Blue Diamond Society

समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई नीति निर्माण तहमै पुर्‍याउ : भूमिका श्रेष्ठ

bluediamondsociety — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:23:30 +0000

नरेश फुयांल । काठमाडौं,८ जेठ । नेपाली कांग्रेसका केन्द्रिय सदस्य अर्जुननरसिंह केसीले आगामी संविधानसभाको निर्वाचनमा आफ्नो पार्टीले समाजका सबै पक्षलाई समेटेर लैजाने बताएका छन् । सबैका अधिकार सुनिश्चित गर्न कांग्रेस सबैसंग सकार्य गरेर निर्वाचनमा जाने उनको भनाई छ ।
आफुलाई भेट्न बुधबार समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी मानवअधिकारकर्मी भूमिका श्रेष्ठको नेतृत्वमा गएको निलहिरा समाजको टोलीसंग कुरा गर्दै केसीले संविधानसभाले बनाउने संविधानले युगौंसम्मका लागी देशको राजनीतिक, आर्थीक तथा सामाजिक खाका कोर्ने भन्दै संविधान बनाउनका लागि गठन हुने संविधानसभा समाबेशी हुनु पर्नेमा जोड दिए ।
कांग्रेसले स्थानीय तहबाट नै समाबेशीको मुद्धालाई सुनिश्चत गर्दै केन्द्रसम्म सुरक्षित गरेको दाबी गरेका उनले त्यसलाई अझै समाबेशी बनाउने बताए । आगामी संविधानसभाको निर्वाचनमा नेपाली कांग्रेस सबैभन्दा ठूलो दल भएमात्र लोकतान्त्रिक संविधान बन्ने जीकिर गर्दै उनले आफ्नो पार्टी पराजित भए संविधान बन्नेमा उनले आशंका ब्यक्त गरे ।
कांग्रेस नेता केसीले समाजमा सदियौं देखि उपेक्षित बनेको समलिङ्गी तथा तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई समेत संविधानसभामा प्रतिनिधित्व गराउन आफ्नो पार्टी तयार रहेको भन्दै निर्वाचनमा कांग्रेससंग सहकार्य गरेर अघि बढ्न यौनिक तथा लैङ्गीक अल्पसंख्यकलाई आग्रह गरे ।
जवाफमा अधिकारकर्मी श्रेष्ठले आफ्नो समुदायको झुकाव लोकतान्त्रिक शक्ति कांग्रेससंग रहेको भन्दै समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई नीति निर्माणको तहमा समेट्न आग्रह गरिन् । यस्तै समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी अधिकारकर्मी भक्ति शाहले कांग्रेस आफुहरुलाई आगामी संविधानसभाको निर्वाचनमा उचित भूमिका दिन आग्रह गरे । प्रतिउत्तरमा केशीले त्यसका लागी आफुले पार्टीमा सक्दो पहल गर्ने प्रतिबद्धता जनाउदै त्यसमा कांग्रेसलाई कुनै आपत्ती नरहको बताए ।
दलहरुले जातीयतालाई समेटेमात्र समाबेशी हुन्छ भन्ने भ्रम फैल्याएको भन्दै केसीले आफ्नो पार्टी जातीसंगै, भाषा, क्षेत्र, लिङ्ग सबैलाई पहिचानको मुद्धा बनाएर निर्वाचनमा जाने बताए ।

संविधानमै अधिकार सुनिश्चत गर्न भूमिका चुनावी दौडधुपमा

bluediamondsociety — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:43:51 +0000

