First same sex marriage between Nepali & US national takes place in Kathmandu

Kathmandu: Two young men, a Nepali and a US citizen, married here on Thursday, a first such instance involving a foreigner in the Himalayan nation after its Supreme Court allowed same sex marriage.

The organisation that facilitated the marriage said Nepal can be a hub for same sex marriage, which can help promote tourism.

The apex court in June 2023 issued an interim order to legalise same sex marriages in Nepal after a writ petition filed by people from the sexual minority community.

Following that interim order, Nepal’s Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung had registered same sex marriage in November 2023, a first time for South Asia.

On Thursday, the marriage between Nepal’s Prajeet Budhathoki, 27, and US citizen Joseph Foster Elis, 30, was solemnised in a hotel here as per the Hindu

rituals amid the chanting of Vedic mantras.

The ceremony was attended by around 50 people, including those from the sexual minority community, diplomats, family members and media persons.

The couple later exchanged rings as per the Christian tradition in the presence of a Chistrian priest.

This same sex marriage was facilitated by Maya Ko Pahichan, the organisation working for the welfare of LGBT

community headed by LGBT activist Sunil Babu Panta, who is the first gay Member of Parliament

of Nepal.