Kathmandu: “I hardly got the opportunity to join politics, but my identity was not easily accepted. I fought in the elections but I didn’t get votes even from my family,” shared Shriya Thapa, a third gender who contested from Syangja district in the elections. “It was very painful. However my friends supported me. I was one, ten, a hundred and a thousand friends, who came out, I consider this to be a success.”
The treatment she experienced during her election campaign was painful for her, she shared. Incidents like stones hurled at her were commonplace for her. Now, she underscored the need for youths from the sexual and gender minorities to join politics to establish their rights.
The same bitter experience was shared by Aanik Rana, a third gender rights activist and president of Sahasik Kadam Nepal, a non-governmental organisation working for the rights of the sexual and gender minorities. She experienced that political parties had exploited the sexual and gender minorities only for their personal gains.
“I was made to join politics in 2068 BS, but in 2074, I realised that I was only used,” she said, “Our work was dearer to people, but why our work is not valued?” The parties should not consider us just a vote bank, she opined.
She vented her ire at not mentioning inclusivity anywhere despite the constitution guaranteeing equal rights for the communities. People from the communities believe that families and the society would accept them only when they are accepted politically.
“The family did not believe in me when I fought for the ward chair in the 2074 polls,” said Rana, “We from the communities will be accepted by the families, society and other sectors only when political parties accept us.”
They have however blamed the lack of accurate statistics of the sexual and gender minorities for accessing their rights in full-fledge.
“Why there is not exact data of the sexual and gender minorities? Everyone has reservation, where is reservation for us?” She asked, “As per our identity, at what age, the government gives allowance to us? I belong to all castes but I am separated from all.”
She highlighted the need for the effective presence of the sexual and gender minority communities in the 2084 elections. Mr Gay Handsome 2013 winner Bishworaj Adhikari mentioned that they wanted to enter politics not to lose but to gain.
“We want to get social, economic and political achievements along with our identity, although there is the need for the community to be aware politically. Let this generation be given the opportunity to live equally. The constitution of Nepal is liberal, and change-oriented, but it is sad that it has not been implemented in practice.”
Bishworaj, who has been in politics since college, is currently involved in a hotel business. “We should be strong financially. Political leaders only gave assurances, but they did not find a platform to show our skills,” he said, “If given the opportunity, we can also do it. It is important to understand that our progress will lead to the progress of Nepal as a whole.”
Mr Gay Handsome 2017 winner Manil Singh, who previously served as General Secretary of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, shared that he faced many difficulties in the society due to his gender identity.
He remembers being mistreated by his fellow community members. “We don’t just want rights on paper. Instead, we need their implementation.”
Debendra Bahadur Khatri (Madhu), a sexual minority activist and Vice President of Mayako Pahichan Nepal (MPN), a non-governmental organisation advocating for the rights of the sexual and gender minorities, expressed his aim of joining politics in the future.
“I can strongly contribute to my community, society and country. I can be the voice for the voiceless. “I can contribute to the development of the country, but there is no suitable environment,” he said.
Meanwhile, MPN has launched a five-year plan with the aim of political inclusion of the sexual and gender minorities. The project is supported by the European Union.
Wishing the project success, Veronique Lorenzo, the EU Ambassador to Nepal, said that the issue of gender and sexual minorities is a matter of human rights. EU will support human rights and inclusion, she added.
What are the project’s objectives?
The project aims to get at least 300 people from the sexual and gender minority communities enter politics, and represent them at the policy making level of the state through upcoming election participation, said MPN.
Under the project, training sessions will be organised in all the seven provinces of the country, and the selected people will be provided with a one-month residential training in Kathmandu, and be trained on political perspectives, Nepal’s political history, philosophy, international political developments, trends, etc.
During the period of five years, along with the study of politics, and political parties, the participants will learn basic fundamentals like the electoral system, proportional representation, rules and acts by creating an advocacy forum involving former and sitting parliamentarians, and advocates.
Similarly, they will get mentorship from political leaders and initiatives be taken for their participation in political parties, and those participating in leadership development training will inspire community members to join politics. Issues will be discussed monthly, making them public debates.
In order to establish the rights of sexual and gender minority communities from the local, provincial and central levels, discussions will be organised at the policy-making level, and they will be informed about matters like budget allocation, lawsuits to include communities in clusters, and legal treatment in case of gender-based problems raised during elections. Required assistances will be provided during elections.
Sunil Babu Pant, Asia’s first openly gay former parliamentarian of Nepal and the MPN Executive Director, expressed the hope that the five-year project will be fruitful in establishing the rights of sexual and gender minority communities.
Expressing his hope that this political campaign and the movement to establish their rights will be able to remove obstacles within the political parties they are facing, he said, “Politics is a broad field, it is not easy. Those involved in it may even have to compromise on some issues, we should also be prepared for that. This will be the first batch to enter politics. In the great task of establishing rights and giving respect for the communities, this generation should leave a political mark and make great achievements to future generations.”
On the occasion, former Member of Parliament and Dalit rights activist Binod Pahadi stressed the need to take this issue to the policy level of political parties, to heartily work on this issue, and for the communities to move ahead with leadership development.
He emphasised economic empowerment of the communities as a powerful tool to end discrimination against them.
Also, Santosh Chalise, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, highlighted that the communities themselves should take action for their political participation.
