Bikalpa an Alternative, in collaboration with Pariwartanshil Samaj, conducted Monthly Meeting Program on understanding transgender rights and LGBTIQ issues on 31st December 2022 at Pariwartanshil Samaj, Biratnagar. The discussion was titled understand the Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, Rights of Trans Gender, How the Law shapes Transgender Lives, Identity, and Community in Nepal. Mrs. Ranu Shah ice breaks the session, welcoming, sharing the program’s objective, and introducing each other.
Muskan Shrestha, a program officer from pariwartanshil Samaj, gave a Presentation regarding the topic. The Presentation got followed by a talk on definitions related to biological sex, social gender, and Sexual Orientation. He said any human being is different according to a person’s sexual organ: boy (male), girl (female), intersex child (intersexed). Also, any person’s inner sense of being “Woman,” “Man,” or “Third Gender” are different according to social their gender.
Although The Nepalese Constitution recognizes LGBTIQ rights as fundamental rights, which is the most progressive in Asia, Nepalese Society has not accepted them in the Society. He added that they are entitled after different words such as Hijara, six, etc. Further, he explained the meaning of L-Lesbian, G-Gay, B-Bisexual, T-Transgender, and I-Intersex, which helped in understanding the perspective of their gender.
He also shared his struggle story with all the participants and said Respect for individual choice is the essence of Freedom to all. Our community doesn’t harm anyone’s rights to secure their rights. With different examples from historical context during his presentation, he said the idea of LGBTQ is not very new in our society. We are moving late in discussions of their legal rights. He added that everyone generally goes through such struggles, and we should discuss it constructively. We all are part of society. Society and people change with experience, how we internalize it, and how we change as a routine. He also adds that we must make everyone understand sensitively and have pride in ourselves as right and good human beings.
He said that discrimination against trans persons continue in many ways- families disowning transgender children, state-perpetrated exclusion, impunity for trans People, denying trans person jobs, lack of healthcare, reservations, Bullying, Ignored from society, at school, in public places, at the workplace, Lack of financial support, moral support from family friends and marriage rights. He concluded the session by saying that more awareness about LGBTQ should be in society, and people should change with compassion and humanity. The audience also raised questions regarding trans sexuality, intimate partner violence, mental health, discrimination, and more during the program. All the query answers were addressed in the program.
The program ended with a short speech by Mr. Suman Rai, who thanked Pariwartanshil samaj and Muskan Shreshta for their support and space for the program. 27 Bikalpa fellowship members attended the program.
