Nepal Becomes 1st South Asian Country To Officially Recognize Same-Sex Marriage

In Asia, Taiwan is the only other country that legally recognises same-sex marriages.

Kathmandu: Nepal on Wednesday formally registered the first case of same-sex marriage, making it the first South Asian country to do so. This comes five months after the Supreme Court legalised it. Maya Gurung, a 35-year-old trans woman, and Surendra Pandey, 27, a gay, have legally tied the knot. The union was solemnized and officially recorded at the Dordi Rural Municipality in Lamjung district, situated in Western Nepal, according to Sanjib Gurung (Pinky), president of Blue Diamond Society, an organization working for the rights and welfare of the sexual minorities in Nepal.

In 2007, Nepal’s Supreme Court had allowed same-sex marriage. Even the Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, explicitly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

On June 27, 2023, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to legalise same-sex marriage in Nepal in a writ petition filed by multiple people, including Gurung. But despite the historic order to temporarily register same-sex marriage, Kathmandu District Court four months ago rejected the move citing a lack of necessary laws.

Surendra Pandey and Maya’s marriage application was rejected at that time. “It’s a great pleasure to learn about this, it is a great achievement for us, the third gender community of Nepal,” Pinky told PTI.

“This is the first case not only in Nepal but also in the whole of South Asia, and we welcome the decision.” Married in the traditional manner with the approval of their families, Surendra, a resident of Nawalparasi district, and Maya, a resident of Lamjung district, have been living together as husband and wife for the past six years.

“There are many third-gender couples living without their identities and rights and this is going to help them a lot,” Pinky said, adding that the door has now opened for other people of this community to get their marriage legalised.

“Now their marriage has been temporarily registered and after the formulation of necessary laws, it will get permanent recognition automatically.” Speaking to PTI after the marriage ceremony, Maya said that it was a moment of celebration for both of them.

“We are very happy to have registered our marriage formally. We are now celebrating it by dancing and partying,” said Maya.

“We both, Surendra and I are here at Dordi in Lamjung to celebrate the occasion together. Aama Samuha or the local Mother’s Group is also joining together with us. We felt greatly honoured by the decision to register our marriage,” Maya said.

Sunil Babu Pant, who founded Nepal’s prominent gay rights organisation Blue Diamond Society hailed the latest development and said that it was a win for sexual and gender minorities who have been demanding equal right and recognition of their marriages.

“It is historic,” said Pant who is a former lawmaker. He said that this was first such marriage registration in South Asia.

In Asia, Taiwan is the only other country that legally recognises same-sex marriages.