Fridae

Nepal sees first public same-sex marriage
Nepal witnessed its first public same-sex union last Saturday as Anil Mahaju, 31, and Diya Kashyap, 21, tied the knot in a traditional wedding ceremony except for the absence of priests chanting the traditional wedding mantras.

Exchanging garlands of marigolds and vows in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu, the pair was cheered by scores of wedding guests, mostly activists from gay and lesbian rights groups.

Anil Mahajur, the groom told the media, "The society has been looking at us with hatred, but both of us are clear in our mind that we love each other. Hence, we decided to accept this, in front of the media as well."

While Nepalese laws do not recognise same-sex unions, the pair and Sunil Pant, who heads the Blue Diamond Society, a nongovernmental organisation, are hoping a new constitution - currently being prepared by experts - will provide Nepal's gays and lesbians with civil rights. Gay sex is punishable by up to two years in prison under public-offense laws.

"It is very courageous of them and I congratulate them." Said Pant of the Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's only LGBT organisation.

"It's a historic occasion that will hopefully not just inspire other individuals with similar love and commitment to come forward and live their lives according to their will, but will also generate a great deal of dialogue amongst this conservative society on wedding, social norms, values and politics of gender and oppression of masculinity in Nepalese society."

Diya who was described by local media as a "shy bride (who) looked just like any other Nepali bride" was dressed in a red sari and a glittering see-through veil.

When contacted by Fridae, Pant explained that Diya considers "herself" to be a meti, one who identifies as a woman and if given a choice would undergo a Sex Reassignment Surgery.

The Human Rights Watch defines metis as "men by birth who identify as women, and might in different cultural circumstances be called transgender people."

Blue Diamond Society is now calling for the proposed constitution to provide the right of equal wage regardless of gender, the legalisation of same-sex marriage or civil partnerships and property rights for transsexuals. The HindustanTimes reported that the Blue Diamond Society has also called for changes to identity cards so that "tesrolingis (transgenders) must be recognised as tesrolingis in the citizenship card and other government certificates - not just as male and female."

Gay, lesbian and transgender people in Nepal have been reported to face regular abuse, beatings and rapes at the hands of police and militia forces.

The Blue Diamond Society drop-in-center is open from 10am to 5pm daily, and welcomes MSM, lesbian, Bisexual and transvestites and all kinds of queer and straight people. The organisation operates a FREE STD CLINIC every Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm at the premises with the help of Nepal Fertility Care Center.

Related article:
harmony, sexuality and globalisation

Related website:
Blue Diamond Society

---

Gays must change, says Anglican archbishop
The Archbishop of Canterbury has told homosexuals that they need to change their behaviour if they are to be welcomed into the church, The UK's Sunday Telegraph reported.

Archbishop Rowan Williams has said in an interview with a Dutch newspaper that homosexuals need to change their behaviour if they are to be welcomed into the Church.

Distancing himself from his earlier published views of homosexuality which were perceived as markedly liberal before his ordination as Archbishop, he now stressed that the tradition and teaching of the Church has in no way been altered by the Anglican Communion's consecration of its first openly homosexual bishop.

The revelations came in a newspaper interview last week in which the archbishop suggested that it should be welcoming rather than inclusive.

"I don't believe inclusion is a value in itself. Welcome is. We don't say 'Come in and we ask no questions'. I do believe conversion means conversion of habits, behaviours, ideas, emotions," he told a Dutch journalist.

Williams is said to have changed his mind about a controversial essay he wrote 20 years ago, in which he defended same-sex love. "That was when I was a professor, to stimulate debate," he was quoted in the Telegraph. "It did not generate much support and a lot of criticism - quite fairly on a number of points."

In 1989, while professor of divinity at Oxford University, he founded the Institute for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality - a group that set out to combat bigotry towards homosexuals, reported the Telegraph.

The spiritual leader of the world's 77 million-member Anglican Communion said that he was determined to preserve the unity of the church from being destroyed by the warring factions in the gay crisis. He said he has backed a resolution which says that homosexual practice is incompatible with the Bible.

The Rev Giles Goddard, the chairman of Inclusive Church, a liberal group, said the archbishop's comments revealed an "astonishing" change in his position. He added: "The implication is that there is no justification in scripture for the welcome of lesbian and gay people. It appears that he has moved into the conservative camp."

Meanwhile, Williams has asked six US Anglican leaders to meet in New York next month to try to resolve the worldwide Anglican Church's longstanding dispute over gay rights. The Anglican Church has faced a split over homosexuality since the 2003 ordination of openly gay US bishop Gene Robinson.

Progressive and conservative US bishops are due to attend, including new US Anglican leader Katharine Jefferts Schori, who supports gay relationships although Williams is expected to send a representative to the meeting rather than attending himself.