LGBT Rights in Nepal

Human beings are one of the amazing creatures of this universe. Every Human is unique and different from each other. In terms of behavior, choice, lifestyle, thoughts, there is a diversification among every human. In terms of sexuality, too there is a variation among the patterns of sexual attraction. Generally, it is thought that there are only 2 sexes I.e. male and female. But, there is a large portion of population which doesn't identify themselves as either Male or Female. In this article, we will be discussing about that portion of population that is different from Male and Female. Today, we will be discussing about rarely talked topic, LGBT.

LGBT Rally

What is LGBT?

It is said that " Sex is biologically constructed whereas Gender is socially constructed ".   When a child is born in a family, it is a assigned as a particular sex according to the biological sex organ present in the body.  However, as the child grows, the child may/ may not feel comfortable with the Gender assigned by the society. Normally, Gender are assigned as either male or female and the behavior of the people emotionally  will also be similar as their assigned Gender. But, in the case of a portion of population,  the gender that was assigned as Male notices himself as a feminine person. He finds himself totally as a female in every aspects like behavior, emotions and feelings. He likes to wear the dress of the female and totally enjoys it. He finds naturally easier to talk with female friends rather than male mates. After reaching to the Teenage, he puts long hair, artificial breast structures, tight shorts and behaves completely as a female. Such persons are called " Transwoman ". Transwoman are the persons who were assigned as man at the birth but they identify themselves as Woman. Similarly, there are also other Trans groups, i.e. Transman. Transman are the persons who were assigned as woman at their birth but they identify themselves as man. Transman and Transwoman, both are commonly called as Transgenders.

What does LGBT?

Many persons assume that, in terms of sexual attraction, there is opposite sexual attraction and the sexual attraction is only between Male and Female. But, as seen in nature there are 100s of species that are attracted to the same sex in unique sexual behaviors. They are called Homosexuals. From the ancient times, Homosexuality is seen in humans too. 

• It means there are a lot of people who are Female and their sexual attraction is towards Female. They are called " Lesbians ". 
• Similarly, there are a lot of people who are Male and their sexual attraction is towards Male. They are called " Gay ". 
• Similarly, there are people that are attracted towards both male and female, they are called " Bisexuals ". 
• Person born either as a man or woman but identify theemselves as opposite sex are considered as "Transgender".  
• So, LGBT collectively refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenders.

The presence of these types of behaviors can be cited from ancient religious scriptures to the modern psychological literatures with a lot of controversies. Many people still assume that " Homosexuality is unnatural and it is against the laws of procreation ". They argue that homosexuality is mental disorder. Not strange, World Health Organization (WHO) had also listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. But, with the advancements in the researches, WHO regretfully removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 1992. 

LGBT Status in Nepal

As of report, published by Blue Diamond Society, there are more than 9,00,000 LGBT people living in Nepal. LGBT communities are one of the most suppressed communities in the human society. Influenced by religious orthodox, so called social norms, values and disciplines, many people consider LGBT as abnormal. Transgender people are often considered as a source of joke and are misbehaved with the words like " Chhakka", " Hijra " .They are commonly kicked out of their homes at their early teenage due to their different behavior. In Schools, they are misbehaved and bullied by their friends and teachers and most are restricted from school. Due, to which the education status of Transgenders in developing countries like Nepal is very low which directly affects the Human Development Index (HDI) of the community. Similarly, " Marriage " and " Relationships " are considered as the most important and fundamental aspect. In countries like Nepal, where there are lots of taboos and beliefs considering Marriage, same sex marriage and relationship is not accepted by majority of the parents. Due, to which the emotions of homosexuals are crushed socially. Sadly, there is a high rate of suicide observed among these communities.

LGBT Rights in Nepal

Despite of the hatred and suppression done by the society, there are rays of hopes for the LGBT community. The political change after the People's movement in 2007, legalized homosexuality in Nepal. Similarly, the Constitution of Nepal- 2072 which is considered as one of the most inclusive and progressive constitution of the World has addressed the issues of these community. There are some provisions like the right to have their preferred gender display on their identity cards. Similarly, there is a prohibition on discrimination on any ground including sex or sexual orientation by the State or  by anyone. The substitution of gender-neutral terms for the previous "male", "female", "son", and "daughter" is granted. Also, The right of access to state process and public services for gender and sexual minorities