A prominent lawmaker and gay rights activist in Nepal says he has asked Facebook to include a third option for people who do not identify themselves as male or female.
Sunilbabu Pant said he has written to Facebook founders Mark Zuckerberg and Chris Hughes asking an option as "third gender" or "others" when signing up because people who do not identify as male or female continue to be sidelined by Facebook's options.
Pant said he has not received any response from Facebook but was hopeful.
Pant is the only openly gay parliament member in Nepal and has been campaigning for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the Himalayan nation.
Dear Mr Zuckerberg,
My name is Sunil Babu Pant. I am the founder and director of Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's first LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) rights organization.
In just 11 years, Blue Diamond Society has achieved incredible success advocating for the rights of LGBTI people. This is due, in part, to the fact that Nepal is a country that celebrates diversity and, in part, to the bravery and tenacity of Blue Diamond Society staff and volunteers.
In 2007, the Supreme Court of Nepal responded positively to a case Blue Diamond Society brought before it. We asked the court to find that LGBTI people are equal, and that gender identity should be based only on self-identification. They decided positively on both counts - and now we are working to implement the policies.
I write today as an avid user and admirer of Facebook. Your product has revolutionised the way we communicate and express ourselves around the world. It has brought communities together, which were otherwise thousands of miles apart, and resulted in collaboration and partnerships, which have improved the world.
However, people who do not identify as male or female continue to be sidelined by Facebook's options. As you allow users to identify only as male or female, many in the LGBTI community feel as if they are hidden on the site, unable to identify as their true selves.
In Nepal, we have been working with the government to improve this identity-based access to documentation and civic participation. The government of Nepal is working to implement a third gender option, labeled "other", on all official forms and registers.
I encourage you to do the same, for the sake of respect for gender-variant people around the world who want to socialize, organise and be a part of your 21st century internet revolution. I encourage Facebook to celebrate diversity.
Please let me know if I can help in the process.
Kind regards,
Sunil B Pant
Executive Director, Blue Diamond Society
Member of Nepal Constituent Assembly
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