Cambodian Activist Amplifies LGBTQI+ Youth Voices

Why this is here: Sampi TV created an anonymous chatbot in the Khmer language allowing young people to safely ask questions about HIV prevention and sexual health, subjects still heavily stigmatized in many communities.

Panha Theng, a Cambodian activist and 2025 UN Young Leader, co-founded Sampi TV to create LGBTQI+ storytelling and advocacy in Southeast Asia. She noticed a lack of honest representation of LGBTQI+ people while growing up in Cambodia, inspiring her to build a platform for visibility. Sampi TV uses podcasts, documentaries, and a Khmer-language chatbot to offer safe spaces for young people to discuss identity, relationships, and sexual health.

The platform’s documentary project featured LGBTQI+ youth speaking with their parents, generating hopeful responses online. Sampi TV has expanded to work with groups in Laos and Myanmar, though challenges with stigma and acceptance remain. Panha views the UN recognition as a way to amplify the voices of marginalized youth, not as a personal achievement.

She plans to expand Sampi TV’s reach and integrate inclusion into daily life across the region. The work to create truly inclusive spaces continues.