नरेश फुयांल । नेपाली कांग्रेसका युवा नेता रामकृष्ण चित्रकारले आफ्नो पार्टीले मात्र समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीका मुद्धा उठाउन सक्ने बताएका छन् । विगटित संविधानसभामा कांग्रेसले समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीका मुद्धा जोडदारसाथ उठाएको उनको दाबी छ ।
समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गी मानवअधिकारकर्मी भूमिका श्रेष्ठसंगको कुराकानीमा चित्रकारले तत्कालिन संविधान सभामा नेकपा संयुक्तका तर्फबाट सभासद बनेका सुनिलबाबु पन्तसंगै आफुसहित नेपाली कांग्रेसका सभासदहरुले यौनिक तथा लैङ्गिक अल्पसंख्यकका कुरा उठाउदा ततकालिन नेकपा माओवादीका सभासदहरु हांस्ने गरेको उनले स्मरण गरे ।
“म, सुनिल जि र हाम्रा साथीहरु समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीका मुद्धा संसदमा जोडदारसाथ उठाउथ्यौं । हाम्रो कुरा सुनेर माओवादीका सांसदहरु हांस्थे । तितो अनुभव यनले सुनाउदै भने, समाबेशी र उत्पीडित तथा सोशित पीडितका मुद्दा उठाउछौं भनेर कुरा मात्र गरेर हुदैन, त्यो ब्यबाहारमा पनि झल्किनु पर्छ । विश्वास लाग्दैन भने तपाई अहिले पनि मैले बोलेको रेकर्ड संसद सचिबालयमा गएर खोज्न सक्नु हुन्छ । त्यो विश्वले सुनेको कुरा हो ।”
कांग्रेस लोकतान्त्रिक चरित्र भएको पार्टी भएको भन्दै चित्रकारले समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीका मुद्धा संविधानमा सुरक्षित गर्न आगामी निर्वाचनमा समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गी र कांग्रेस सहकार्य गरेर अघि बढ्नु पर्नेमा जोड दिए ।
समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गी मानवअधिकारकर्मी भूमिका श्रेष्ठले यौनिक तथा लैङ्गिक अल्पसंख्यकका मुद्धा उठाउन दलहरुले कञ्जुस्याई गरिरहेको भन्दै नेपाली कांग्रेसको महाधिबेशन प्रतिनिधि समेत रहेका चित्रकारसंग आगामी संविधानसभामा आफ्नो समुदायको धेरै भन्दा धेरै प्रतिनिधित्व कसरी गर्न सकिन्छ त्यसबारे पार्टीमा पहल गरिदिन आग्रह गरिन् । जवाफमा चित्रकारले समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीको अधिकार प्राप्तीका लागि आफ्नो पार्टी प्रतिबद्ध रहको भन्दै सहकार्य गरेर अघि बढ्नु पर्नेमा जोड् दिए ।

RIP Shivananda Khan: a tribute from APCOM

bluediamondsociety — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:54:57 +0000

SHIVANANDA DUNCAN GEORGE KHAN, OBE
(JUNE 6, 1948 – MAY 20, 2013)

Committed, passionate, inspiring, nurturing, visionary. Shivananda Khan was all of these, as he forged a pioneering path across the decades in helping achieve rights and equality for LGBT individuals and communities in diverse geographies and sociocultural environments from Europe to Asia and the Pacific. His death on May 20, 2013, in Lucknow, India, has robbed his organisation Naz Foundation International (NFI) of its charismatic leader, and has deeply shaken the many other organisations he helped nurture over the years, including the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM).

“Shiv was a key founder of APCOM, bringing together governments, the UN system and civil society to help ensure that the critical issue of HIV among MSM and transgender communities was included high on health and social development agendas across Asia and the Pacific region,” noted Dédé Oetomo of Indonesia who succeeded Khan as APCOM Chair. “While Shiv’s critical health issues prevented him from participating fully in APCOM over the past couple of years, we’d been hoping he would recover and continue to provide moral and advisory support to us as APCOM continues to strengthen its role and demonstrates true impact on the ground. Shiv was not only a colleague but a friend, and I, along with so many around the world, will miss him dearly.”

