May 02, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1429

KATHMANDU: Nepal will get its first openly gay politician after he was selected to represent a small communist party in the new constituent assembly, a party official said on Thursday.

“We have chosen Sunil Babu Pant as our candidate to ensure the rights of gay and other minority groups,” Ganesh Shah, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (United), said.

“He will be the first person to represent Nepal’s gay community.” Pant is head of the Blue Diamond society, the only gay rights group in Nepal, a largely Hindu, caste-dominated and conservative nation. “Representing a sexual minority I will make sure the new constitution protects sexual groups, people with disabilities, small indigenous castes and others,” Pant said.

The Communist Party of Nepal (United) won five seats in elections last month that saw Nepal’s former rebel Maoists emerge with the largest bloc of seats to a 601-member body that will rewrite the constitution.—AFP