KATHAMNDU: A programme was organised by the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) at the Rastriya Nach Ghar on March 20. It started with some dance performances and a play being performed by members of the society. While the transgender artistes performed, others in the audience cheered them on. The play that the artistes had performed received much appreciation and a good response from the audience as it covered the pathos of a transgender who has to go through various hurdles to get her citizenship and have an identity.

Minister for Science and Technology Ganesh Shah was the chief guest of the programme.

Along with it, with the objective to create awareness among people about issues related to men having sex with men (MSM), transgenders (TG), a documentary titled, I am not what you see was also screened.

The documentary directed by Dil Bhusan Pathak mainly focused on difficulties that sexual and gender minorities have been facing in different walks of their lives. The half-hour-long documentary illustrated the tragic story of Bishnu Adhikari, an army personnel, who was fired from the Nepal Army only because she was a transgender. Bishnu recalled the time of entrance into the army when she had fought with some 32,000 cadres to get into the army. Adhikari also talked about experience of giving training to many batches in the army.

Ruma Ale is another victim of social discrimination, who is addressed as a girl in her citizenship card though he actually feels like a boy. Similarly, Garima Sapkota being a boy looks like a girl and so was ignored by his family and had to leave his home as shown in the documentary.

It also shed a light on the sexual health and HIV issues of those involved in unsafe sex. — HNS