After the Supreme Court granted an interim decision paving the door for gay marriage for the first time in the highly conservative nation, same-sex couples in Nepal announced on Friday that they were getting ready to register their nuptials.
In response to a plea by gay rights advocates, the Supreme Court granted an interim decision on Wednesday enabling same-sex couples to register their marriages while the matter is still being decided.
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The leader of the homosexual rights group Blue Diamond Society, Pinky Gurung, called the ruling “a very significant and historic one.”
About 200 same-sex couples were anticipated to “come out openly and register their marriages,” according to Gurung.
Majority-Hindu Nepal has advanced more than ever since the Maoist insurrection, which lasted ten years, was put an end to in 2006. Political parties decided to end the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy, which was a fundamental demand of the Maoists, two years later.
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Only Taiwan recognizes homosexual marriage in Asia, but demand is mounting for change in Japan, Thailand, and South Korea as well.
The Supreme Court of Nepal ruled in 2007 that the government must stop discriminating against LGBT individuals and implement policies to ensure equal rights.
Since then, several same-sex couples have wed informally, and Kathmandu, the nation’s capital, has hosted LGBT pride parades.
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However, campaigners claim that there is still ambiguity in the law and that individuals still risk abuse from their families and communities as well as prejudice in schools, offices of government, and hospitals.
Another LGBT person, Maya Gurung, claimed that being allowed to legally register a marriage would assist in overcoming a number of challenges.
In reference to her longtime boyfriend Surendra Pandey, Gurung remarked, “We will now approach the authorities to formally register our marriage.”
But it could take some time for this.
Gopal Sharma reported; Robert Birsel edited.