AsiaLIFE

In my previous life – the one before Cambodia – I had pretentions of being a novelist. One of my plot-lines involved a central character that was gay. I pitched it to my agent. “No. Won’t work. Everyone will think it’s a gay novel. Nobody who is straight will read it. Full-stop.” I took my agent’s advice a bit too far, perhaps and haven’t written a novel since.

Again, when we established AsiaLIFE in December 2006, I floated the idea of including a gay section – in the Pink was its working title – to my business partners at the time. Once again the answer was ‘no’. It’s too risky for a fledgling magazine, they said.

Over two years down the line and, at last, AsiaLIFE Guide has come out of the editorial closet. After all, it’s no longer such a big issue, is it?

In researching this month’s cover story, Johan Smits experienced that some mind-forged manacles still persist. One prominent member of the gay community asked not to be interviewed, others were happy being interviewed but did not want their photographs published. Without exception it was gay men who were showing reticence. The reason being that they did not want to cause problems for their work colleagues. The expat lesbian community of Phnom Penh seems to be more out there.

As the issue evolved, it became clear that various members of the gay and lesbian community had differing views of the way they, and their sexuality, were perceived by the non-gay community here – although “curiosity” was a recurring theme. The katoy, or ladyboy, is well-rooted in Cambodian culture. Has this led to a stereotypical labelling of homosexuality that is ill-informed, and in the view of at least one person interviewed, a mockery of their very being?

Not since our Empowerment issue (AL#20) have I felt the same tingle of anticipation about how this issue will be received and perceived by you, our readers. It has been a long-time in coming. I thank all those who agreed to be interviewed for the cover story, and in particular to Johan for all his hard work. I have absolute confidence that you will find this issue particularly interesting and hope that we have helped to move the debate a little distance from the transsexual cliché. If you do wish to respond to the article and enter the debate as to what life in the Penh is like for gay expats, please join the debate on our forum at: www.asialifeguide.com. Who knows, maybe it will inspire me to start writing a novel again.