News
2006-08-29
Nepal sees first
public same-sex marriage
Cheered by scores
of wedding guests, two gay men exchanged garlands of
marigolds Saturday in the first public same-sex marriage
ce
Cheered by scores
of wedding guests, two gay men exchanged garlands of
marigolds Saturday in the first public same-sex marriage
ceremony in tradition-bound Nepali society. The
guests, mostly activists from gay and lesbian rights
groups and a few relatives, applauded as Anil Mahaju, 25,
and Diya Kashyap, 21, exchanged vows in Katmandu, Nepal's
capital.
The marriage,
however, will not receive official approval, as Nepalese
laws do not recognize same-sex unions, said Suni Pant, who
heads the Blue Diamond Society, a nongovernment
organization. There was no Hindu priest present to
conduct the wedding.
"They have
decided to get the marriage registered, but I think they
will have to wait for a new constitution that would
legitimize same-sex marriages," Pant said. Rights
groups are hoping a new constitution, currently being
prepared by experts, will provide Nepal's gays and
lesbians with civil rights.
Although there
are no official figures, Pant said there are around 20,000
gay men and 1,000 lesbians in Nepal, a country with a
population of about 25 million where gay sex is a
crime punishable by up to two years in prison under
public-offense laws. (AP)
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