Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal's First Openly Gay Lawmaker

Sunil Babu Pant, a Belarus-educated computer engineer, is Nepal's first openly gay lawmaker. On April 10, 2008, Pant won one of five seats secured by The Communist Party of Nepal (United) in the 601 seat assembly.

"We have chosen Sunil Babu Pant as our candidate to ensure the rights of gay and other minority groups," Ganesh Shah, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (United), told AFP. "He will be the first person to represent Nepal's gay community."

Pant founded the Blue Diamond Society in 2001, the only gay rights group in Nepal.

"Representing a sexual minority I will make sure the new constitution protects sexual groups, people with disabilities, small indigenous castes and others," Pant told AFP.

Pant's election is a historic move in Nepal, a traditionally Hindu, caste-dominated and conservative culture.

In December 2007, Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered their government to extend equal protections under the law to their gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex population (more).