THE Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal in December 2007 ruled that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and inter-sex individuals (LGBTIs) are natural people and entitled to enjoy all fundamental rights of a Nepali citizen but, unfortunately, we still have a lot of ground to cover before the society accepts them as ‘normal’ members of our community. This is a clear pointer that laws alone will not suffice to address the plight of LGBTIs.
There’s no doubt that laws protecting LGBTIs are important for it has played a positive role in encouraging them to come out in the open. Following the SC ruling, atrocities against them by the police have also come down but we still have a long way to go in order to bring about a shift in the psyche of people who look upon LGBTIs with discriminatory eyes.
What is needed is effective and strong sensitization programs, which inform people that LGBTIs are perfectly ‘normal’ and that any form of discrimination against them is breach of law.
Blue Diamond Society (BDS) deserves mention here for playing a crucial role in uplifting the plight of LGBTIs. BDS has been helping thousands of LGBTIs by conducting vocational training workshops in its offices. Sunil Babu Pant, founder of BDS and the first gay Constituent Assembly member, is also lobbying hard to ensure that the rights of the community are included in the new constitution. We should do our part by supporting organizations such as these.
Though the SC’s momentous decision has played a big part in boosting the confidence of LGBTIs, two important demands of the community still remain unaddressed: Legalizing same sex marriage and recognition of the transgender identity. Probably, Nepal can take some cues from a recent ruling by India’s Delhi High Court decriminalizing homosexuality. We hope that our government will soon take up these issues and start deliberations on them.
It is imperative to understand that our fight is essentially against the stigma associated with LGBTIs. Unless this is tackled head on, LGBTIs will continue to remain reluctant to come out in the open with their psychological, social and medical problems.
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