Login

Forget Password?
Login With Facebook
Don't Have An Account? Sign Up

Sign Up

Already Have An Account? Login
Read Our Privacy Policy
Back to Login
  • National
  • Politics
  • Valley
  • Opinion
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle

  • National
    • Madhesh Province
    • Lumbini Province
    • Bagmati Province
    • National Security
    • Koshi Province
    • Gandaki Province
    • Karnali Province
    • Sudurpaschim Province
  • Politics
  • Valley
    • Kathmandu
    • Lalitpur
    • Bhaktapur
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • As it is
    • Letters
    • Editorial
    • Cartoon
  • Money
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • International Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Brunch with the Post
    • Movies
    • Life & Style
    • Theater
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Fashion
  • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Investigations
  • Climate & Environment
  • World
  • Science & Technology
  • Interviews
  • Visual Stories
  • Crosswords & Sudoku
  • Horoscope
  • Forex
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Today's ePaper
Saturday, August 23, 2025

Without Fear or FavourUNWIND IN STYLE

23.65°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 47
300+Hazardous
0-50Good
51-100Moderate
101-150Unhealty for Sensitive Groups
151-200Unhealthy
201-300Very Unhealthy
Sat, Aug 23, 2025
23.65°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 47
  • What's News :

  • India-China deal on Lipulekh
  • Vegetable prices rise
  • Education bill passed on
  • Taklakot
  • Nepali Musicians
  • Land bill endorsement

National

National Human Rights Commission recommends that Nepal legalise same-sex marriage

The commission, in a report released Wednesday, said that while Nepal has made progress in ensuring LGBTIQ rights, it has yet to ensure full legal rights to queer individuals.National Human Rights Commission recommends that Nepal legalise same-sex marriage
bookmark
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • mail
Binod Ghimire
Published at : July 1, 2020
Updated at : July 1, 2020 17:00
Kathmandu

The National Human Rights Commission has said that it is unfortunate that same-sex marriage has not been legalised in the country even though it has been five years since an expert committee recommended legalisation.

The constitutional human rights watchdog, in a report made public on Wednesday, recommended that the government start opening legal channels for same-sex marriage, which has so far been legalised in 29 countries other countries.

As mandated by a landmark 2007 Supreme Court verdict, an expert team formed to study the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage in Nepal had recommended, in 2015, that the government lift legal restrictions preventing marriage between two individuals of the same sex.

“While it is positive that the government has started providing citizenship and passports under the ‘O’, or ‘other’, gender category, it is unfortunate that no steps have been taken to implement the report of the expert team formed as per the Supreme Court verdict,” reads the study report on sexual minorities released on Wednesday.

The December 2007 Supreme Court verdict had not just acknowledged the rights of sexual minorities, but also directed the government to make necessary arrangements—including new laws or amendments to existing ones—to ensure that people of different gender identities and sexual orientations could enjoy their rights without discrimination.

While Nepal is often hailed as a progressive beacon of LGBTIQ individuals in the region, its comparatively progressive laws have yet to trickle down into mainstream society. Queer individuals, particularly transgenders, continue to face harassment, discrimination and violence. A planned amendment to the Citizenship Act is also considering requiring proof of gender reassignment before allowing transgender individuals to claim citizenship under their new identity.

According to the human rights commission, only 170 individuals have so far received citizenship under the ‘O’ category. Similarly, 1,500 identified themselves under the ‘other’ category in the 2011 national census. These figures don’t represent the actual population of the LGBTIQ community, according to the commission. It, therefore, has recommended all three tiers of governments to ensure that no transgender people are excluded in the national census being conducted next year.

The Central Bureau of Statistics has already started preparations for the census, which is conducted every 10 years. The commission has concluded that the transgender community continues to face significant discrimination in society and the three levels of government haven’t yet taken adequate measure to ensure their rights.

The constitutional watchdog recommended that the federal government promulgate a special Act by incorporating provisions for “positive discrimination” to the transgender community and provide scholarships and hostel facilities up to higher education. It has also recommended the creation of a fund to financially support those who are willing to undergo gender reassignment surgery. 


Binod Ghimire

Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.


Related News

Lipulekh: Nepal sends diplomatic notes to India, China
Supreme Court clears way to probe 2009 Madhesh uprising killings
KOICA completes 30 years in Nepal
Survivors of 2007 Gaur killings pursue justice for nearly two decades
Supreme Court summons PM Oli over trust vote petition
Madhesh drought linked to shrinking groundwater and low rainfall

Most Read from National

Nepal’s transgender sex workers face violence and exploitation in legal vacuum
At least 10 Nepalis dead in Kuwait from toxic alcohol
New India-China deal on Lipulekh reopens old wound for Nepal
India and China agree to reopen Lipulekh trade route
MCC deputy vice president in Nepal as US aid resumes

Editor's Picks

Debt, despair, and uncertainty plague Bhairahawa airport
Nepal rolls out ambitious AI policy
7,000 steps a day cuts risk of cardiovascular diseases: Lancet
Load-shedding allegations continue to haunt government
Students say they are abused under guise of discipline at a Kathmandu school

E-PAPER | August 23, 2025

  • Read ePaper Online
×
ABOUT US
  • About the Post
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards & Integrity
  • Workplace Harassment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
READ US
  • Home Delivery
  • ePaper
CONTACT US
  • Write for the Post
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Advertise in the Post
  • Work for the Post
  • Send us a tip
INTERACT WITH US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
OUR SISTER PUBLICATIONS
  • eKantipur
  • saptahik
  • Nepal
  • Nari
  • Radio Kantipur
  • Kantipur TV
© 2025 www.kathmandupost.com
  • Privacy Policy
Top