Nepal registers first same-sex marriage; 'historic', say activists

FILE PHOTO: Participants take part in an annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade, in Kathmandu, Nepal June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Local authorities in a village in Nepal registered the Himalayan nation's first same-sex marriage on Wednesday, officials and activists said, five months after the Supreme Court issued an interim order clearing the way for such marriages in the largely conservative country.

The marriage between 36-year-old Ram Bahadur (Maya) Gurung, who was born male but identifies as female, and Surendra Pandey, 26, who was born and identifies as male, was formally registered at the Dordi rural municipality office in the Lumjung district in west Nepal, an official said.