Gai Jatra Third Gender March

The Gai Jatra Third Gender March is an LGBT March on the Newar festival Gai Jatra (Saa Paaru). The Blue Diamond Society organizes the march, which celebrates different forms of Pride. Blue Diamond Society organizes, and brings LGBT people to dance on the streets during this festival. Unlike other Pride marches in Nepal, it isn't seen as a political movement, but a celebration of an existing festival.[1]

History

The Gai Jatra Pride Parades began in 2010.

2010

On 25 August 2010 the first Pride Festival was held in Kathmandu. It featured around 2000 participants from various countries such as India, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and Norway.[2] The march included Irish lawmaker Dominique Hanningan and British Ambassador to Nepal John Tucknott.[3]

The parade was led by Sunil Pant, the first openly gay member of the Nepalese Parliament. Men and women marched wearing costumes, animal ensembles and masks. The March was in contrast to earlier marches when participants hid their faces. The march included human rights organisations and politicians.

2011

In August 2011, the parade took place in the town of Biratnagar in order to increase awareness in rural areas.[4] The same year Nepal became the first country in the world to include a third gender on its federal census.[5]

2012

On 3 August, the third parade took place in Lakeside, Pokhara. The festival drew supporters from local people as well as the tourists. The theme of the Gaijatra festival was "Bringing Friends and Families Together for Solidarity towards Equality, Protecting Mountain Eco-systems and Promoting ‘Visit Lumbini Year 2012’ in Nepal."[6] The parade ended with the candle memorial in the memory of the victims of the Seti River flood.

2013
4th Gai jatra pride festival in Nepal 2013

In 2013, the pride parade took place on 22 August in Kathmandu. The parade included around 1000 people, including gays, lesbians, transgender people and their supporters.[7]

2014

LGBT people and supporters joined a march in Kathmandu on 11 August to celebrate the fifth annual festival. Attention focused on legalisation of same-sex marriage.[8]

2015

The sixth festival took place on August 30 in Kathmandu. Thousands of people gathered to watch as over 500 members of the LGBT community paraded, carrying rainbow banners.[9] The theme for the parade was "The constitutions will cement the hopes cracked by the earthquake, Avoid gender-based discrimination while rebuilding the structures". The event started from Thamel gateway and ended with cable light remembering those who died the 2015 Nepal earthquake. One staff member of Blue Diamond Society and one transgender person who died were memorialized.

2016

Almost a thousand people took part in the seventh Pride Parade in Kathmandu on August 19. The parade demanded equality and an end to discrimination for LGBTQ people, which continued despite a constitutional ban on discrimination based on sexuality. US Ambassador Alaina B Teplitz was a supporter.[10] The Blue Diamond Society received support from the United Nations Development Program (under the Global Fund MSA program), Royal Norwegian Embassy and Open Society Foundation.[11]

2017

A month before the eighth Pride Parade took place on August 8, a transgender women and her husband were issued a marriage certificate.

The parade took place in Kathmandu, featuring vibrant costumes and rainbow balloons and flags. Around 1500 people took part and paid tribute to members of the LGTB community who had died in 2017, including American artist Gilbert Baker, who designed the rainbow flag that is the emblem of the gay community.[12]

2018

This year marked the ninth parade. It took place on August 27 in Kathmandu. The theme Alliances for Solidarity, as decided by the Blue Diamond Society.[13] The parade commenced in Thamel and concluded in Hanuman Dhoka. The country has various legislation emphasizing equality. However, Chapter 3 of Civil Code, part 1, article 67, which discusses marriage laws, does not recognize same-sex marriage.

Criticisms

Locals including LGBT people from Newar community criticized Blue Diamond Society for establishing Pride Parade during a festival of humor and jokes. Newar people who traditionally celebrate the Gai Jatra (Saa Paaru) festival commented that the festival was meant to elevate jokes and humor, making LGBT issues into a joke. Voices were raised against its unilateral decision to convert a traditional festival into something else.[14] The celebration led to cultural conflict in Kathmandu.[15] Blue Diamond Society pay NPR 1000 per individual for participating in the Pride Parade. Blue Diamond Society was attacked for discarding the traditional essence of the festival. The traditional festival of Gai Jatra(Saa Paaru) featured people crossdressing as entertainment. They protested that the gender identity of a transgender woman was equated to a cisgender man crosdressing.[16][17]

A campaign named Not a Mockery - No Pride on Gaijatra was begun on social media protesting the parade.

Conflicts

Critics such as Sunil Babu Panta assert that the Third Gender March during Gai Jatra is an extension of the festival and not a pride parade per se.

See also

References
  1. "Why Nepal may never call it a Gay Pride March?". Medium. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  2. "Nepal Holds First Gay Pride Parade". 25 August 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. "Hundreds join Nepal's first gay pride parade". Deccan Herald. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. "BLUE DIAMOND SOCIETY | an organisation for lesbian gay bixesual & transgenders in Nepal". Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. "What We Can Learn From Nepal's Inclusion of 'Third Gender' on Its 2011 Census". The New Republic. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. "3rd International Gaijatra - Pride Festival Nepal-2012 | ILGA". ilga.org. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. "In pictures: Gay pride march in Nepal". The Independent. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  8. "Nepal Celebrates as Country Verges on Marriage Equality". 11 August 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  9. "Nepal pride parade: Advocating for LGBTI rights to be written into the new constitution". APTN. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  10. "Hundreds of LGBT supporters gather for Pride parade in Nepal". Global News. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  11. "Blue Diamond Society 6th International Pride Festival "Gai Jatra" 2016". www.bds.org.np. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  12. "Nepal hosts gay pride parade demanding equal rights". Hindustan Times. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  13. "LGBTI march in Pride Parade in Kathmandu - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  14. Prajapati, Subhash R. From Gai Jatra to Gay Jatra: A Case of Cultural Conflicts in Kathmandu. Subhash Ram prajapati.
  15. "Norwegian Embassy".
  16. "Cultural appropriation of Saa Paaru (Gai Jatra)".
  17. "Why Pride Parade on Gai Jatra is demeaning and counter-productive".
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