REGIONAL
‘Third Sex’ Becomes a Political Force As the political landscape of Nepal changes, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders make unprecedented gains in the halls of power By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR / KATHMANDU
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TheIrrawaddy
PHOTOS: REUTERS
Leninist), or UML, are among those n this capital city, ringed by hills, who have trooped there with a more neighborhoods are marked by progressive vision in mind: seeking the weight of neglect. The office prospective candidates to contest the of the Blue Diamond Society polls. It marks the latest embrace by (BDS), a group championing the cause mainstream politics of an increasingly of sexual minorities, is based in one vocal and visible sexual minority concrumbling setting. To get there, one stituency. journeys down a rocky road and a “A couple of dozen parties have narrow winding lane, both of which are shown interest in our members,” torn apart by potholes and muddy pools reveals Sunil Babu Pant, the head of of water. It occupies an unremarkable, the BDS, a day after he had met a UML two-story building, set behind a rustdelegation in his top-floor office. “This covered gate. Facing the BDS’s office is certainly a big change for us, to be is an open field littered with garbage. approached this way. They see us as Until the middle of this year, a legitimate and influential group in the only people familiar with such national politics.” surroundings were the ones who Mr. Pant, who became Nepal’s regularly made the journey there— first openly gay lawmaker in the first Nepal’s eclectic mix of lesbians, gays, CA, has already joined the UML, one bisexuals and trangsgenders (LGBT). of the country’s larger establishment But not anymore. This everyday scene parties, which has more social of Nepal’s city life has become the democrat leanings than the gun-toting setting for a remarkable political turn in the Himalayan nation. The clues lie in the unusual attention the building that houses BDS is attracting. The visitors dropping by to engage with the LGBT crowd are functionaries from the country’s major political parties. And it is not just to campaign for votes in the run-up to a planned election for the second Constituent Assembly (CA) on Nov. 19. More importantly, apparatchiks of the Communist Party of Sunil Babu Panta, Nepal’s first openly gay lawmaker. Nepal (Unified Marxist-
revolutionaries, such as the Maoists. An equally high-profile transgender figure, Bhumika Shrestha, has been sworn in to swell the ranks of the Nepali Congress, a first for the oldest political party in the country. The list of LGBT candidates is expected to grow as the contestant lists are finalized. Already, over 60 LGBT contenders have declared their political intent through the BDS. These 28 lesbians, 21 gays and 12 transgenders are eying constituencies they are familiar with in 31 districts. “We have assured them that our election manifesto will accommodate their concerns, such as third-gender rights,” Pradeep Gyawali, a UML politburo member, told The Irrawaddy. “It is quite amazing that Nepal has made this progress about the thirdgender community. No political party thought this way 10 years ago; not even the society.” Such a sea change is a remarkable achievement for three reasons. Nepal, after all, is a predominantly Hindu country known for its discriminating caste structure. Even now, it is common to hear of an upper-caste Brahmin refusing to shake hands with Dalits, members of a lower-caste group known as “the untouchables,” out fear of being “polluted.” Other extreme examples of such minority discrimination abound, like Dalits being forbidden to enter upper-caste houses from the front. There has also been no religious backlash by social conservatives. Such a tolerant response stands out in South Asia, where waves of religious fundamentalism—Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic—are on the rise. In neighboring India, home to the world’s largest Hindu population, religious groups led the charge to challenge a court ruling to decriminalize homosexuality in 2010. The other reason for cheer is political. The inroads made by the “third genders,” as the LGBT minority is called here, is a progressive step in a country that has been stuck midway in its plans for reform. The first CA was elected with the promise of drafting a new republican constitution. It followed a historic change in what was once the world’s only Hindu kingdom. The 240-year-old monarchy was abolished on May 28, 2008, at the inaugural session of the 601-member national assembly. That came on the tails of a groundbreaking peace
October 2013