Movements and Migrations: Study Abroad in Nepal

The Evergreen State College

Author: Dean A. Thiede

First Week With BDS

February 6, 2017 /

            The first person I met at the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) was Bhumika Shrestha. She’s known as the face of the transgender movement in Nepal, was the first person to change their gender to “other” on their passport, and is the first officially sworn transgender member of the Nepali Congress.

Bhumika Shrestha

Bhumika Shrestha from  http://queer-ink.com/an-interview-with-bhumika-shrestha

           I knew of her long before my trip to Nepal and I was thrilled to meet her. She introduced me to everyone in the building and immediately made me feel welcome. There I officially met Parsu Ram, the deputy director of the Blue Diamond Society and the person I interviewed last quarter about transgender activism. I spent my first day discussing possible projects with him and another volunteer there. It was decided that the other volunteer, Kawin, and I would spend the next few weeks working on an article for the Himalayan Times about marriage equality. When we went to discuss the legal aspects of marriage equality with the BDS lawyer, we were informed that he received an email from Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare; a branch of the government that is concerned with disadvantaged groups. They asked BDS to provide information, research, and sources that would be persuasive of legalizing marriage equality. The lawyer passed this task on to me and Kawin. This week I will be completing a response to the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare, finding people to interview for the article for the Himalayan Times, and attending meetings for future projects.

             The Blue Diamond Society can sometimes feel chaotic with the various projects taking place, overlapping timelines, and last minute assignments, but every person I’ve encountered there is extremely passionate and committed to creating a more inclusive Nepal and works together like a family. I’m very excited to continue working with BDS and to see what opportunities lie ahead.

January 17, 2017 /

My time in Nepal will be spent volunteering with the organization, Blue Diamond Society (BDS). This is Nepal’s first and largest LGBTI organization and the same organization that I had an interview with last quarter. If you are a member of the LGBTQI+ community and are one of the students traveling to Nepal, I highly recommend contacting the Blue Diamond Society if you have any questions regarding safety or if you’re simply curious about the community there. 

The Blue Diamond Society has 30+ offices spread across Nepal with the main headquarters being in Kathmandu. They are known worldwide for their activism and contributions including:

  • Nepal’s first LGBTI sporting event.  In 2012, an event called Nepal’s gay Olympics raised LGBTI awareness and brought the community together through games of football, volleyball, and many other events. BDS consistently uses events such as these to raise public awareness of the community in a way that strengthens the LGBTI community in an accessible way.
  • Starting the petition for Facebook to include a gender neutral option for gender.  The first openly gay politician of Nepal and founder of the Blue Diamond Society, Sunil Babu Pant, created this petition to create an inclusive space for gender variant people around the world to socialize online while identifying as their true selves.
  • Convincing the Nepali Supreme Court  to legalize same-sex marriage and create a legal third gender. In 2007, the Blue Diamond Society was responsible for the legalization of same-sex marriage and acknowledgement of transgender identities on legal documents, along with establishing protections for those in the LGBTQI community. While these protections are not frequently enforced, BDS continues advocating for the community, fighting for more rights, and raising awareness of the established rights.
  • Creating the first LGBTQI pride festival in Nepal. Now an annual tradition, Kathmandu hosts a pride festival as shown in the video below hosted by the Blue Diamond Society.

 

 

I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to work with them, as only two other people have volunteered with them through Volunteer Nepal. Their website contains basic information about their mission and programs and I suggest searching the Blue Diamond Society on Google and scholarly source journals for more detailed articles regarding their work.

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The Evergreen State College
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