24 Sep 2015

Nepal becomes first Asian country to include LGBT rights in constitution

Nepal’s new national constitution has been praised for including provisions for equal rights for LGBT community

For the first time, the constitution of Nepal guarantees equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Nepal is therefore the first country in Asia, and one of the first in the world, where rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are fully protected by a country's constitution.

The new constitution states that every citizen shall be given a citizenship certificate with sexual identification and no discrimination will be made on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The state and the judiciary are therefore prohibited from discriminating against sexual and gender minorities.

It also states that members of ‘sexual and gender minorities’ will have rights to benefit from state services.

The constitution also defines Nepal as a secular country, despite widespread protests for it to be declared a Hindu state.