NEPALGUNJ: The sexual minorities have complained that they were deprived of constitutionally guaranteed rights irrespective of established identity.

The people belonging to the sexual monitories shared their plight that they could not enjoy voting rights.

They expressed the bias during a programme organized by the Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities in coordination with Paschim Tara Nepal. The issues of constitutional rights of monitories and role of media were discussed during the programme.

The participants viewed as the people from this community were different from women and men, their meaningful participation in social and political affairs is imperative.

An officer at Pride Project, Malina Neupane, informed that there was legal hurdles in acquisition of citizenships by the lesbian and gay people. She urged the Election Commission to make inclusive and participatory law so that people from all sexes and genders would enjoy voting rights.

There are some 2,928 Nepalis belonging to the sexual and gender minorities, while only 200 had got identity showing their gender status/orientation, it was shared on the occasion.

Parina Chaudhary of Paschim Tara Nepal said the sexual and gender minorities were facing acute stigma and discrimination. There are some 850 persons belonging to this section in Banke alone, according to her.

Other speakers like Simran Sherchan ‘Sihar’ of the Federation shared that intersex children unlike boys and girls are born in society. But, the intersex children are still facing discrimination and stigmatization.

“The society should also accept their mind and emotion,” she said, underscoring the need of wiping out hurdles in ensuring them citizenship and voting rights as per the constitution.

It was shared in the event that it took five years for Maya Magar of Paschim Tara Nepal to obtain citizenship even though the identity of her community was made public.