Kathmandu (Pahichan) January 24 – Lawmakers have said that issues of gender and sexual minorities are a common agenda. At a program organized by Blue Diamond Society regarding the role of lawmaker in making laws related to gender and sexual minority, they expressed to formulate laws in a way that would help to bring this community in the social mainstream.

UML lawmaker Deveraj Bhar said the agenda of this community is the agenda of whole country. From social justice perspective, this community should be brought into mainstream.  Radha Devi Timalsena of Saghiya Samajbadi Forum said she is ready to play role as mentioned in constitution to institutionalize rights of this community.

“Earlier, I was not informed about this community, I knew about it after I met Sunil Babu Pant,” she said.  As our party is currently in street, we are ready to raise the agenda of this community from street, she said.

Dhanu Mahar and Rajeshwori Devi of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal advised that there is discrimination against this community in Terai-Madhes. They advised to launch special campaign in Terai\Madhes to create social awareness.

Rajib Bikram Shah of Nepali Congress expressed commitment to make laws so that members of this community should not face humiliation in the society.

Chairman of Blue Diamond Society Pinki Gurung said though members of this community have been defined under marginality community, there are not proper policy and program.  Gurung said former lawmaker Sunil Babu Pant played a vital role to secure rights of this community in the constitution.

She urged the lawmakers to play vital role to formulate laws to secure rights of this community. Executive Director of Society Manisha Dhakal said discrimination against this community is being continued so that new laws should be formulated. “The new law should provide equal treatment to his community, we have a high hope on lawmakers,” Dhakal said adding that there should not be dilly-dallying to implement the rights mentioned in constitution. Advocate Sujan Pant urged lawmakers to play role from their part to formulate laws on legalizing same-sex marriage.