Social worker Sanjaya Shah, 42, from UK tied nuptial knot at a temple in Teku with S Khan, 30, (name changed) from Gujarat on Tuesday under the aegis of Blue Diamond Society (BDS), an organisation dedicated for the cause of gay and lesbian in Nepal.
The BDS charged USD 200 to issue marriage certificate to the couple, said Sunil Babu Pant, President of the Society, who is also the first Nepalese gay lawmaker.
As there was no law to permit same sex marriage in India, they came to Nepal for the purpose of wedding, he said.
"We are expecting more gay marriages in Kathmandu in the year 2011, when Nepal is observing Nepal Tourism Year with the aim to attract some one million tourists," he said. A lesbian couple from US is planning to tie nuptial knot in remote mountain district of Mustang bordering China in March and another couple, one from Philippines and another from Dubai, has also approached the BDS for facilitating their wedding, Pant said.
The USD 200 received from the couple for issuing certificates will be spent in helping the poor lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-sexual people from different parts of the country, he added.
Earlier this year, Manvendra Singh Gohil, an openly gay and scion of the family that once ruled Rajpipla in Gujarat, married his partner at a Hindu temple in Kathmandu.
Two years ago, Nepalese Supreme Court had ordered the government to enact laws to guarantee the rights of gays and lesbians after the BDS filed a petition.
On August 25, BDS is also planning to organize a grand Pride Festival coinciding with the Hindu Gaijatra or Cow Festival. At least 8,000 lesbian and gay people from 40 districts of Nepal will gather in Kathmandu to participate in the procession.
Pride Festival is organised by the gay community worldwide to make them feel pride, he said, adding guests from different countries and diplomatic missions stationed in Kathmandu will also participate in the festival.
Ireland's Parliament member Dominique Hanningan, also a gay, will be one of the prominent figure to attend the celebrations. The Irish lawmaker will be here for week to volunteer for the BDS.