Pride parades in Nepal

Throughout the year, different organizations host pride parades in Nepal. Blue Diamond Society, an LGBT rights organization, in 2010 organized Gai Jatra Gay March, with most participants on masks to prevent being identified by suspected homophobic people. In recent years, many pride parades in different times of the years have been organized. Due to criticism of Blue Diamond Society for organizing pride parade in Gaijatra festival many organizations deviated into new rallies[1] All the parades by Blue Diamond Society have coincided with the Gaijatra festival. The parades end with a candle-light vigil in memories of those who died in the past year, promoting equality for all.

Nepal Pride Parade
Main article: Nepal Pride Parade

Nepal POMSOGIESC (People of Marginalized Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics) Pride Parade, known as Nepal Pride Parade in short (Nepali: नेपाल गौरव यात्रा; Maithili: 𑒢𑒹𑒣𑒰𑒪 𑒑𑒾𑒩𑒫 𑒨𑒰𑒞𑓂𑒩𑒰; Newar: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐬𑑂𑐧𑐫𑐵𑑅; Tamang: ནེ་པལ་ རང་ཏང་ ཡུལ་ཀོར་།།; Gurung: नेपाल ङ्होईल्वुबये भ्रज्ञाँ / नेपाल ल्हुब्ये प्रबक्याँ; Limbu: ᤏᤣᤐᤠᤗ ᤜᤣᤴᤇᤠᤶ ᤋᤱᤏᤠᤔ), is organized on every second Saturday of June. The Pride March is organized by Queer Youth Group in collaboration with Queer Rights Collective. Since 2020, Campaign for Change (intersex rights organization) has also been involved.[2] This Pride March is the first pride march in Nepal. While many other LGBT marches existed around the year, this has become the first pride march celebrated on pride month.[3] The first parade drew around four hundred people on the busy streets of Maitighar Mandala.[4] The first pride march was organized on June 29, 2019, which declared second Saturday of June to be celebrated as Pride Day in Nepal.[5]

Nepal Pride Parade
Leading line of the pride parade
The first ever Pride March in Nepal
Statusactive
GenrePride Parade
FrequencyAnnual, Second Saturday of June
Location(s)Kathmandu
InauguratedJune 29, 2019 (2019-06-29), the other day of the Stonewall Riot anniversary
Previous event2021 June 12
Next event2022 June 11
Organized byQueer Youth Group and Queer Rights Collective
Websitewww.nepalprideparade.org

In 2019, people gathered at Maitighar Mandala (Fibwa Khya) in the morning and marched towards New Baneshwar (Khunthoo).[6] Around 400 people showed up.[7][8] People held Rainbow Pride Flag, Bisexual Pride Flag, Transgender Pride Flag, Genderqueer Pride Flag, Genderfluid Pride Flag, Intersex Pride Flag along with slogans in four different languages.[9][10][11] The theme of the pride march was 'Inclusion of queer (gender and sexual minorities) at all levels of state and decision-making process.[12][13] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the second annual Nepal Pride Parade was conducted online. The day started with Tweetathon & Instathon that led to virtual sessions being conducted.[14][15][16] The third annual Nepal Pride Parade was also conducted virtually.[17][18]

Queer Womxn Pride

Queer Womxn Pride is organized every year on International Women's Day. It was organized since 2019 by Queer Youth Group to voice women from diverse sexual orientations and inclusion of women who were assigned intersex at birth as well as transgender women. The term 'womxn' was used instead of 'woman' the rally to claim a language where 'man' does not become the central or by default gender. A queer tree was also marked on the event. Second annual Queer Womxn Pride was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] The third annual Queer Womxn Pride was gathered in Bwojyaa-khya / Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu. The theme of the year was All women from now. The rally called for inclusion of intersex women, transgender women and women of diverse sexual orientations beyond heterosexuality and against other gender [20][21][22]

Trans Pride Parade

Trans Pride Parade is celebrated the Saturday following December 17. The event is organized by Queer Youth Group and Trans Rights Collective since 2020. The event marks a linguistic landmark on 17 December 2018 when the term transgender was introduced in Nepali language as pāralaingik (Nepali: पारलैङ्गिक), while prior to it trans people were referred with derogatory terminologies in the language. The event was held in Basantapur, Kathmandu.[23][24][25][26] In 2021, around a hundred people marched from Fibwakhya (Maitighar Mandala) to New Baneshwar.[27][28]

Blue Diamond Society
Main article: Gai Jatra Third Gender March

Blue Diamond Society organizes an LGBT March on a Newar festival Gai Jatra(Saa Paaru). However, the event isn't seen as a Pride Parade, and rather a celebration of its own, different from 'Western concept' of Pride Parade.[29]

Nepal Pride Parade, 2019

See also

References
  1. "Hundreds join Nepal's first gay pride parade". Times of India. Aug 25, 2010.
  2. "Public Statement 2020". Nepal Pride Parade. 20 May 2020.
  3. "Nepal hosts first- ever pride parade marking pride month". The Republica My City.
  4. "Celebration of diversity and sexuality: country's first pride parade". The Himalayan Times.
  5. "Second Saturday of June to be Pride Day in Nepal". Nepal Pride Parade. 10 December 2019.
  6. "Public Statement 2019". Nepal Pride Parade. 8 November 2019.
  7. "Nepal hosts first- ever pride parade marking pride month". My Republica.
  8. "यौनिक तथा लैङ्गिक अल्पसंख्यकको पहिलो गौरव यात्रा". OnlineKhabar.
  9. "First Pride Parade in Kathmandu – Happy Pride Month!". NepalBuzz. 28 June 2019.
  10. "Sexual minority groups holding pride parade in Kathmandu". OnlineKhabar. 28 June 2019.
  11. "Marking pride month, Nepal's first pride parade to take place tomorrow". The Kathmandu Post.
  12. "Nepal Pride Parade". Thuprai.
  13. "What is Pride Parade and its significance?". Rising Junkiri.
  14. "Nepal Pride Parade 2020: The show must go on(line)". The Himalayan Times. 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  15. ""We're here, we're queer and we're not going anywhere": Here's why the Pride Parade matters". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  16. queeryouthgroup (2020-05-17). "Second Annual Nepal Pride Parade". Nepal Pride Parade. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  17. "Nepal Pride Parade 2021 to be celebrated virtually". The Kathmandu Post.
  18. "How did Nepal Pride Parade 2021 rolled on(line)". Nepal Pride Parade. 23 June 2021.
  19. "Second Annual Queer Womxn March canceled". Nepal Pride Parade. 5 March 2020.
  20. "Third Annual Queer Womxn Pride". Nepal Pride Parade. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08.
  21. "032/77/78". Queer Youth Group, Nepal. 5 March 2021.
  22. "Queer Womxn Pride Parade held in Kathmandu". The Kathmandu Post.
  23. "Trans Pride Parade". Nepal Pride Parade. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020.
  24. "'हामी तेस्रो लिंगी होइनौँ, पारलैंगिक हौँ' (तस्बिरहरु)". Desh Sanchar. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020.
  25. "Queer community creates history with first ever Trans Pride Parade (with photos)". Aaawaj News. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020.
  26. "013-77-78". Queer Youth Group,Nepal. 17 December 2020.
  27. "Annual Trans Pride Parade to be held tomorrow". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  28. "Around a hundred people came together for Second Annual Trans Pride Parade". Nepal Pride Parade. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  29. "Why Nepal may never call it a Gay Pride March?". Medium. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017.
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