ネパール当局、両性表記の市民権証書を初めて授与 / Nepali becomes both man and woman

ネパール当局、両性表記の市民権証書を初めて授与

　【カトマンズ　４日　ロイター】　男性でありながら女性として生きたいとの要望を持つネパールの２０代の「トランスジェンダー」に対して、ネパール当局はこのほど男女両方の性別が記入された市民権証書を授与した。ネパールではこうした措置は初めて。

　トランスジェンダーとは一般に、自己の性と心の性の不一致から反対の性で生きようとする人を指す。

　同国の同性愛者人権団体「ブルー・ダイヤモンド協会」は４日、今回の決定を「すべてのトランスジェンダーにとって非常に大きな意義のある前進だ」と指摘した。

　ふだんから女性の格好で生活しているこの男性は、自分のことを「彼女」と称されることを希望しているが、性転換手術などは行っていない。

　複数の国際人権団体が、ネパールでは性的少数者が差別を受けているとして同国当局を非難しており、先月にはルイス・アーバー国連人権高等弁務官がネパール政府に対し、性的少数者などに対する差別をやめるよう求めていた。

2007/02/06 9:27


BBC
Last Updated: Sunday, 4 February 2007, 15:19 GMT
Nepali becomes both man and woman
By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Kathmandu

Nepal has a community of men identifying themselves as women

The authorities in Nepal have granted a man who dresses and behaves as a woman both male and female citizenship.

The unprecedented legal status was given to 40-year-old Chanda Musalman.

Conservative and religious Nepal, like many Asian countries, has a sizeable community of people who are born male but behave as women.

It is unclear how this unique legal status will play out in practice - for instance, how it will affect Chanda's marriage rights.

Constitution

With elections approaching, government teams are currently touring the country issuing certificates of citizenship.

One team came to Chanda's village in western Nepal.

Chanda, who has had no sex-change surgery, asked the officials to erase the words male and female, listed under gender.

They obliged, and ascribed Chanda's gender as "both".

A local campaign group, the Blue Diamond Society, has thanked the government for the move, which it described as a victory for sexual and gender minorities.

In the past the group has accused both the police and the Maoists of harassing transgendered people in the streets of Kathmandu.

It is now lobbying to get the rights of sexual minorities explicitly protected in the new constitution, to be drawn up after the elections.

Nepal declares citizen is both man and woman
Sun Feb 4, 3:56 PM ET
AFP

Nepal has granted a person citizenship as both a man and a woman, a gay rights group said.

Chanda Rani, 40, received a notice of citizenship a week ago not as man or woman but as "both," Sunil Panta, president of Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's only gay rights group, told AFP Sunday.

"This is a landmark victory in our struggle," said Panta. "There are nearly 10,000 trans-genders, gays, lesbians and bisexual people across the country who have been struggling to acquire citizenship on the basis of their true gender identities."

Chanda was given a citizenship certificate with the gender written as both male and female, Panta said.

"This has inspired nearly 400 others who are seeking the same citizenship."

In August last year, Nepal saw its first supposed gay "marriage" in an unofficial ceremony between Anil Mahaju, 30, and 23-year-old Diya Mahaju.

Although homosexuality is not listed as a crime under Nepali law, "unnatural sex acts" can be punished by up to a year in prison.

The Blue Diamond Society was founded in 2001 to address the needs of sexual minorities, and has received financial support from singer Elton John and other celebrities.