Local authorities in a Nepali village officially registered the country’s inaugural same-sex marriage on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in the largely conservative nation.
The marriage, involving 36-year-old Ram Bahadur (Maya) Gurung, who identifies as female despite being born male, and 26-year-old Surendra Pandey, who identifies as male, was recorded at the Dordi rural municipality office in the Lumjung district of west Nepal.
The couple, content in their nine-year relationship, previously underwent a Hindu marriage ceremony in 2016 in Kathmandu. The registration, facilitated by a Supreme Court interim order issued in June, garnered praise from Sunil Babu Pant, founder of the Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s leading LGBTQ+ rights organization, highlighting the victory for sexual and gender minorities.
This historic step, the first of its kind in South Asia, enables same-sex couples to enjoy equal rights, including joint bank accounts and property ownership. Notably, Taiwan stands as the only other Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. Nepal’s progressive trajectory, evolving since the end of a decade-long Maoist insurgency in 2006, reflects broader societal changes, including the abolition of the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy in 2008.
The current prime minister, once a Maoist chief commander, now leads a coalition government in collaboration with the centrist Nepali Congress party.