Born Duncan George Khan to an Indian family encompassing diverse religious and ethnic identities, Shiv, as the world knew him, established himself as a trailblazing LGBT rights advocate in London, England, in the early 1990s, where he focused on communities and individuals within the South Asian diaspora who were vulnerable to HIV. Inspired by the death of a close friend to AIDS against the backdrop of homophobia and its deleterious impact on how governments and the health care sector initially addressed HIV, Shiv worked to ensure that health – including access to HIV prevention, treatment and care – was seen as a human right for all, including men who have sex with men. Shiv’s work was eventually honoured by the United Kingdom which awarded him the Order of the British Empire in 2005, an honorific he affixed proudly to his signature thereafter: “Shivananda Khan, OBE”.

Having worked with South Asian MSM in the UK, Shiv turned his attention to India and the wider South Asian region itself, setting up an NFI office in Lucknow from where he began to address the complexity of MSM issues that needed to be thoroughly understood in order to effectively tackle the HIV challenge in countries as diverse as Nepal and Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As Shiv explained in an interview, “I suddenly started realising that there are several issues. One is culture — it is very hard (for most men) to find girlfriends and sexual partners. So there wasn’t this division between men, between what they do with their bodies and with whom they do it with. It wasn’t whether ‘I was doing homosexual sex or heterosexual sex, I am just doing sex.’ There was the whole concept of ‘masti’ (fun), that ‘this is not sex anyway and the only ‘real sex’ I am going to do is with my wife. All of this was staring at me, and we started counting in numbers and we realised that male-to-male sex is very common in our country for a whole host of reasons compared to western countries, which meant that the risk of HIV transmission was higher in our country. Unless we change the construction of the way we see gender, sexualities and masculinities and femininities, we are never going to deal with the issues of HIV. Having a gay identity is very much linked to class, income, it’s not a generic framework. The advantage of my education, my multi-ethnic background and my anger at how we have been treated as human beings –all of these became like a well-cooked soufflé.”

Armed with considerable knowledge and personal involvement on the frontlines, Shiv was a natural fit when it came to putting together a coalition of MSM activists and organisations from across Asia and the Pacific, along with government representatives and key United Nations system stakeholders working on HIV. Edmund Settle, HIV Policy Advisor for UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, worked closely with Shiv on a landmark gathering of coalition partners in New Delhi in 2006, a meeting which helped lay the foundation of what would eventually become APCOM and place MSM and transgender HIV and health rights firmly on the development agenda Asia and the Pacific. “Shiv was incredibly well connected in South Asia and around the world,” noted Settle. “His ability to attract and nurture new community leaders, and inspire hope among individuals who are highly discriminated against will remain unequal. Shiv was a mentor, a friend and a guru. He will be deeply missed.”

One such activist who was long associated with Shiv is Sunil Babu Pant, the founder of the Blue Diamond Society in Nepal, an organisation that has achieved significant success in establishing LGBT rights in that Himalayan nation. Pant’s condolence message via e-mail is just one of dozens received from civil society, government, academic and UN officials: “Really sad indeed to hear this news. Shiv generated knowledge, trained and help to build capacity of many MSMs in the region and internationally. My sincere and deep-felt condolences! What a great loss to all of us.”

The loss is all the more personal and profound for Shiv’s long-time partner Ravindra (Ravi) Yadav, who was his companion in Lucknow these past several years and who nursed Shiv through his several bouts of ill health. “Shiv once discussed the few great loves of his life with me one evening in Lucknow a few years back, when our conversation veered from work issues to the personal”, reminisced Roy Wadia, APCOM Vice Chair and Communications Advisor. “There’s no doubt that in Ravi he’d found his ideal companion. Despite their considerable age difference, theirs was a relationship of equals. Shiv adored and respected Ravi who in turn served as an anchor in many ways for Shiv. At the 2011 ICAAP in Busan, Shiv acknowledged Ravi, who was present, to the audience attending APCOM’s forum, a truly emotional moment for a man who rarely displayed his emotions in public.”

