The Vegan Marxist
25th August 2010, 20:14
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/media/ALeqM5jqYn8U65oV4qcLwfgutAcMAZiGjw?size=l
By Binaj Gurubacharya (CP)
KATMANDU, Nepal — Hundreds of gays, lesbians, transvestites and their supporters danced through the Nepalese capital Wednesday in the country’s first international gay parade.
The participants dressed in colorful clothes thronged the main streets of Kathmandu, led by Sunil Pant, a member of Nepal’s parliament and the nation’s most prominent gay activist.
Pant’s gay rights group organized the parade to campaign for greater rights for sexual minorities in Nepal. “Our message is ending all forms of discrimination,” Pant told reporters.
He said the parade participants were from India, Japan, Britain, Germany, Denmark and Norway, and a police officer at the scene estimated the crowd was around 2,000. Smaller such parades have been held in Nepal in the past.
Gay rights have improved dramatically in a country where just five years ago police were beating gays and transsexuals in the streets.
Now, Nepal is issuing “third gender” identity cards and appears set to enshrine gay rights — and possibly same-sex marriage — in the constitution. The new charter, however, has been delayed because of political bickering that has left Nepal with a caretaker prime minister since June.
The improvements in gay rights have become a major marketing opportunity in a country where tourism is a main driver of the economy. Government officials hope gay tourists will spend more money than the backpackers who travel on shoestring budgets.
Pant’s group has established Pink Mountain tour company, which caters to gay tourists and promotes Nepal as a safe destination for them. It offers gay honeymooners trekking trips in the Himalayas and has proposed same-sex wedding ceremonies at the Mount Everest base camp.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hPqKuaXiXvuhaQfc3d6DsI8CS2hA
By Binaj Gurubacharya (CP)
KATMANDU, Nepal — Hundreds of gays, lesbians, transvestites and their supporters danced through the Nepalese capital Wednesday in the country’s first international gay parade.
The participants dressed in colorful clothes thronged the main streets of Kathmandu, led by Sunil Pant, a member of Nepal’s parliament and the nation’s most prominent gay activist.
Pant’s gay rights group organized the parade to campaign for greater rights for sexual minorities in Nepal. “Our message is ending all forms of discrimination,” Pant told reporters.
He said the parade participants were from India, Japan, Britain, Germany, Denmark and Norway, and a police officer at the scene estimated the crowd was around 2,000. Smaller such parades have been held in Nepal in the past.
Gay rights have improved dramatically in a country where just five years ago police were beating gays and transsexuals in the streets.
Now, Nepal is issuing “third gender” identity cards and appears set to enshrine gay rights — and possibly same-sex marriage — in the constitution. The new charter, however, has been delayed because of political bickering that has left Nepal with a caretaker prime minister since June.
The improvements in gay rights have become a major marketing opportunity in a country where tourism is a main driver of the economy. Government officials hope gay tourists will spend more money than the backpackers who travel on shoestring budgets.
Pant’s group has established Pink Mountain tour company, which caters to gay tourists and promotes Nepal as a safe destination for them. It offers gay honeymooners trekking trips in the Himalayas and has proposed same-sex wedding ceremonies at the Mount Everest base camp.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hPqKuaXiXvuhaQfc3d6DsI8CS2hA