Nepal welcomes BLGT travelers…and their money!
Nepal–a country blessed with stunning physical beauty and cursed with crippling poverty–is launching a campaign aimed at capturing part of the multi-billion dollar gay tourism industry. The new tourism campaign symbolizes the astounding progressive strides that have occurred recently in the previously conservative Nepalese culture.
Agricultural fields in Nepal
According to an article by Ravi Nessman of The Associated Press, as recently as five years ago gays and transsexuals were beaten by police; transsexuals in Nepal have historically been forced to suffer robberies, brutal violence, and even rape. Now, Nepal has an openly gay member of parliament, and there is hope that with the introduction of a new constitution in the near future, gay rights–and even gay marriage–will become permanently politically protected.
Pashupatinath Temple, photo by Laxman Thapa
Perhaps even more amazing than the changes in political attitude towards homosexuality and transgender issues is the wide-spread cultural acceptance of non-heterosexual lifestyles. In Nessman’s article, Vishnu Adhikari, a 21-year-old-lesbian, is quoted saying, “(It) is not an issue anymore, for anybody. Society has basically accepted us.”
The Pink Mountain tour company, founded by Sunil Pant–Nepal’s most prominent gay activist and a member of parliament–offers homosexual couples the opportunity to get married on Mt. Everest (in the relative safety of the base camp), and to celebrate their honeymoon on an elephant safari. (However, since Nepal does not marry foreigners, these ceremonies would not have legal standing elsewhere.)
Beyond the admirable cultural acceptance that Nepal has achieved in such a groundbreakingly short space of time, this new tourism campaign presents an interesting approach for gay activists worldwide, as it demonstrates that in dire economic situations, often financial needs can motivate real, positive cultural change.