In a 2006 interview, Shiv was asked to gauge progress from NFI’s perspective regarding MSM-related HIV and rights issues. “I’ll illustrate it in a very simple way,” he said. “When our staff members were arrested in 2001, the response of the National AIDS Control Organisation and UNAIDS in India was very quiet and muted. We were told to do everything behind the scenes with the government. When we had a threat in 2006, UNAIDS Geneva, UNAIDS India, and NACO came out more publicly with support. And UNAIDS for the first time sent out a press release condemning potential arrests and harassment of people. NACO made a positive statement. They sent somebody to the city to talk to the police. That is an enormous change for the government here. So, yes, more money is coming in, understanding is growing, more projects are available, and there’s more political and international support. I think we have some good news. We’re not going backwards, we’re moving forward. Maybe the train is picking up pace now.”

“Shiv was indeed a key component of the engine that has helped propel that train of progress not only in Asia and the Pacific, but whose influence has been felt globally,” concluded Midnight Poonkasetwattana, APCOM Executive Director. “Thank you Shiv, from all of us at APCOM and your friends and colleagues the world over for having laid such a strong foundation upon which we are committed to building a truly strong structure. You will never be forgotten.”

तपाई एचआइभी संक्रमणबाट जोगिन कति सचेत हुनुहुन्छ ?

bluediamondsociety — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:08:04 +0000

विपना पनेरु/पोखरा, जेठ ७- उपचार गरेर पनि निको नहुने एचआइभीका कारण अहिले सम्म नेपालमा ३ हजार भन्दा धेरैको ज्यान गइसकेको छ । ७० हजारको हाराहारीमा एचआइभी संक्रमित रहेको अनुमान छ । यसमध्ये सबै भन्दा धेरै महिला छन् । तर महिलामा पनि एचआइभी संक्रमणमा परेका समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीको संख्या धेरै छ ।

जनचेतनाको कमीका कारण भन्नुपर्छ, अहिले पनि असुरक्षित यौन सम्पर्क गर्नाले एचआइभी संक्रमित हुने गरेको छ । संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघको पछिल्लो तथ्याङक अनुसार विश्वमा एचआइभी संक्रमण हुनेको संख्यामा कमी आएको छ । राष्ट्र संघको तथ्याङक अनुसार सन् १९९९ को तुलनामा वितेको १० बर्षको अवधीमा एचआइभी संक्रमण २० प्रतिशतले घटेको छ ।
घर परिवार, समाज र राज्यबाट हरेक विषयमा विभेदमा परेका समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई एचआइभी संक्रमण हुन नदिन नील हिरा समाजले विभिन्न चेतना मुलक कार्यक्रम संचालन गर्दै आएको छ । चेतना जगाउने मात्रै नभएर एचआइभी संक्रमित समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीको हेरचाह, खानेबस्ने व्यवस्थामा नील हिरा समाजले सहयोग गरिरहेको छ । पोखरामा रहेको नील हिरा समाजको शाखा कार्यालय कम्युनिटी सपोर्ट गु्रपले गएको आइतवार एचआइभी संक्रमणबाट ज्यान गुमाएका व्यक्तीको सम्झना र एचआइभी संक्रमण हुन नदिने उद्धेश्यका साथ कुनै तामझाम नगरी ३० औ अन्तराष्ट्रिय मैनवत्ती प्रज्वलन गरेको छ
एचआईभी एड्सका कारण ज्यान गुमाएकाको सम्झनामा तथा एड्सका कारण कोही पनी मर्न नपरोस् भन्ने सन्देश दिदै पोखराको वि पी चोकमा मैनवत्ती प्रज्ज्वलन गरिएको हो । पश्चिम क्षेत्र एचआईभी एड्स सन्जाल र जिल्ला एड्स समन्वय समिति कास्कीले आयोजना गरेको कार्यक्रममा एचआईभीको क्षेत्रमा कार्यरत संद्यसस्थांका प्रतीनीधीको सहभागीता रहेको थियो ।
कार्यक्रममा कम्युनीटी सर्पोट गू्रप पोखराका कार्यकारी नीर्देशक दीलीप गुरुङ्गले एचआइभी संक्रमण हुन नदिन विभिन्न चेतना मुलक कार्यक्रम संचालन भइरहेको जानकारी दिए । महीला मन्जका गोपाल श्रेष्ठ र एचआईभी एड्सका कारण ज्यान गुमाएकाको सम्झनामा राष्ट्रिय एड्स तथा यौन रोग नियन्त्रण केन्द्र पश्चिममान्चलका अनुगमन अधिकृत ववीन नेपाली एचआईभी सक्रमण दरलाई शुन्यमा झार्न सवै पक्ष एकजुट हुनुपर्ने वताए ।

