British man in Nepal’s first foreign gay marriage ceremony
A foreign gay couple had a gay marriage ceremony in Nepal this week.
Sanjay Shah, a British man from Leicester, married an Indian man who did not want to be named in a ceremony on Tuesday evening.
The couple’s wedding was organised by gay group Blue Diamond Society, run by Nepal’s best-known gay activist, MP Sunil Pant.
The group arranged for them to have a marriage certificate and to have the ceremony blessed by a Hindu priest.
Although Nepal does not yet recognise same-sex marriage, wedding ceremonies performed by priests are usually accepted in society.
The country is expected to enshrine gay rights in its new constitution and may also legalise marriage for gay couples.
The couple married near a Hindu temple in Kathmandu and a report from the Hindustan Times said that they were forced to marry in another country after threats from their relatives.
They told the newspaper they met in the UK and would take a honeymoon in India before returning to Britain.
Mr Pant, who has been working to advertise Nepal as a gay-friendly destination, said that Blue Diamond Society was receiving a number of wedding queries from gay couples, including gay Indian prince Manvendra Singh Gohil.
He added that he had heard of other gay couples in the country being married by priests, although this was the first foreign gay wedding for the country.
On August 25th, 3,000 people are expected to join Nepal’s first Pride march in Kathmandu.
