Gay bar in phnom phen

Gay Phnom Penh

Our friend Aaron from Phnom Penh tells us about gay life in Cambodia and what it's like growing up gay there. Cambodia is surprisingly gay friendly by Asia standards — and we loved it! We easily rate it as one of the most gay friendly countries in Asia. Traveling in Cambodia as a gay couple was a joy for us.

We never felt discriminated against anywhere we stayed, and also discovered a pretty big gay scene in the main cities, particularly in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap. However, that's from our perspective as foreign gay tourists. What's the true reality like? In Phnom Penh, we connected with our local gay friend, Aaron, who spent his childhood living on the streets of Phnom Penh for 8 years until he managed to develop a better life for himself bar his family.

In this interview with Aaron, he tells us about gay life in Cambodia and what it's really like:. Hi boys. My name is Darun Un, nickname, Aaron. I'm 36 years old, and originally from Sihanoukville. I moved to Phnom Penh with my family when I was 10 and grew up there. Phnom have been working and living in Phnom Penh since then.

There was a period in my life phen I lived on the streets because of a breakdown in family relations since my father died but with the help of the Tree Alliance see below I have picked phen my life to become a successful businessman in the gay scene of Phnom Penh. I've had several jobs throughout my life, but what I am most proud of is managing some of the most prominent gay bars in Phnom Penh as well as performing the occasional drag show for my guests.

Yes, I am out to all my friends and family. It was, however, quite the journey to get to this stage! It took a long time for everyone to come to terms with it, of course, but over time, everyone has accepted it and become extremely accepting of me. When I came out to my mother, at first she could not bring herself to accept it and even refused to speak to me for a good 2 years!

But as I said, she grew to accept me and love me for who I am, especially when phnom saw how gay and confident I have become. Today she is my 1 fan and even helps me prepare for my shows by bar my wigs, cleaning my clothes, and giving me makeup tips! I love her so much — I'm so humbled to know that someone will always be there to fight my corner in life.

She is my rock! Other family members had a period of getting used to it — various aunts, and uncles…but over time, they've grown to love me for who I am. Gay up in the s, Cambodian society wasn't as accepting and tolerant as it is today. Being gay was seen as a taboo, not helped by the fact that there was no positive representation of homosexuality in the press or media.

Instead, everything was so heteronormative — homosexuality was perceived as something of an illness. The Internet has helped me connect with like-minded individuals from all around the world who showed me that being gay is not a disease, but something very normal!