Kathmandu:
Nepal formally registered same-sex marriage on Wednesday, five months after its Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. With this, Nepal has become the first South Asian country to do so. According to Sanjib Gurung (Pinky), president of the Blue Diamond Society, an organization working for the rights and welfare of sexual minorities in Nepal, 35-year-old trans-woman Maya Gurung and 27-year-old gay Surendra Pandey. Legally married and their marriage is registered in Dordi Rural Municipality, Lamjung District, Western Nepal.
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Nepal’s Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage in 2007. The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, also clearly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. On June 27, 2023, the Supreme Court issued an interim order legalizing gay marriage on a writ petition filed by several people, including Gurung. But despite the historic order to temporarily register same-sex marriages, a Kathmandu district court rejected the move four months ago, citing the absence of the necessary legislation. At that time Surendra Pandey and Maya’s marriage proposal was rejected.
Speaking to ‘PTI-Bhasha’, Pinky said, “I am very happy to know about this, it is a big achievement for the third gender community of Nepal. This is the first case not only in Nepal but in entire South Asia and we welcome this decision. Surendra, a resident of Nawalparasi district and Maya, a resident of Lamjung district, have been living together as husband and wife for the past six years and got married traditionally with the consent of their families.
“There are many third-sex couples who are living without their identity and rights and this will help them a lot,” Pinky said, adding that the door is now open for others from this community to legalize their marriages. “At present their marriage is registered temporarily and once the necessary laws are in place it will automatically get permanent recognition,” Pinky said.
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