Sunil Babu Pant on The Roadbumps to Marriage Equality in Nepal

#Ep.052 Last week, the Supreme Court issued an order enabling the temporary registration of marriages for same-sex couples, citing its ignorance so far as unconstitutional. While the order is definitely one in the direction of progress for the LGBTQ community, the gesture pales when one realizes that the struggle for marriage equality has a stagnant history of over 15 years in Nepal. The Supreme Court issued a similar order for equal rights back in 2008. Instead of implementation, the community is handed another court order and is now, again, in wait. In this episode, former PEI colleague Tsedon Kansakar is in conversation with Sunil Babu Pant to discuss the history and status of marriage equality in Nepal. The two draw upon Pant’s first-hand experience to recall the landmark 2007 case Sunil Babu Pant and Others V. GoN, which pleaded for, among other things, equal rights to marriage. They then explore the significance of marriage equality not only in terms of human rights but also society and the economy. Sunil Babu Pant is the founder of the Blue Diamon Society, an LGBTQ rights organization in Nepal. Pant is also the first openly gay national-level legislator in Asia. As a member of parliament, hIs legislative goals included equal justice, civil, and economic rights for the Qeer community. He led the landmark supreme court case that decriminalized homosexuality and added a different category of third gender in Nepali citizenship. He now continues to push forward those agendas as an activist.