Painting Nepal pink

As a queer-friendly society, Nepal, with better investment, stands to attract global LGBTIQ+ tourists.

The euphoria over the registration of marriage between Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung, widely recognised as the first legal marriage of same-sex individuals in Nepal, is yet to die down. Meanwhile, there is yet another piece of news from Nepal to celebrate: An international conference to help LGBTIQ+ visitors travel to Nepal with pride, which is being planned sometime in January. Considered the first international queer tourism conference, it is expected to create a platform for nuanced discussions on making Nepal’s tourism sensitive to the requirements of queer tourists. At a time when Nepal’s global standing as a queer-friendly nation is growing, the conference will likely bolster the image. This also aligns with the country's democratic ethos that considers people belonging to different identity groups as equal citizens—although, of course, there are legitimate demands from people from various quarters, including queer people themselves, to be treated equally in letter and spirit.