New law threatens to crush Nepal’s gays

[xchrom]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/New-law-threatens-to-crush-Nepals-gays/articleshow/8789293.cms

KATHMANDU: When Bollywood director Anirban Dhar toured Nepal this week to showcase his new film, "I Am", he had two keen desires: to visit the fabled Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu and find a gay bar in Thamel, the place tourists flock to in the capital. Bollywood's only openly gay film director also had a teasing request for Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal's only openly homosexual MP and founder of the gay rights movement in the conservative Himalayan republic.

"I wish Sunil would find me a partner," said Dhar aka Onir half-jokingly.

Such jokes and even serious considerations began to pour in since 2008-end, after Nepal's Supreme Court struck a vigorous blow for gay rights, recognising same sex marriages and ordering the government to enact laws to allow them. It also ordered the government to protect the rights of the gay community, leading to such unprecedented government recognition as issuing "Third Gender" identity cards and giving gays a place on electoral rolls.

But now, the new civil and criminal codes proposed by the government are threatening to undermine all that and bring homosexuality under the taboo of "unnatural sexual offences", just as the dreaded Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code had done in India. The new provisions to marriage regard the union as only that between a man and woman and sodomy still remains a punishable offence as "unnatural sex".

[HillbillyBob]

1. Im so gd sick of being used by the rightwing assholes and nazis as a hostage

It is time for us to take advantage of our Second Amendment right to stop the violence against gays and women.

[RKP5637]

2. Same here. People are used and abused to promote rightwing asshole issues and

the stupid fall in line and believe their lies.

[w8liftinglady]

3. It amazes me to no end. How sad.

[jberryhill]

4. I'm not sure the Second Amendment applies in Nepal /nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. lol. nepal has enough problems with violence without adding

gun rights to the mix