Nepal's first lesbian couple formally registers marriage

Anju Devi Shrestha, also known as Dipti, and Suprita Gurung, both 33, are the first lesbian couple in Nepal to legally register their marriage, writing their own chapter in history.

On Sunday, Dipti, a native of the Bardiya district in western Nepal and Gurung, a resident of the Syangja district, had their marriage legally recognised at the Bardiya district's Jamuna Rural Municipality.

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The marriage certificate was given to them by ward secretary Dipak Nepal, according to homosexual activist and former parliamentarian Sunil Babu Panta.

According to Pant, this is the first instance of a lesbian couple in South Asia formally registering for marriage. Additionally, Nepal was the first nation in South Asia to formally recognise same-sex unions.

In a statement, the non-governmental organisation Mayako Pahichan Nepal — which stands for "Recognition of Love" — expressed satisfaction over the official registration of same-sex marriage.

"After more than 20 years of battle, the Nepalese LGBT communities have succeeded in getting formally registered same-sex marriage. The campaign was started in 2001 to support identity-based rights of the sexual minority populations," the statement read.

Also read: Nepal becomes first South Asian nation to register same-sex marriage

A press conference was held on Monday to publicly announce and celebrate the first lesbian marriage, according to a statement from Mayako Pahichan Nepal's general secretary, Surendra Pandey.

The first same-sex couple in Lamjung district, Maya Gurung, 35, and Surendra Pandey, 27, legally registered their marriage on November 29 of last year.

Both Gurung and Pandey were male at their birth.

In light of the Supreme Court's ruling, Nepal is now the first country in South Asia to publicly recognise and record a same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage was already legal in Nepal in 2007 according to the Supreme Court's approval; this position was further strengthened by the 2015 constitution, which forbade discrimination based on sexual orientation.

However, in response to a writ case filed by several people, including Gurung, the Supreme Court issued an interim ruling on June 27 of last year to formally legalise same-sex marriage in Nepal.

(With inputs from agencies)