Lalitpur, Sept. 27
The two-day 'Born with pride' conference to promote
conversation with sexual minorities and concerned stakeholders kicked off here
on Tuesday.
The primary objective of the conference is to engage in
conversation with multiple stakeholders such as LGBTQIA plus communities,
politicians, activists, academicians, lawyers and civil society, said the
organisers.
It also aims to provide a platform and visibility for the
queer community, build a network of different stakeholders working for the
rights of the queer community, and exchange knowledge about successful projects
and learn from the stories of political representation, achievements,
challenges and resilience.
The conference is being organised by the Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Regional Office South Asia in collaboration with
Samriddhi Foundation, Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu and German Nepal
Friendship Association.
They said that Nepal was chosen as a venue for the
conference because of its progress in protecting the rights of the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual community.
Following a ruling from the Supreme Court of Nepal in 2007
that ordered the government to recognise a third gender category based on an
individual's 'self-feeling', the latter included it in the voter rolls in 2010,
citizenship documents in 2013, passports in 2015 and federal census 2021.
Activists term it as a significant achievement for the country and queer
community.
About 21 speakers and eight keynote speakers from seven
south Asian countries as well as Europe and Tibetan community are attending the
event.
There are five interactive sessions during the conference to
discuss multiple topics like queer in power, inclusive digital spaces for queer
persons, issue of legal recognition, role of media, acceptance and integration
of queer persons in civil society.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 September 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment