 |
| Abbreviation | BDS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2001 |
| Type | Non-Profit Organization |
| Purpose | As a community-based organization, the Blue Diamond Society aims to educate and assist with the sexual health, human rights, and the well-being of gender and sexual minorities in Nepal. |
| Headquarters | Kathmandu |
| Location |
|
Founder/Director | Sunil Babu Pant |
| Website | http://bds.org.np |
The Blue Diamond Society (BDS; Nepali: नील हीरा समाज) is an LGBT rights organization in Nepal. It was established in 2001 to advocate for change in the existing laws against homosexuality and to advocate for the rights of Nepal's marginalized gay, transgender, and other sexual minority communities. The Blue Diamond Society also aims to educate Nepalese society on proper sexual health, to advocate with local governments for queer minorities, to encourage the artful expression of LGBTQ+ youth, and to document violence against Nepalese queers. Another of its contributions to Nepal's LGBTQ+ communities is to provide care, counseling, and services to victims of HIV/AIDS. The BDS has also recorded various abuses against the community ranging from physical and verbal abuse and discrimination inflicted in workplaces and healthcare facilities.
The Blue Diamond Society is currently led by Executive Director Manisha Dhakal and was founded and led until 2013 by Sunil Babu Pant, the first gay legislator in Nepal's history and one of 29 experts at the meeting for The Yogyakarta Principles.
One of the Blue Diamond Society's greatest achievements occurred in 2007 when Pant and fellow human rights activists filed a case with Nepal's Supreme Court that led to a verdict by the Court ordering the government to repeal all laws that explicitly discriminate against members of the LGBT community. The Court also ordered the government to draft laws to legally recognize gay marriage. In 2015, Nepal approved a new constitution that guaranteed equal rights to all the genders; however, despite the laws, the LGBT+ community still faces discrimination and abuse and is least represented in the country.[1]
In 2018, the Blue Diamond Society currently has over 700 staff and forty offices throughout Nepal.[2] The head office is located in Dhumbarahi Height, Kathmandu.[3]
- ^ "Understanding LGBT rights in Nepal". ucanews.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Cousins, Sophie (2018-11-01). "Blue Diamond Society: working with Nepal's LGBT community". The Lancet HIV. 5 (11): e615. doi:10.1016/S2352-3018(18)30297-2. ISSN 2352-3018. PMID 30507442. S2CID 54564198.
- ^ "Welcome to Blue Diamond Society Archived 2016-02-23 at the Wayback Machine." Web. 15 February 2016.