“It’s a victory, not just for us, but for all couples like ours,” reacted the bride and groom.
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Nepal has recognized the marriage of a first LGBT+ couple in the country. Maya Gurung, a 41-year-old transgender woman, and Surendra Pandey, a 27-year-old man, who were married in 2017 in a Hindu ceremony, obtained their marriage certificate on Wednesday, November 29 in a locality in the central district of Lamjung. “We are very happy and proud. It has finally happened”reacted Maya Gurung to AFP. “This is a victory, not just for us, but for all couples like ours.”
In June, Nepal’s Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing transgender and same-sex couples to have their marriages recognized. She called on the government to create a new temporary register for these unions, pending appropriate legislation.
“This is a victory after a decades-long battle for marriage equality.”
Sunil Babu Pant, activist for LGBT+ rightsto AFP
And to continue: “Maya and Surendra have made history. This is a major event for us.”
Nepal has some of South Asia’s most progressive legislation on gay and transgender rights, including seminal reforms dating from 2007 that prohibit discrimination by gender or based on sexual orientation. Since 2015, it has also delivered passports with the mention “others” for gender categories, no longer limiting the choice to “male or female”. The LGBT+ community in Nepal, of more than 900,000 members, nevertheless remains the victim of discrimination, particularly in employment, health and education.
