Draped in garlands, Bhumika Shrestha (pic) has become the country’s first transgender woman lawmaker, marking a proud milestone for the marginalised community.
Nepal’s Election Commission confirmed the 37-year-old as a proportional representation MP from the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party, which won a majority in parliament with 182 seats last week.
“I am very excited but also feel the responsibility on my shoulders,” said Shrestha, an LGBTQ rights advocate.
“Our constitution has provisions for our community but they have not translated to laws and policies. Our community expects me to raise our issues (in parliament).”
She will sit in the 275-member House of Representatives elected on March 5, the first election since the anti-corruption protests toppled the government last year.
Umisha Pandey, president of the Blue Diamond Society, a leading LGBTQ group, called her election a “historic” moment.
“Our pains, our sufferings, our feeling, our stories and our every problem is only understood by us, not by others,” said Pandey.
Supporters congratulated Shrestha, offering her scarves, flowers and gifts, including a pen symbolising the legislative power she will now wield. — AFP
