{"id":143234,"date":"2026-05-17T16:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T16:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/turning-silence-into-stories-cambodian-activist-amplifies-lgbtqi-youth-voices\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T16:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T16:08:54","slug":"turning-silence-into-stories-cambodian-activist-amplifies-lgbtqi-youth-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/turning-silence-into-stories-cambodian-activist-amplifies-lgbtqi-youth-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning silence into stories: Cambodian activist amplifies LGBTQI+ youth voices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<p>grew up in cambodia, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/youthaffairs\/en\/panha-theng\">Panha<\/a> LGBTQI+ people are rarely seen reflected in the world around them \u2013 not on television, not in public conversation, and not in ways that feel honest.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When LGBTQI+ people were represented, it often didn&#8217;t feel like who we were,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>That silence stayed with him.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Panha is helping create the kind of visibility she was once seeking. As co-founder of Sampi TV, a digital platform dedicated to LGBTQI+ storytelling and advocacy, she is using podcasts, documentaries and online tools to start conversations many young Cambodians are still afraid to have.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I wanted to be a part of the change,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<figure role=\"group\" class=\"figure media figure-img img-fluid rounded caption caption-drupal-media\">\n<div class=\"context-default type-remote_video media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default\" data-has-caption=\"true\">\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/media\/oembed?url=https%3A\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch%3Fv%3DBCPYGwRy4XA&amp;max_width=400&amp;max_height=350&amp;hash=PnyfTZU4Yu1iaDTPsRlVCxpF45YWlIPeWN6mS1h_AlU\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" class=\"media-oembed-content\" loading=\"eager\" title=\"Cambodian LGBTQI+ Activist Sparks Social Change | United Nations\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"><strong>United Nations Video |<\/strong> Cambodian LGBTQI+ activist sparks social change<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Panha, storytelling is more than content creation. It&#8217;s about dignity, belonging and letting young people know they are not alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStorytelling is a very powerful tool,\u201d he said. &#8220;Social media shapes how people understand the world. I believe we can use storytelling to advocate for what is right and support youth whose voices are not heard.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Some of Sampi TV&#8217;s strongest stories are also its quietest stories. In a documentary project, LGBTQI+ youth sat down with their parents \u2013 many for the first time \u2013 to talk openly about identity, fear and acceptance. The response online was overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople said they felt relieved,\u201d Panha recalled. &#8220;He hoped that maybe one day his own parents would understand him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The platform has also created an anonymous Khmer-language chatbot where young people can safely ask questions about relationships, HIV prevention and sexual health \u2013 topics that are deeply stigmatized in many communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome young people are afraid to ask these questions in public,\u201d he said. &#8220;They&#8217;re worried about judgment. They&#8217;re worried about being thrown out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What started as a small grassroots initiative quickly grew into something huge. Their initial episodes spread quickly online, sparking debate, curiosity and conversation on social media.<\/p>\n<h2>people are finally talking<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Some people liked it. Some people didn&#8217;t,&#8221; Panha said. \u201cBut finally people were talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, Sampi TV works with youth groups, volunteers and civil society organizations across Southeast Asia, including Laos and Myanmar, creating spaces where LGBTQI+ young people can feel seen, heard and supported.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, Panha was selected as one of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/youthaffairs\/en\/engage\/young-leaders-sdgs\">Young Leaders for SDGs<\/a>A United Nations initiative that recognizes young changemakers who lead the way <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/sustainable-development-goals\/\">sustainable development goals<\/a>. But this recognition is not personal for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s about community,\u201d she said. &#8220;Young people who have big dreams, but whose voices are often unheard. I hope I can be a messenger for them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Over the next two years, Panha hopes to expand Sampi TV&#8217;s reach across the region while continuing to advocate for inclusion, dignity and visibility.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My goal,&#8221; she said, &#8220;is to ensure that storytelling and inclusion are not just words in speeches, but part of everyday life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>grew up in cambodia, Panha LGBTQI+ people are rarely seen reflected in the world around them \u2013 not on television, not in public conversation, and not in ways that feel honest. &#8220;When LGBTQI+ people were represented, it often didn&#8217;t feel like who we were,&#8221; she said. That silence stayed with him. Today, Panha is helping<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[3439,31630,9386,31631,632,8031,2768,10887,604],"class_list":["post-143234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-verse","tag-activist","tag-amplifies","tag-cambodian","tag-lgbtqi","tag-silence","tag-stories","tag-turning","tag-voices","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143234"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143237,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143234\/revisions\/143237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}