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013 Glimpse

bluediamondsociety — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:20:11 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई सहयोग गर्न बेलायत तयार

bluediamondsociety — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:08:49 +0000

नरेश फुयांल । जेठ ४- नेपालका लागि बेलायती कार्यबहाक राजदुत गाह्य ह्यारिसनले समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीको अधिकार प्राप्तीका लागि बेलायत सरकार जस्तो सुकै सहयोग गर्न तयार रहेको बताएका छन् । समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा बिरुद्धको अन्तराष्ट्रिय दिबसका अबसरमा शुक्रबार निलहिरा समाज र बेलायतको झण्डा संयुक्त रुपमा दुताबास परिसरमा झण्डोत्तलन गर्दै राजदुत ह्यारिसनले बेलायतले नेपालको अरु क्षेत्रमा सहयोग गरे जस्तै समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीको अधिकार र जिवन यापनमा सहयोग गर्ने प्रतिबद्धता जनाएका हुन् ।

अझैपनि समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी माथी दुरब्यबाहार हुने गरेको भन्दै उनले त्यसको अन्तयका लागि बेलायत सरकार आर्थीक तथा समाजीक सहयोग गर्न तयार रहेको बताए । राजदुत ह्यारिसनले अन्य देशको तुलनामा भने नेपालमा समलिङ्गी तेश्रो लिङ्गीले अधिकार र्चाडै लिन सफल भएको समेत बताए ।
नेपालको सर्बोच्च अदालतले समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई अरुसरह नागरिकता दिन दिएको निर्देशनात्मक आदेशलाई कोषे ढुङ्गाको संज्ञा दिएका उनले त्यो अधिकार प्रात्किो पहिलो खुड्किलो भएको बताए ।
राजदुत ह्यारिसनले बेलायत सरकार समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीको अधिकारका लागि संधैसंगै रहेको समेत बताए । सोही अबसरमा निलहिरा समाजकी उपाध्यक्ष मनिषा ढकालले बेलायती राजदुत ह्यारिसनले जनाएको प्रतिबद्धताप्रति अभारप्रकट गर्दै अझैपनि समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई समाजले सहजरुपमा लिन नसकेको गुनासो गरिन् । समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीपनि यही समाजका नागरिक रहेको भन्दै उनले नेपालमा उनीहरु घरदेखी “ब्यूरोक्रेशि” सम्मबाट ठगिन बाद्य भएको बताईन् । उपाध्यक्ष ढकालले राज्य प्रशासनले निलहिरा समाज नविकरण नगरिदिएर आफुहरुको अभियान रोकिदिएको बताईन् । उनले अभियान रोकिदा ७ सय ५० जनाको रोजगारी गुम्नुका साथै समाजमा आबद्ध करिब ५ लाख समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गीलाई प्रत्यक्ष नकारात्कम असर परेको जानकारी दिदै समाजको नबिकरणका लागी सबैको सहयोगको आबश्यकता समेत औल्याईन् ।

समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा विरुद्धको अन्तराष्ट्रिय दिवस मनाइयो

bluediamondsociety — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:01:27 +0000

