LGBT Rights in Cambodia - Marriage and Partnership Recognition

Marriage and Partnership Recognition

In February 2004, the issue of gay rights in Cambodia was discussed by then King-Father Norodom Sihanouk. King Sihanouk wrote on his web site he was impressed by marriage of same-sex partners in San Francisco, and that if his people wished for gay marriage to be legalized in Cambodia, he would do so. King Sihanouk also stated that he believed that God views homosexuals, as well as transvestites, as equal because " wide range of tastes".

The king's position conflicts with the acting Prime Minister who publicly disowned and disinherited his adoptive daughter because she was a lesbian and had married another woman .

The Constitution defines marriage to only be between a man and a woman, same-sex marriage can still be officiated over in religious ceremonies. In one case of partnership recognition Khav Sokha and Pum Eth were married on 12 March 1995, in the village of Kro Bao Ach Kok, in Kandal Province, where they are from. Sokha said in an interview to the Phnom Penh Post, "The authorities thought it was strange, but they agreed to tolerate it because I have three children already (from a previous marriage). They said that if we were both single (and childless), we would not be allowed to get married because we could not produce children". Thus, it is a fully acknowledged marriage, with official approval, and there was not really any reaction to it. It was a popular event, with 250 people coming to the ceremony and partying, including Buddhist monks and high officials from the Province.(Juan Pablo Ordóñez – May 1996)