Cambodian activist Panha Theng, a 2025 UN Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, says visibility and safe spaces remain critical for LGBTQI+ youth across Southeast Asia amid continuing stigma and discrimination.
Growing up in Cambodia, Panha rarely saw LGBTQI+ people reflected in the world around her — not in television, not in public conversations, and not in ways that felt honest.
“When LGBTQI+ people were represented, it often did not feel truthful to who we are,” she said.
Today, Panha is helping create the kind of visibility she once searched for. As co-founder of Sampi TV, a digital platform dedicated to LGBTQI+ storytelling and advocacy, she is using podcasts, documentaries and online tools to open conversations many young Cambodians still feel afraid to have.
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