Building an inclusive space for the LGBTQIA+ community

When Australian-born Jason Argenta moved to Siem Reap more than a decade ago, he quickly realised there were few safe, welcoming spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. He set to work creating a drop-in centre — and Beautiful Life Organisation (BLO) was born.

‘It was just supposed to be a cute little safe space that would be open in the evenings, but over the years it has turned into a big, beautiful, gay monster!’ Jason says.

Open every day and staffed with local LGBTQIA+ community members, BLO offers sexual health support, counselling services, skill-building workshops and social activities like karaoke and movie nights.

As BLO grew in popularity, its success was organic rather than planned — and Jason began to see the need for more structure and strategy.

‘We built a fun, creative, reliable space, but we needed some professional help to ensure we were up to scratch and able to access ongoing funding. When we heard about the Australian Volunteers Program, we quickly applied to get our own volunteer,’ explains Jason.

Graeme Brown saw the opportunity to support BLO with the Australian Volunteers Program and eagerly responded. Having spent more than 20 years volunteering in Cambodia with marginalised groups, he recognised the potential of BLO’s mission.

Graeme joined the team in 2024 as a Fundraising and Organisational Development Mentor, helping staff clarify their goals and map out a plan to achieve them.

An inclusive approach

‘My approach was to go slow and offer options or possible ways forward, leaving BLO to decide and have ownership,’ Graeme says.

Jason appreciated Graeme’s inclusive and patient approach as the team started thinking beyond the day-to-day running of the centre.

‘We knew we needed to level up, but we weren’t sure what we needed to do … Graeme was very patient with us and always made sure that everyone had input and was fully across what was happening.’

During his assignment, Graeme guided long-term partnership proposals with donors including Plan International and helped BLO secure an AUD$10,000 grant to promote gender equality. He worked with the team to co-develop staff policies, a finance manual, a global budget, and inclusive practices — including a trans-inclusion project and a safeguarding policy aligned with Australian standards.

The results were immediate: visits to the centre increased by more than 1,000 in a single year, BLO delivered more workshops, and community events expanded in scope and reach.

Paving the way for a sustainable future

Graeme also helped BLO strengthen their governance — researching legal requirements for local NGOs, ensuring compliance, and supporting a transition to local leadership.

‘I remember how Graeme broached this topic,’ recalls Jason. ‘He said, “Now, let’s talk about the kangaroo in the room!” I had been the Acting Director mostly by default as BLO lacked staff, but Graeme helped us move to local leadership and update our by-laws to be in line with how we were operating.’

This shift paved the way for deeper community ownership. 'Thanks to the foundation built by Jason and the incredible support from Graeme through the Australian Volunteers Program, BLO is stepping into a new era of local leadership,' says BLO Executive Director Sivat Prom.

‘Now, Siem Reap’s LGBTQIA+ community are advising and steering the work of BLO more and more,’ says Graeme. ‘The future is looking good.’

Jason wholeheartedly agrees: ‘I don’t know where we would be if Graeme hadn’t come along! I always had a blind sort of confidence that we would make it because we were offering a necessary and beneficial service. But I was investing a lot of my own money to prop it up and keep it going.

‘Now, we’re juggling several donor-supported projects, we have money in our general fund — which was totally unheard of before — as well as specific roles, job descriptions, an organisational structure and policies. Most importantly, we have a strong confidence that we’ll be able to continue providing our services to the community for as long as they’re needed.’

'As Executive Director, my commitment is to ensure that the voices of Siem Reap’s LGBTQIA+ community continue to shape our programs, priorities, and path forward,' adds Sivat Prom.