole life of LGBT people, not just HIV/AIDS awareness. Since 2009 Pride Week has increased the participation of Cambodian lesbians, challenged the stigmatization of LGBT people by focusing on the many talents, contributions and facets of being LGBT (through film, art, performances) and it has highlighted the human rights of LGBT people (through workshops and regional campaigns).
