Meti (gender)

Meti is a term used in the country of Nepal, and often refers to a feminine displaying and male-bodied individual.[1] The term is said to originate from Darjeeling, India where it means "to quench one's thirst," alluding to meti sexual interactions with males.[2]

Metis are an officially recognized third gender in the country of Nepal as of a Supreme Court ruling in 2007. As of this Supreme Court ruling, metis are able to be officially recognized by the Nepalese government and able to have a government-issued ID card listing “both” as an option under “gender."[3][4] This also set a precedent of using self-determination as a source of proof in determining a person's eligibility in establishing a gender on government documents.

Discrimination

Discrimination is a common issue among self-identified meti individuals. In 2004, 39 meti individuals were arrested and detained for "spreading perversion" and furthermore were unable to receive due process, as a result of the lack of LGBT support among Nepalese laws.

Meti are commonly associated with the Blue Diamond Society of Nepal.[5] The society is an LGBT rights association devoted to crusading for the rights of marginalized LGBTQ+ individuals.

HIV

There is a relatively high incidence of HIV among the meti community.[6] This can be attributed, in part, to the unique struggle that meti face finding employment and acceptance in society. Many meti are pushed into the sex-industry working as prostitutes and are unwelcome in any other roles in society.[7][3] As with issues of discrimination, the key to starting to solve the HIV epidemic among meti is making knowledge readily available and educating about safe-sex methods.[5]

References
  1. Knight, Michael Bochenek, Kyle (January 2012). "Establishing a Third Gender Category in Nepal: Process and Prognosis | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA". Emory International Law Review. 26 (1): 11. Retrieved 2016-10-07.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Knight, Kyle (2015). "Bridges to justice: case study of LGBTI rights in Nepal". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Bochenek, Michael; Knight, Kyle (2012). "Establishing a Third Gender Category in Nepal: Process and Prognosis". Emory International Law Review. 26 (3) – via Scholarly Commons.
  4. "Citizenship Trangendered ID Issued for Nepali Meti". www.ukgaynews.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  5. "The WE News Archives: Transsexuality in Nepal". kewe.info. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  6. Wilson, Erin; Pant, Sunil Babu; Comfort, Megan; Ekstrand, Maria (2016-10-07). "Stigma and HIV risk among Metis in Nepal". Culture, Health & Sexuality. 13 (3): 253–266. doi:10.1080/13691058.2010.524247. ISSN 1369-1058. PMC 3030668. PMID 21058085.
  7. Cantera, Angel L. Martinez. "Nepal's 'third gender'". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
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