Understanding and Challenging Stigma toward ... - Pact Cambodia

A10
When the Family Discovers
that their Son Is a
Man who Has Sex with Men
Example Stories: These stories are just examples to give you an idea of
what groups might come up with. These stories could also be used as
case studies for groups to read, discuss and analyze.
Story 1: Father, mother, two sons and one daughter. The second son, Sorya, as he
grew up, liked to play with girls and loved to wear girls’ dresses. When he became
a teenager, he started to spend a lot of time with other MSM. One day the father
found Sorya getting dressed as a woman and he got very angry. He forced the
boy to cut his hair short and to dress like a man. He used to beat him and shout
at him to “act like a man,” and blamed him for destroying the family reputation.
Eventually, when he saw that nothing was
working, he kicked Sorya out of the house
and told him to find his own home.
Sorya was very sad and confused. He
loved his parents, but realized he now
had to fend for himself. He decided to
stay with friends who were also
MSM. He was desperate for love
from other MSM, so he was not
careful in getting them to use
condoms. He thought that if he asked
them to use condoms they would
say he didn’t trust them. One day
he developed rash on his bum.
He went to the clinic to get it
treated, but the clinic staff gave
him funny looks and kept him waiting a long time, so eventually he left and
went for treatment at an NGO clinic. The NGO gave him counseling and
encouraged him to reconnect with his family. So he went back to meet his
parents and help them understand. The parents agreed to allow him to move
back home and to continue his education at school.
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