Hundreds of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transvestites paraded through Nepal’s capital Sunday to demand that rights for sexual minorities be included in the country’s new constitution that is being finalized.
This year’s march drew around 500 participants in a colourful march of music and dancing.
Nepal has seen protests in recent weeks against the new draft constitution being discussed by parliament.
Minority ethnic groups have argued that the new constitution enshrines discrimination against them and gives them insufficient autonomy.
Sexual minorities are also keen for the new constitution to ensure same-sex marriage and same-sex couples’ right to adopt.
"Our main demand is that the rights of the sexual minorities should be guaranteed in the new constitution," said Pinky Gurung of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group in Nepal.
In 2007 Nepal decriminalised homosexuality, recognised a third gender and scrapped all laws that discriminated on the basis of sexuality or gender identity.
Watch some footage of the march below:
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Nar in Kingdom of Bhutan...neighbouring state of Nepal
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