Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung show off their marriage certificate at the Dordi rural municipality office. Image: MADHAV DULAL/BBC
First same-sex marriage in Nepal lauded as LGBT rights victory.
Activists in Nepal celebrated the first same-sex marriage as a triumph for LGBT rights.
Wednesday saw the official registration of Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey’s marriage in the western Lamjung district. Gurung is 35 years old and Pandey is 27.
This comes five months after a temporary restraining order permitting same-sex marriage registration was granted by the Supreme Court.
Other than Taiwan, no Asian country has decriminalized same-sex marriage.
According to Ms. Gurung’s interview with the reporter, the couple’s registration was a “big day” for all sexual minorities, not only them.
It is not simple to fight for rights. It is complete. In addition, she promised that it will be simpler for generations to come. “The registration has opened doors to a lot of things for us.”
The pair had previously shown an interest in establishing a joint bank account and dividing up the newly acquired property. Once their financial situation improves, though, they hope to adopt a kid.
For over ten years, they have been a couple. They got married in a religious ceremony in 2017 and have been trying to get their marriage recognized legally since this year.
Ms. Gurung has not had her gender altered on any official documents, despite being a transsexual woman. Despite his gender identity, Mr. Pandey was born a man.
Despite a Supreme Court judgement directing the government to register such unions while new legislation is created, a district court in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, declined to do so on July 13th.
The lower courts were not obligated to comply with the ruling, according to the district court, as it was only addressed at the administration.
His statement to Reuters on Wednesday read: “We have issued the marriage registration certificate to the couple in consideration of the Supreme Court order and instructions from relevant government authorities.”
Sunil Babu Pant, a prominent figure in the fight for LGBT rights, hailed the event as a “historic” triumph for marginalized sexual and gender identities.