I was on Facebook the other day and on a friend’s wall I saw a photo that said “It’s very dear to me, the issue of gay marriage. Or, as I like to call it: ‘marriage.’ You know, because I had lunch this afternoon, not gay lunch. I parked my car; I didn’t gay park it.”

As far as I know, homosexuality is something that isn’t talked about much in Nepal. It’s still a taboo and very few are able and willing to declare their sexuality. Besides the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) under the leadership of Sunil Babu Pant, the fight for the rights for LGBT equality doesn’t garner much attention.

And in some ways, I think that’s better – not because it’s not a worthy cause but because it’s something that shouldn’t even need to be fought for! I honestly don’t see why the issue of sexual orientation and gender issues gets as much attention as it does – what difference does it make? If my being straight doesn’t affect what I’m capable of, I don’t see why it should be any different if I were bi or gay.

People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender should not have to fight for their “rights” anymore than women should have to fight for equality. To me, it’s a simple given that should come with birth – not with protests, parades, and fights against discrimination.

The time, resources, and effort that is put into fighting for (or against) these “issues” could be far better utilized if directed towards ending corruption or providing education.

I know a fair bit of opposition in the West comes from “Christian” – yes, in quotes because they clearly don’t know what their faith is about. If these “Christians” read the Bible they would know that they are called to LOVE everyone, especially their enemies, and a dude liking a dude is no ready for him to be your arch rival. Plus, they’re giving the entire faith a bad reputation for something that they don’t fully understand.

In Nepal, the issue isn’t so much with the Christian community as it is with our conservative culture. Even though we’re actually far more accepting and progressive on paper, as a society with a strict hierarchy the discrimination and perversion that exists is appalling. I’ve spoken to members of the BDS and could retell countless horror stories for being who they are. Tales of rape, and abuse are sickeningly common, being bullied, tortured, and an out caste are a given, and most being left with no option than the sex trade is the sad reality.

What in the hell makes people think that they have the right to reduce others to insults and shame? I don’t see anyone sending invitations to a “straight wedding” so why should it matter two women are marrying each other?

Live and let live, it really doesn’t make a difference who someone chooses to love – caste, religion, sexual orientation, we’re all worth the same.

Saani has no real goals and aspirations but she sees opportunity in everything and goes with the flow. This is probably because she loves exploring and discovering. She writes for fun but for the same reason she also cooks, reads, and spends a lot of time on random websites that offer a chance to learn all sorts of tid-bits on life.