Kathmandu: On the occasion of Pride Month 2025, the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) organized an “Adventure Hub Trip” at Sukute Holiday Beach Resort in Sindhupalchok. While some participants described the experience as “extraordinary,” the event has stirred significant dissent and debate within Nepal’s gender and sexual minority communities.

The promotional materials for the event highlighted “mental health promotion” and “community bonding” as its core goals. Activities included ziplining, sky cycling, slingshot swings, river-crossing hammocks, swimming, a dance party, catwalks, and BBQ—all enjoyed by a select group of participants.

BDS dubbed the trip “unforgettable and shamelessly joyful.” Yet, serious questions have emerged about the participant selection process, financial transparency, and inclusivity.

One Kathmandu-based participant, speaking anonymously, remarked: “Foreign donors pour dollars in our name, but the money is used for ‘mind-fresh’ holidays by a privileged few. We’re only visible in the pictures.”

Another queer individual added: “Our community is grappling with severe mental health issues. But in the name of mental wellness, only a few people from the capital are taken on resort trips. This is exclusion, not justice.”

On social media, one “braveheart” wrote: “I laughed, screamed, and danced — it was everything for me. Such programs should happen more often.”

However, such celebratory remarks have only further exposed internal divisions. Members from rural and economically marginalized backgrounds have voiced concern over being consistently left out of such events.

Lack of Transparency and Official Silence

The use of international grants for mental health-related programming has come under criticism due to a lack of transparency. Neither the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens nor the Social Welfare Council has publicly disclosed any audits or financial statements for BDS projects approved under their oversight.

On June 10, 2081 BS (2024 CE), the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) sent an inquiry to the ministry following complaints about financial irregularities and opaque practices in previous BDS projects.

To date, the ministry has taken no visible action. This silence has led to growing suspicion that the state is tacitly protecting BDS. Regulatory bodies like the Social Welfare Council continue approving multiple projects every year without adequate monitoring, evaluation, or assessment of impact — effectively allowing unchecked use of funds.

Despite recurring reports that BDS receives millions in international grants annually in the name of queer empowerment, details about program operations, decision-making criteria, participation guidelines, and financial expenditures remain largely undisclosed.

A rights activist observed: “They organized a Pride celebration, but it split the community further. The queer movement is being reduced to a private benefit scheme for a few NGO leaders.”

Where’s the Pride in Exclusion?

Pride Month is meant to celebrate dignity, identity, and human rights. But when such events become elite gatherings with limited access for the broader community, they dilute the moral force of the movement.

One trans youth from Kathmandu noted anonymously: “They use our identity to bring in international funds, but only they get to speak and decide. We’re just spectators, without a voice or power.”

Nepal’s gender and sexual minorities have fought for decades for dignity, rights, and inclusion. But today, those identities are increasingly reduced to checkboxes on project proposals. Even if a few people get temporary enjoyment, the majority continue to struggle with mental distress, unemployment, and social exclusion.

What Needs to Change:

✅ Full public disclosure of donor funds and their use

✅ Transparent criteria for participant selection

✅ Community decision-making power in all program stages

✅ Accountable and independent monitoring by regulatory bodies

Because if Pride becomes a celebration that excludes the very people it claims to uplift — it is no longer a celebration. It is injustice.