Kathmandu – Kathmandu’s streets were full of colour, music, and joy on Sunday as hundreds from Nepal’s gender and sexual minority (GSM/LGBTI) communities celebrated this year’s Indreni Gai Jatra. The event was lively but well-organised, mixing pride, remembrance, and political demands.

Under the main slogan “Political participation is our right”, the event was jointly organised by Mayako Pahichan Nepal, LID Nepal, Inclusive Forum, Samarpan Savya Samaj Nepal, Inclusive Galaxy, and several women’s groups. The parade brought together cultural traditions with strong calls for equal rights, full citizenship recognition, and legal reforms for GSM/LGBTI Nepalis.

Gai Jatra, meaning “festival of cows,” is hundreds of years old and honours people who passed away in the past year. Traditionally, people dress as cows or in colourful costumes and walk through the streets. Since 2003, Nepal’s GSM/LGBTI community has used the festival as a public space to show their identities openly, challenge stigma, and remember community members who have died—many of them cut off from their families.

Participants walked from Thamel to Basantapur, dressed as Manjushree, Kamadeva, cows, and lakhe (masked demons), with creative makeup and detailed costumes. Banners called for citizenship recognition for sexual and gender minorities, marriage laws inclusive of same-sex and third-gender couples, and guaranteed political rights. Placards carried the faces of late activists like Manoranjan Kumar Vaidya and Anik Rana, to honour their work.

One of the most popular moments was the appearance of performer Nikisa, surrounded by a large crowd taking photos. The parade, with traditional music and dance, received smiles, cheers, and applause from other festival-goers along the way.

“This is a more than 550-year-old festival to remember loved ones who passed away. Many GSM/LGBTI people are not remembered by their families when they die. So, as one big family, we come together to honour them,” said Sunil Babu Pant, Asia’s first openly gay Member of Parliament, who led the rally. “But this is also a joyful carnival, and a chance to tell the government that we are still waiting for real change.”

Sushil Poudel, chair of LID Nepal, said that while Gai Jatra is part of Nepali culture for everyone, it carries special meaning for GSM/LGBTI people: “Too many friends die alone, rejected by their families. We gather to remember and to show their lives mattered.”

Activist Sanjivani Lama (Sandhya) spoke about the festival’s origin in the Malla period, when a grieving queen was cheered by a royal parade. “We keep that tradition alive—bringing joy while also mourning together,” she said, adding that next year’s celebration will be even bigger.

This year’s slogan also looked forward to Nepal’s 2084 parliamentary elections, with GSM/LGBTI candidates such as Numa Limbu (Chanchala), Dilu Buduja (Badri Pun), Sandhya Lama, Manindra Singh Danuwar, Surendra Pandey, and Devendra Bahadur Khatri (Madhu) announcing they will run for office.

Nepal is seen as one of South Asia’s most progressive countries for GSM/LGBTI rights, with constitutional protections since 2015 and the 2021 census counting 2,928 people outside the male/female binary. But activists say many laws are still incomplete. Even after a Supreme Court order allowing same-sex marriage registration, other laws—like the Electoral Act, Civil Servants Act, and criminal codes—do not fully protect GSM/LGBTI people or recognise crimes against them.

“On paper, things look better. But in reality, the law still discriminates,” Pant said. “We are here to remind the government that our fight is not over.”

For organisers, Indreni Gai Jatra is more than a pride parade. It is a cultural reclamation—using public space in a way that fits Nepali tradition while raising voices for dignity, equality, and legal rights.

Nepal has many festivals and cultural traditions that welcome non-binary and third-gender participation, such as Gai Jatra, Ropain Jatra, and Maruni dance, showing that gender diversity has long been a part of Nepali society.