Two transgender candidates -- Honey Maharjan and Mouni Maharjan -- are contesting the by-elections to local bodies in Nepal. The voting in 32 districts across the Himalayan nation is scheduled for Sunday.
Although there were 44 vacant positions, the by-polls are being conducted only for 41 local-level positions. Among the positions up for grabs are two chairs of rural municipalities, four vice-chairpersons, one municipal chief, one deputy chief and 32 ward chairpersons, news agency PTI reported.
Earlier, the two chiefs of district coordination committees and one ward chairperson were elected unopposed. A total of 376 candidates, including independents, are in the fray for by-election.
Who are the transgender candidates?
With hope for political representation among the sexual and gender minorities in Nepal, Honey Maharjan and Mouni Maharjan have filed their nomination for different positions in the by-elections.
Honey, 44, is running for the post of mayor of Kirtipur, located on the outskirts of Nepal's capital city Kathmandu, AFP reported.
Currently working as a tour guide, Honey was brought up in a poor family. Struggling to make ends meet, she earlier used to wash dishes at a restaurant and even worked at a garment factory.
Mouni Maharjan, on the other hand, is eying a victory from the ward chair position in the same municipality. Mouni, 29, and Honey are representing Nepal's People's Socialist Party.
LGBTQ rights in Nepal
While Nepal has progressive laws on LGBTQ rights, nobody from the community has ever held public office since 2008, when a gay person emerged as a lawmaker in the Parliament of Nepal after getting nominated under the proportional representation system.
Honey hopes that her candidature will "inspire others in the queer community to participate openly in future elections".
Even after progressive laws, people from the community face discrimination in various sectors such as employment, healthcare and education in Nepal.
"Until now, not one of our community members exercised the right to run for mayoral elections in Nepal," said Honey. Recalling her "nightmare" past, she added that she faced a lot of discrimination and abuse and hoped to bring change.
Meanwhile, Mouni said her priorities included not just improvement in infrastructure and sanitation but also fighting the stigma against LGBTQ people.
Mouni will work to add a "curriculum in school courses regarding the community", she said. This will allow the new generation to "easily accept our presence" and treat them better.
