A Temporary Setback to Gay Rights in Nepal?

by Juliet Blalack · 2010-02-25 06:30:00 UTC
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NepalNepal's seemingly unstoppable push for LGBT rights hit a roadblock this month when Maoist members of the Nepali Parliament threatened to strike if parliamentarian Sunil Babu Pant went forward with the First Asian Symposium on Gay and Lesbian Tourism.

Correction: The Maoists called the strike for separate political reasons. Pant then called off the symposium because he thought the country would be too chaotic during the strike.

Travel and tour companies from across the globe were scheduled to attend, and openly gay Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil was to be the guest of honor. Pant also planned to host the wedding of Gohil to his Nepali partner at a later date. The wedding would announce the legalization of same sex marriage in Nepal -- and would roll out the welcome mat for LGBT tourists.

"We officially want to welcome gay and lesbian visitors, who think Nepal is conservative. This is a huge opportunity for Nepal because no one has tapped this market," Pant told The Nepali Times.

UPDATE: Nepal started their tourism campaign today, February 26th, under a no-strike agreement. There is no news as to whether the symposium was rescheduled or not.

It's unclear what exactly the Maoist party objected to about the symposium.  The Nepali parliament passed comprehensive nondiscrimination laws in 2007, when the Maoists were about as dominant in the legislature as they are now. The Nepali same-sex marriage law is still set to be ratified.

As the Maoists are the single largest party -- filling 40% of the legislature's seats -- their cooperation is necessary to keep the government together. Nepal just came out of a ten-year civil war that ended when it changed from a monarchy to a republic in 2008.

Despite this setback, Pant is still encouraging LGBT tourists to visit Nepal, and runs a tour company geared toward LGBT travelers.

Photo credit: emifaulk

Juliet Blalack writes about LGBT rights, with a focus on international issues. She previously lived in Cairo, Egypt.
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