A posed portrait of 28 year old gay man, LGBT rights activist and 2013 winner of ‘Mr Gay Handsom’ Bishwaraj Adhikari. “I lost my friends and family because of my sexuality, because I’m different from others,” says Bishwaraj Adhikari of the time when he first came out. He says his family in rural Nepal thought to be gay meant their son was going to transition to be a trans woman. It was too much for them. “They didn’t know about gays and lesbians,” he says. “My Dad said ‘if you are going to be like this - you have to leave this family.’” Bishwaraj says his life is much better now – “I’m determined to be happy,” he says. He also wants to ply his part in making Nepal an LGBTQI+ friendly country – “I am determined to fight with this community and to claim rights of LGBT.” Nepal's current LGBTQI+ laws are some of the most open in the world – including the legal recognition of a third gender. Tangible implementation of the various government orders has been piecemeal though, a 2014 United Nations report noted. And government officials have continued to harass LGBT groups, including by alleging that organizing around homosexuality is illegal in the country. Furthermore, while laws are progressive, discrimination is wide spread, especially within families, where marriage between a man and a woman and the bearing of children are expected of young Nepalese. Katmandu, Nepal. 28 October 2018. Photo Robin Hammond/Witness Change

Bishwaraj Adhikari /

“I am Bishwaraj Adhikari 28. A First Nepal’s Mr Gay Handsome 2013. I came out in 19 years while I was working in Radio as a RJ as my educational certification is from Journalism.

I am a executive board member of Sambriddha samaj (2012) Morang. Biratnagar & a former secretary of Friends Hetauda Makwanpur (2010) as there are the community based organization representing SLM people. I am currently working with blue diamond society as a human rights officer in central office of Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu.

Hence,

I am a gay rights activist and fighting with society for claiming the equal rights where all LGBTIQ can live with equal rights and dignity.

But, my past was not happy & free enough to live my life like now. When I knew about my sexuality I scared and thought that I should be trans as a third gender & get harassed (physially) in my home town while returning from the field of my service. I got a depressed almost 4 years & took medicine.
I a lost my friends & family just because of my sexuality is different than the boys.

Now,

I continuous lobbied with them & determined to fight for my happiness as well as my freedom. I never & ever will sacrifice my principle of life. 5 F is my principle of life as below :

1 Friends
2 Family
3 Freedom
4 f[r]ee
5 fun

Conclusion:

I have sepends hundreds of hour & thousand of dollar to make me happy & always be will the community to unit & claim our rights. I have been personally coordinated & reached more than 25000 gay and masculin MSMs to make them aware through HIV comprehensive package for a gay man in Kathmandu while I was a program officer in the gay focused project in Dhundal, Kathmandu.”

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