Banke (Pahichan), July 9—Homosexuals and transgender have demanded that along with gender and sexual minorities, words like homosexual and transgender should be mentioned in the constitution.

Speaking at a program in Nepalgunj, organized by Blue Biamond Society, participants said current provisions have created confusion so that words like homosexual and transgender should be incorporated in the constitution. The community made such demand at a time when preliminary draft of constitution has prepared and process is underway to seek public opinion.

Transgender from Bardiya Sapana Chaudhary said homosexual and transgender should be mentioned in the constitution current provision has been interpreted as female and male.  Speaking at a program, entitled “The Rights of Sexual and Gender minorities,” transgender Shilpa Chaudhary said homosexual and transgender should be mentioned in the new constitution.

The representatives of Banke, Bardiya and Surkhet said they will create pressure to mention the missing points in the preliminary draft of constitution. They maintained that they will register their issues while members of Constituent Assembly (CA) visit districts to seek public opinion on preliminary draft of constitution.

They said new constitution should end discrimination against them. The preliminary draft of constitution has mentioned this issue as there was agreement in previous CA. Sunil Babu Pant was CA member from this community.

Advocate Prem Bahadur Thapa said Panta played a vital role to ensure the rights of citizenship, fundamental rights and rights of sexual and gender minorities. Thapa said more pressure is needed to gain more rights in the draft of constitution. He advised to raise this issue when CA members come to collect opinion on preliminary draft of constitution.

He said other laws will provide explanation of current constitutional. Thapa said Panta played a vital role to introduce homosexual and transgender in the new constitution. At the program it was shared that there are 302 transgender in 11 villages of Banke.