Nepal records its first marriage between same sex couple

Nepal recently had its first same-sex marriage after a long legal fight by the couple and activists.

Officials in Lumjung district officially registered the marriage of Maya Gurung, 35, and Surendra Pandey, 27, on Wednesday.

It happened five months after the Supreme Court said that same-sex couples can get married.

Taiwan is the only country in Asia where people of the same sex can get married.

Ms Gurung said to the media that the couple’s registration was a very important day, not just for them, but for all people who are part of sexual minorities.

“Fighting for rights is hard. ” We did it. “And future generations will find it easier,” she said. “The registration has given us many opportunities to do new things. ”

The couple wanted to open a bank account together and share ownership of the land they bought. However, their main goal is to bring a child into their family once they have more money.

They have been together for nearly ten years. The couple got married in a temple in 2017. This year, they wanted their marriage to be officially recognized by the law.

Ms Gurung is a woman who was born a man, but she has not updated her official documents to show that she is now a woman. Pandey was born as a boy and says he is a boy.

On 13 July, a court in Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu, said they could not record their marriage even though the Supreme Court had told the government to do so until they changed the law.

The district court said that other courts didn’t have to do what the order said, because it only applied to the government.

On Wednesday, Hem Raj Kafle, who is in charge of the Dordi rural municipality, said to Reuters that they gave a marriage certificate to the couple because they had to follow the Supreme Court’s order and the government’s instructions.

Sunil Babu Pant, a leader for LGBT rights, thought the moment was a big win for sexual and gender minorities.

“We can now get married like other couples. ” “We need to do more to gain additional rights,” he said to the BBC.