Kathmandu : The sexual and gender minorities (SGM) have called on the government to ensure their rights and reservation in state bodies.

They also highlighted challenges they face regarding food, shelter and cloths, and family building due to a lack of related laws.

Speaking at a Parliament Day event organised here by Nepal FM Network to discuss the question of Parliament and representation, Manindra Singh Danuwar, the winner of Mr. Gay Nepal 2017, who is affiliated with Mayako Pahichan Nepal (MKPN), shared the plight of the SGM community members.

“The law still only recognises heterosexual marriage. Marriage is the union of two souls,” he said, demanding legal arrangements for recognising same-sex marriage.

Is not it the responsibility of parliamentarians to make laws that allow SGM people to get their marriage legally recognised, he questioned, accusing political parties of neglecting SGM issues.

Parliamentary representation for the SGM community, marginalised groups, and people with disabilities remains low. Since Sunil Babu Pant was elected to the first Constituent Assembly in 2064 BS from the SGM community, the Parliament has zero representation from the community so far.

On the occasion, Pant, Asia’s first openly gay former parliamentarian of Nepal, and MKPN’s Executive Director, said that 21 laws are still awaiting amendment, asking for reservation in elections for marginalised groups.

He stressed the need for Dalits, persons with disabilities and SGMs to join together for better political representation. “Marginalised communities are made to fight each other,” he said, calling for a unified approach among these communities to intervene in upcoming 2084 elections.

Lawmaker Binod Pahari emphasised the creation of a common network of the communities to press for their rights. “All marginalised communities should stand together.”

Rama Dhakal of the Federation of Women with Disability-Nepal pointed out difficulties faced by people with disabilities, demanding that the government creates an enabling environment for them to sustain. “My 21-year-old son has a spinal cord injury. He needs four personal assistants”, she said, “The government gives us an allowance of 4,000 per month each. The allowance is not enough to buy even medicine, and in such a situation, how can we sustain?”

She demanded that issues of people with disabilities be heard and addressed.

Similarly, Bhojraj Shrestha called for bringing people with disabilities along in the country’s development process.

Other participants, lawmakers Tara Lama Tamang, Amrit Lal Rajbanshi, Gangaram Chaudhary, Urmila Majhi, and Goma Lav Sapkota promised to raise the issues of disabled people, marginalised communities, gender and sexual minorities while speaking in Parliament.