Sunil Pant (above center) has taken an invisible minority in the conservative land out of the shadows, having secured a Supreme Court ruling affirming gay and transgender rights.
KATMANDU, NEPAL -- Just eight years ago, Sunil Pant wondered whether there was anyone else in this Himalayan land like him. To his engineer's mind, it was a riddle to be solved, and he methodically set about doing so.
Pant planted himself in Katmandu's biggest park and handed out free condoms, seeking to help
curb the rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, through subtle conversations, he teased out an answer to his ulterior question: Were there other gays and lesbians out there?Not only was the answer an emphatic yes, but from the ad hoc beginnings sprang what is the most successful gay rights movement in South Asia.
In less than a decade, Pant's Blue Diamond Society has scaled massive heights in a nation known mostly as the home of Mt. Everest. Despite deep-seated social conservatism, the group has won a landmark Supreme Court anti-discrimination ruling, chalked up support for gay rights from two of the biggest political parties and garnered international accolades.
Read the rest in the LA Times.
LifeLube went to Kathmandu a couple of months ago. Check out our flickr pics (like the one above.)
No comments:
Post a Comment