Thanks to my dad’s job, I was given the benefit of growing up around the world. For two years in high school, I lived in a tiny little south Asian country between China and India called Nepal. A lot of times when I mention it, I am often asked questions about how I liked living on the coast of Florida or if I know how to speak Italian, and I usually just laugh. But today I’d like to take a moment to bring your awareness to my former hometown to let you know about the awesomeness that is currently going on there.
While Nepal’s political and economic climate can’t be considered anywhere near sound, their civil activism is moving in the right direction. A Nepali gay rights group, called the Blue Diamond Society, has put together South Asia’s first sports tournament for gay athletes. More than 300 gay, bisexual, and transgender athletes from 30 different countries have registered to compete in the the three-day event. The organizers hope to promote the rights of the LGBTQI community and “prove that sexual and gender minority individuals are as much a member of society as anyone else and they can also take part in mainstream activities such as sports, contrary to popular misconceptions”.
The event was officially opened by the openly gay former US Olympic diving champion, Greg Louganis, who urged participants to “keep up the spirit of sport”.
To learn more, read this BBC article!
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