Draped in garlands, Bhumika Shrestha on Monday became Nepal’s first transgender woman lawmaker, marking a proud milestone for the marginalised community in the Himalayan nation. “I am very excited but also feel the responsibility on my shoulders,” Shrestha, an LGBTQ rights advocate, told AFP. Umisha Pandey, president of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), a leading LGBTQ rights group, called Shrestha’s election a “historic” moment. Nepal has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTQ rights. In 2023, an interim order from the Supreme Court allowed same-sex and transgender couples to register their marriage.

Source: Punch March 17, 2026 09:16 UTC