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Nepal LGBT Parade: LGBT Activists Demand Constitutional Rights

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 04:19 PST, Aug 31, 2015

Nepal’s LGBT parade was full of activists demanding constitutional rights for the members of the LGBT community.

The Pride parade is an annual event that takes place each year in Kathmandu. This year, more than 500 activists showed up to bring attention to the constitution, and what changes needed to be made to protect LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) individuals, according to Curve Magazine.

“Our main demand is that the rights of the sexual minorities should be guaranteed in the new constitution,” said Pinky Gurung of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group in Nepal, Watermark Online reports.

The parade participants want the guarantee of same-sex marriage in the constitution, along with same-sex couples’ rights to adopt, buy joint property, open joint bank accounts, and inherit from one another. While there is no current word on how the parade affected the government and lawmakers in recent years, Nepal has been making some major headway when it comes to LGBT rights.

In 2007, homosexuality was officially legalized in Nepal, although it remains illegal in many South Asian countries. Last year, the country started issuing passports with an “other” category for those individuals who did not want to identify as male or female. The Nepalese government has also been issuing citizenship certificates to those who identify themselves as “third gender.” However, many members of sexual minorities say the country still has a long way to go, noting that although the special passports were created, they are very hard to get.

The current draft of the constitution is in the process of being finalized by the Constituent Assembly. However, there are several topics of discussion that the political parties have not been able to agree on.

“They have gone back on the idea of federalism, they have instituted a discriminatory citizenship provision for women, they have quashed inclusive provisions agreed earlier in the Constituent Assembly, and they are on the verge of dropping the word secularism.”

Along with Gai Jatra, #Nepal celebrated the fifth annual Pride Parade on Monday. http://t.co/hDLnTYOdt8 pic.twitter.com/8tek0TPjtV

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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