Nepal registers first same-sex marriage

 Nepal has registered its first same-sex marriage, a victory for LGBT rights, activists said.

Authorities in Nepal's western Lumjung district on Wednesday formally registered the relationship of 35-year-old Maya Gurung and 27-year-old Surendra Pandey.

It came five months after the Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing same-sex couples to register their marriages.

Taiwan is the only place in Asia where same-sex marriage is legal.

Ms Gurung said their registration was a "huge victory" not just for the two of them but for all sexual minorities. "Fighting for rights is not easy. But we did it. It will be easier for future generations. This registration has opened many doors for us." she said.

The couple has said that they want to build a house on the land they bought. But their biggest dream is to adopt a child once their finances are more stable.

They have been together for almost a decade. The couple married in a temple ceremony in 2017 and had sought legal recognition of their relationship this year.

Ms. Gurung is a transgender woman who has not changed her gender on official documents. Mr. Pandey identifies as male at birth.

A district court in Nepal's capital Kathmandu refused to register their marriage on July 13, despite a Supreme Court order ordering the government to register such unions pending legislation.

The district court had argued that the lower courts were not bound to follow the order as it was addressed only to the government.

But on Wednesday, Dordi Rural Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Hem Raj Kafle said, "We have issued the marriage registration certificate to the couple in view of the Supreme Court order and the instructions of the relevant government authorities." Namely.

Prominent LGBT rights activist Sunil Babu Pant called the "historic" moment a victory for sexual and gender minorities.