Two-day Born with Pride conference in capital

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KATHMANDU: A two-day Born with Pride Conference is being held in the capital. The conference that began on September 27 is being organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kathmandu, the Samriddhi Foundation, and the German Nepal Friendship Association.

The conference is engaging in conversation with multiple stakeholders of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, politicians, activists, academicians, lawyers, organizations, and civil society.

21 speakers from 7 South Asian Countries, Europe, and the Tibetan community, and more than 100 participants are attending the two-day event.

The high number of participants shows the importance of the issue and the great willingness to know more about the issue, according to the organizers.

The conference also highlights seven keynote speakers from across the Nepali and European political spectrum addressing various LGBTQIA+ community issues. There are 5 interactive sessions to discuss various topics such as queer in power, inclusive digital spaces for queer persons, the issue of legal recognition, the role of media, and the acceptance and integration of queer persons in civil society.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Carsten Klein, Head of the FNF Regional Office South Asia stated, “Platforms like this provide an opportunity to have a healthy dialogue, network, and come together to solve the inequalities and discriminations”.

Former Minister of Urban Development and member of the House of Representative Ram Kumari Jhakri thanked the organizer for organizing the conference and also highlighted the need for convergence of political and civil society campaigning to achieve the shared goal of promotion and protection of queer rights.

“Our party has nominated two inclusive candidates in the upcoming federal and provincial election and we are determined to bring them into the upcoming House of Representatives, ” Jhakri said.

Yannick Shetty, a Member of the Austrian Parliament, highlighted the need for a value-based foreign policy that condemns discrimination.

Other keynote speakers include Jürgen Lenders, Member of Parliament, German Bundestag, Alka Khanal of German Nepal Friendship Association, Sabrina Schmidt-Koschella, Consul and Head of Administration, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Kathmandu, and Dr. Thomas Prinz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal.

The event will conclude in September 28 with the prize distribution for the Born with Pride Visual Art Competition winners that was organized virtually before the conference.