भवानी घिमिरे/ पहिचान, काठमाडौ जेठ ३ -समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा विरुद्धको अन्तराष्ट्रिय दिवस मनाइरहेँदा एक व्यक्तीको अभाव खड्किन पुग्यो । जो समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी व्यक्तीले अधिकार पाउनु पर्छ भनेर अन्तराष्ट्रिय स्तरमा वकालत गर्दै आउनु भएको छ । जो दक्षिण एसियाकै अभियन्ता समेत हुनुहुन्छ । उहाँको सल्लाह सुझाव अनुसार नेपालमा समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा विरुद्धको दिवस मनाइएको छ । उहाँ को हुनुहुन्छ र यति वेला कहाँ हुनुहुन्छ भन्ने कल्पना धेरैले गरेका होलान । तर धेरै मध्येका पनि केहीले उहाँको नाम दिए । जो यो विश्वमा पहिचान पाउनु पर्छ भनेर वकालत गर्ने नेपालका पहिलो व्यक्ती हुनुहुन्छ ।

भाषण प्रतियोगिता, नृत्य प्रतियोगिया र नाटक प्रतियोगिता तीन वटा विधामा प्रतिष्पर्धा भएको नेपालको यौनिक तथा लैङ्गिक अल्पसंख्यक समूदायको एउटा अवसरलाई आ आफ्नो हिसावले उत्सवकै रुपमा मनाउदै आएका छन् । सहज हुँदा देशमा मनाउने र असहज हुँदा अरुको देशमा जाने मनाउन जाने परम्परा पक्कै नौलो होइन भनेर तपाई भन्नुहुन्छ भने त्यो सत्य नएर भ्रम मात्रै हुन सक्छ ।

किनकी नेपालका मात्रै नभएर दक्षिया एसियाकै पहिलो अभियन्ताका रुपमा परिचित समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी नेपालका पहिलो सभासद् सुनिलवावु पन्त यति वेला समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी माथि हुने गैर कानुनी हिंसा र मृत्युदण्ड अन्त्यका लागि दवाव दिन फ्रान्सको पेरिसमा हुनुहुन्छ । समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी समूदायका अभियन्ता सुनिलवावु पन्तको सल्लाह, सुझाव र मार्ग निर्देश अनुसार नेपालमा पनि भव्य समारोहकाबीच समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा विरुद्धको दिवस मनाइएको छ ।

दिवसको अवसरमा राष्ट्रिय नाँचघर जमलमा भरिभराउ दर्शक मात्रै होइन उद्घोषक तेश्रोलिङ्गी मानवअधिकारकर्मी भूमिका श्रेष्ठले समेत सुनिलवावु पन्तलाई सम्झिइन । अझ बक्तृत्वकला प्रतियोगिताका प्रतिष्पर्धी मध्येका एक विष्ण अधिकारीले उनै अभियन्ताको अभाव खड्किएको झल्को दिए । यो बर्षको समलिङ्गी तेश्रोलिङ्गी घृणा विरुद्धको दिवसको वक्तृत्वकला, नृत्य र नाटक प्रतियोगितामा पहिलो हुने व्यक्तिको नाम यस अनुुसार रहेको छ ।

नाटक तर्फ मेघा कलेज पहिलो भएको छ भने रिलायन्स कलेज दोश्रो स्थान ओगटेको छ । तेश्रो स्थानमा कादम्वरी कलेज रहेको छ । नाँच प्रतियोगितामा नाजिया श्रेष्ठ पहिलो, पुष्पा लामा दोश्रो र निरुता पाण्डे तेश्रो भएका छन् । यस्तै बक्तृत्वकलामा रडियो कार्यक्रम पहिचानका प्रस्तोता विष्णु अधिकारी पहिलो भएका छन् । दोश्रोमा सुशिला लामा र शिल्पा चौधरी तेश्रो हुनु भएको छ । पहिलो हुनेलाई ५ हजार, दोश्रो हुनेलाई ३ हजार र तेश्रो हुनेलाई दुई हजार नगद सहित सम्मान गरिएको छ । कार्यक्रममा समाजकी अध्यक्ष पिङकी गुरुङले पहिलो, दोश्रो र तेश्रो हुनेलाई दोसल्ला ओडाएर सम्मान गर्नु भएको थियो । तेश्रोलिङ्गी मानवअधिकार कर्मी भूमिका श्रेष्ठले कार्यक्रम सफल बनाउन सहयोग गर्ने सबैलाइृ धन्यवाद दिनुभयो ।

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia marked

bluediamondsociety — Mon, 20 May 2013 03:49:01 +0000

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, May 17:Rights activists and members of Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group, marked the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on Friday by organizing various functions.

