KATHMANDU, MARCH 9
The US Embassy in Nepal has announced that transgender rights activist Bhumika Shrestha will be awarded the US Department of States' prestigious International Women of Courage Award, 2022 for her dedication to improving the lives of the LGBTQI+ community.
This is the second year in a row that a Nepali has won the award. Last year, Muskan Khatun won the accolade for her work against acid attacks.
US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will host the annual IWOC Awards in a virtual ceremony.
"The First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, will deliver remarks during the event, which will be livestreamed on www.state.gov on March 14," said the embassy.
Now in its 16th year, the Secretary of State's IWOC Award recognises women from across the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity often at the cost of great personal risk and sacrifice.
The 2022 IWOC Award ceremony will honour 12 extraordinary women from across the world who are working to build a brighter future for all. Since March 2007, the Department of State has recognised more than 170 women from over 80 countries with the IWOC Award.
Following the virtual ceremony, the awardees will participate in an International Visitor Leadership Programme Virtual exchange to connect with their American counterparts and strengthen the global network of women leaders.
Transgender activist Bhumika Shrestha has advocated gender minority rights and social justice. Despite stigma and biases against transgender people, Shrestha helped lead the movement for gender minority recognition.
Nepal's Supreme Court ruled that individuals could be identified as a 'third/other gender' on citizenship documents, thanks in large part to her activism in 2007. Later in the spring of 2021, she successfully advocated to change her citizenship document from 'other' to 'female'.
The embassy has congratulated her on receiving this award and is proud to support women and the LGBTQI+ community in Nepal.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 10, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
