Last Wednesday, they became the first same-sex couple in South Asia to have their marriage legally recognized.
"Finally we are completely together, finally we are completely each other's, finally we can perform each other's funeral if we die tomorrow," Gurung, 37, a transgender woman, said as the couple sat in the register office in rural Dordi municipality, where she was born.
"Yes, we won it, we did it. We can have a beautiful future now," said Pandey, 27, a cis-man.
Six months ago, Nepal's supreme court issued an interim order directing the government to create a separate register for marriage between same-sex and transgender people until marriage legislation could be amended. In 2007, the court ordered the government to look into law changes to allow samesex marriages, which are allowed in the constitution. However, successive governments failed to bring legislation before parliament.
The supreme court ruling in June prompted huge celebrations among the LGBTQ+ community in Nepal.
However, for Gurung and Pandey, who had a Hindu wedding ceremony in 2017, it proved short-lived: they faced significant legal hurdles and opposition to get their marriage recognised.
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Why Is The Pundit Class Desperate To Push Joe Biden Out Of The Race?
I am not usually one to offer diagnoses of people I've never met, but it does seem like the pundit class of the US media is suffering from severe memory loss.
High Stakes Dizzying Win But There's No Safety Net If Labour Fails
The asteroid hit at dawn. The seats of four Tory former prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson - fell in an hour at around 6am on Friday, capping a historically unprecedented collapse for the Conservative party.
Prime factor After nine years, is the Trudeau era nearing a conclusion?
After an electoral upset, the public is growing increasingly weary of the prime minister's tenure and his Liberal party
New voice Victory for reformist candidate
Masoud Pezeshkian's win in presidential election reflects deep dissatisfaction with direction of country
Sword Granny The 82-year-old teaching women self-defence
The pupils are mostly schoolchildren, aged from seven up to teenagers. The teacher is an 82-year-old woman known to all as Sword Granny.
Return voyage This profound novel-a transcendent gift from the author-follows a young Indian woman's quest in Mexico to learn about her mother
Anita Desai's riddling and haunted new novel is set in motion when Bonita, a young Indian woman, meets a tricksy figure in a park in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
A surplus of strawberries? You can use them up by going sweet or sour
'Strawberries are the masterpiece of summer,\" says Ravinder Bhogal, Feast columnist and chef/owner of Jikoni in London.
A force to be reckoned with
Argentinian dance group Fuerza Bruta use hip-hop and high-wire artistry to bring culture to the masses and help audiences soar above political worries
Immunity ruling raises the stakes for Democrats
Supreme court decision and Biden's refusal to step down dim hopes party can win the election and save democracy
'We were so scared' Surprise surge for left alliance pushes far right into third place
A nervous energy rippled through the crowd gathered at Lyon's Place de la République.