The day is celebrated across the world in the memory of the day, May 17 when the WHO had decided to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1990, according to Sunil Babu Pant, president of the Society. Organizations such as the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of GLBT Jews, and the Coalition of African Lesbians had signed an appeal to support the IDAHO initiatives, according to Pant.

We celebrated the day with the aim to coordinate international events that raise awareness of homosexuality and transgender rights violations and stimulate interest in rights advocacy, Manisha Dhakal, deputy director of the Society, said. In the flag-hosting ceremony organized at the British Embassy, Dhakal said that many members of the gay community are facing problems because of the way society looks upon homosexuality.

In about 80 countries around the world, same-sex relationships are still considered illegal and punishable by jail, fines and in some countries, lifetime imprisonment and in some they are punished to death, according to them. Most United Nations agencies also mark the day with specific events.
Addressing the community members Guy Harrison, Acting Ambassador of British Embassy said, the British government has been supporting the community in terms of health and education among other things. He also said the upcoming CA election will be more helpful for the community in terms of enhancing equal rights.

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex today marked the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by organising different programmes in the Capital.

The sexual minorities organised a dance programme at Rastriya Nachghar to showcase their talent and took part in a rally on the occasion.

May 17 is marked across the world with demonstrations and call for tolerance towards LGBTI people.

Meanwhile, the European Union has reaffirmed its commitment to equality and non-discrimination.

“The European Union campaigns tirelessly for the respect of human rights, irrespective of sexual orientation and gender identity. We raise the issue of LGBTI rights during our human rights dialogues, we speak out through public statements, and we work behind the scenes with our delegations to argue the case for justice and human rights,” said the high representative of the European Union Catherine Ashton, issuing a press release via Kathmandu-based EU’s office, today.

Why do we need IDAHO?

bluediamondsociety — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:09:48 +0000

Friday 17th May,2013 is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – commonly known as IDAHO. There are events happening all across the globe – So, why is IDAHO so important? The answer is frighteningly simple. Today, LGB&T people are still being discriminated against, bullied, beaten and even killed, simply because of who they are.

On a global scale, IDAHO is important because 78 countries and 6 entities still criminalise consensual same sex among adults with sentences ranging from fines to life imprisonment. Among those countries, 5 (as well as parts of Nigeria and Somalia) have legal provisions with the death penalty as punishment.

We want to ensure that people aren’t discriminated against for any reason, and raising awareness of the discrimination that our communities face both here and abroad will result in more people being aware of the challenges and be part of the positive change that we all want to see.

There are lots of ways you can pledge your support to end homophobia.

IDAHO 2013

bluediamondsociety — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:05:59 +0000

“May 17th is symbolic due to its significance in the improvement of the status of gays and lesbians rights. IDAHO proposed this date for annually holding a day set aside to fight against homophobia. Borne out of the International Conference on LGBT Community Human Rights held in Montréal from July 26 to 29, 2006, prior to the opening of the first World Out games, the Declaration of Montréal included a recommendation to have an International Day Against Homophobia on May 17 every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) put an end to over a century of homophobia from its lists of diseases, telling the world that Homosexuality is not any kind of disease but normal yet different sexuality preference which was later recognized internationally.”

To mark difference and to bring wider community in the limelight, with difference, this time the organization is celebrating 17^th of May with different programs across Nepal.

On the same day, we are organizing various programs in Kathmandu at National Theater at Jamal highlighting the issues of LGBTI in Nepal. The program is scheduled at 2 PM. on-wards.

BDS would be extremely grateful if you can make it to the occasion and be a part of our celebration.

Your presence will be highly appreciated.