How Queer is Your Love? | Lex Limbu | Sworsati Pun Magar | Kanchi Maya Tamang | Sukmaya Magar

🌈 How Queer is Your Love? 🌈

Queer Nepali elders talk about their lives and shared experiences revolving around love and aging, grounded and facilitated by a young queer person who reflects on their own ideas of growing old.

SUKMAYA MAGAR, 53, is a lesbian woman from Devghat, Tanahun. She met her partner, Samihana Gurung, while working in the textile industry; they fell in love, got married, and shared over three decades of their lives together. Despite social acceptance, Sukmaya now faces challenges alone after Samjhana's passing. Due to Nepal's lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriages, Sukmaya is denied certain benefits available to single and widowed women. Nevertheless, she remains hopeful, determined to find economic support, and live with dignity.

KANCHIMAYA TAMANG, 57, from the gender and sexual minority community resides in Hetauda, Makwanpur. As physical labor becomes harder with age, she sustains her livelihood by weaving. LGBTIQ+ elders like her face ageism, workplace harassment, and wage discrimination, often overlooked by the movement that advocates for their rights. Kanchimaya urges activists to recognize and support older community members, calling for age-friendly employment and a strong support system, especially as many lack familial ties.

SWORSATI PUN MAGAR faced many challenges growing up without formal education or family support after her mother's passing. For years, she struggled to obtain citizenship. She had to resign from working at Sudur Paschim Samaj due to the lack of citizenship.
After a five-year struggle, she successfully received her citizenship in 2079. Currently, she works at Respect Home, though this position ends in Dec 2024.

LEX LIMBU is a blogger, content creator, LGBTIQ+ activist and a passionate advocate for cultural understanding and travel. He is the founder of Tracing Nepal, a travel experience that bridges the gap between Nepalis residing overseas and Nepal.

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WOW Panel and Big Ideas | Curated by The Open Institute of Social Science
This panel discussion was part of the Women of the World (WOW) Festival 2024, organised by the British Council and hosted by Kathmandu Metropolitan City. WOW Festival Nepal 2024 took place at Nandikeshwar Bagaincha (Naxal) on 23-24 November 2024.