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Nepal becomes first country in Asia to put LGBT rights into its constitution
September 18, 2015 - 4:57pm
*first post left blank, link to follow*
Towleroad reports:
The Constituent Assembly of Nepal has overwhelmingly approved a groundbreaking new constitution that explicitly mentions the human rights of LGBT people. It is the first constitution in Asia to do so.
Under the new constitution:
Nice. Probably didn't hurt that Christians and Muslims together make up a mere 5% of the Nepalese population.
Oh, you can find plenty of homophobes in Hinduism and Buddhism too, sadly.
Good for Nepel - we need more constituetn assemblies, people thinking about new constitutions instead of worshipping old ones so often leads to wise choices.
And among atheists, and animists, and the Jedi, and anywhere else, I would expect.
But apparently, Hinduism doesn't make such a stubborn personal project of it as Abrahamic religions, and good on them for it.
Upon arriving in Kathmandu last month I was struck by the landing card you had to fill in at the airport which provided three options in the section for Sex: M / F / Other.
So yes, - good on the Nepalis for (finally) getting a democratically approved constitution and for the LGBT prvision.
But its far from a perfect document: women's organizations in Nepal had been very active (but eventually unsuccessful) in campaigning against a clause which makes it more difficult for a Nepali woman who marries a foreigner to pass on Nepali citizenship to her children. There is of course no similar clause for men.
Actually, a couple of years ago, the Indian Surpreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the anti-gay laws. Among the biggest cheerleaders for this decision was the Hindu nationalist BJP.
(Can't get the link to print. Google "Homosexuality law: BJP says debate not yet over")