|
Lesbianism? Still taboo and scary in Nepal
Dikshya Thakuri
December 6, 2003
Katmandu: In a society where homosexual men are looked down upon, it is even
more difficult for lesbians to wear their "lesbianism" on their duppattas.
Their stories remain untold and their issues totally ignored-even by those
ardent believers in incessant barking for common good.
A classic recent case is of a lesbian who, unable to accept her parents'
constant pressure on her to marry her off to a man, consumed poison. Anjali
Thapa was immediately rushed from Hetauda to Kathmandu for emergency treatment
and she survived. Despite resorting to such a drastic step, her parents who are
unaware of her choice of living with the same sex and remaining traditionally
unmarried, are still forcing her to return home and get married.
Her partner Sushila Gurung is working in Kathmandu and she,too, hopes to stay
in Kathmandu and lead an independent life. "I don't want to get married, all I
want to do is earn my own bread and live with Sushila," said Anjali. Her
complaint is that she cannot come out in the open and tell her parents the
truth due to a stringent social make-up.
"As it is my parents are behind my back and are trying to separate Sushila and
me, there is no way that I can confront them. They think she's spoiling me,"
she said.
Although Sushila's parents are unaware of her choice, her parents do not have
any objection to her working in Kathmandu or any where else. "There is nothing
wrong in being lesbians and I think it's very natural. It is society which is
biased against individual choices and distort their interpretations," she said.
Another pair Sheetal Pradhan and Gauri Sharma who have known each other for two
years say that they do not intend to tell their parents about their affair. "We
won't get married to men," they said in unison. They live with their parents
and go to each other's house like any other normal friends and "stay
overnight." There are many lesbians in Kathmandu and throughout the country but
they are afraid to openly admit their preference. "We should all come forward
and work for the welfare and protection of lesbians," said Sushila.
To support lesbians and create awareness among them, Blue Diamond Society (BDS)
has recently started a Lesbian Support Group. "The support group has started
its work and plans to identify lesbians and their problems and create a broader
network," said Sunil Babu Pant, director at BDS. According to him, around 40
lesbians in Kathmandu are in contact with BDS and most of them refuse to come
to the office.
It is amazing that these two young women from Hetauda have dared to be vocal
about their choice since lesbians from the city choose to remain silent, he
said. "Just like it took three years for gay men to fight for their rights, it
will take a few years for lesbians to do the same in a male-dominated society
like ours," he said pointing out that feminists and women activists should also
try and understand the issue. (Names have been changed to protect the identity)
Copyright 1999-2004, AsianSexGazette.com. All rights reserved. No
content may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission.
Please contact us via the link below for re-print and syndication policies.
|
|
 |
