US funds support Nepal's growing LGBTQ+ community. Now the money is gone
Kathmandu, Nepal – Now, the metal gate padlock is in the Parichaya Samaj Centre, which advocates LGBTQ+ rights and supports the queer community in Nepal. The sign for the entry says they can no longer help. Staff and volunteers left.
Most help centers in the Nepal LGBTQ+ community have been closed due to lack of funds since the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump began to tear down the U.S. international development agency in charge of humanitarian aid. Thousands of people have no support.
This is an unprecedented setback in the growing queer community in the Himalayan country, with significant progress in recent years.
“It’s a huge crisis,” said Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former MP and a leading LGBTQ+ campaigner. “When the community needs consultation or support, there is a lack. People are back in the closet again.”
Over the past few years, the LGBTQ+ community in Nepal has made rapid progress in securing its rights. The country became one of the first countries in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. The constitution passed in 2015 clearly states that there is no discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The United States is one of the largest donors to the LGBTQ+ rights campaign.
Over the years, USAID and others have stepped in and worked with Help Centers to support initiatives such as HIV prevention, care and safety counseling. U.S. funding is critical to operating centers and clinics that help distribute free condoms, screening and follow-up treatments to HIV patients. Now, the United States Agency for International Development’s office in Nepal has been closed.
These gains are at risk as much of the money disappears.
Babu Dumi Rai, who works at the help center in closed Kathmandu, warned that aid cuts could lead to more HIV infections.
“In our community, people are reluctant to buy condoms, and many of them don’t even know that they need to use condoms or even how to use them properly,” Rai said. “With all these programs and services shut down, the risk of HIV infection is now very high.”
It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people from Nepal come from HIV+ communities in Nepal.
Choudhury said the centers also provide medical help to the community and people are now working to find alternatives. Government hospitals and general healthcare facilities have some resources, but some in the LGBTQ+ community say they are uncomfortable with the treatment methods there.
“Not sure where they can get help in the next few days,” Choudhury said. “I have a lot of people asking questions about where they can go, but I don't have an answer.”
Trans sex workers Simple Lama says getting medical help or items like condoms and lubricants is now more challenging.
“It's easier and safer to get medical help and consultation in the center and clinic,” the Lama said. “But it's hard to go to a large hospital now, and when we go to a regular hospital, people look at us differently and treat us differently.”
Sex work is illegal in Nepal, and sex workers are often harassed and chased by the authorities. Transgender workers are often more vulnerable to police tolerance to stop harassing their members due to lobbying by LGBTQ+ rights groups.
Now, with members of the LGBTQ+ community members, they have been looking for new ways to survive in the now closed Help Center.
“Many of them have started doing sex work,” former MP Pant said. “Many trans and third genders survive as sex workers due to the scarcity of jobs and opportunities.”