Kathmandu Witnesses First Gay Marriage Between Nepali and US National

A Nepali youth and a US citizen entered into a same-sex wedlock in Kathmandu of Nepal on Thursday.

It was the first incident of same-sex marriage between a Nepali citizen and a foreigner in the Himalayan nation. Same-sex marriages are legal in Nepal following its Supreme Court directive.

In 2023, the Nepal Supreem Court issued an interim order to legalise same-sex marriages in Nepal. The first legal same-sex marriage in Nepal following this court order was between Nepal’s Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung.

On Thursday, Nepal’s Prajeet Budhathoki, 27, and US national Joseph Foster Elis, 30, got married in a Kathmandu hotel as per the Hindu rituals amid the chanting of Vedic mantras.

The marriage ceremony was attended by the sexual minority community, diplomats, family members and media persons.

The couple later exchanged rings as per the Christian tradition in the presence of a Chistrian priest.

The same-sex marriage was facilitated by Maya Ko Pahichan, the organisation headed by LGBT activist Sunil Babu Panta, who is the first gay Member of Parliament of Nepal.

According to Panta, Nepal can be a hub for destination weddings for same-sex marriage, which will ultimately help promote tourism.

On Monday, Prajeet and Joseph legally registered their marriage at Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City in Sunsari district of Eastern Nepal. They received a marriage certificate from the local body.

Joseph from New York is doing a PhD in Sanskrit language at the Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. Prajeet runs a queer travel company in Nepal. They met in Kathmandu two years back. Joseph has decided to live in Nepal with his partner Prajeet.