Rebroadcast: Sunil Babu Pant on The Road [Bumps] to Marriage Equality in Nepal

Namaste and Happy Pride Month! The pursuit of marriage equality in Nepal has experienced both progress and setbacks over the last 15 years. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of full rights for LGBT individuals. However, significant delays followed, with temporary registration of same-sex marriages only beginning in 2023. A year later, in April 2024, Nepal finally legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Although this marks substantial progress, with lingering legal ambiguities and the urgent need for broader social acceptance, Nepal has a long way to go. As we are at the end of Pride month, for today's episode, we are rebroadcasting a conversation between former PEI colleague Tsedon Kansakar and Sunil Babu Pant on marriage equality in Nepal. They discuss Pant's firsthand experience with the landmark 2007 case Sunil Babu Pant and Others V. GoN, which sought equal marriage rights. They also explore the broader significance of marriage equality for human rights, society, and the economy. Sunil Babu Pant is the founder of the Blue Diamond Society, an LGBTQ rights organization in Nepal, and Asia's first openly gay national legislator. As a member of parliament, he championed equal justice, civil, and economic rights for the Queer community. He led the landmark Supreme Court case that decriminalized homosexuality and recognized a third gender in Nepali citizenship. Now, he continues to advocate for these causes as an activist. We hope you enjoy the conversation! If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: ⁠⁠⁠Of Policies and Politics⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠ to support us on Patreon!!