Nepalese gay couple becomes first to officially register same-sex marriage

Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung, who got married six years ago, became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)

A gay couple in Nepal became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status on Wednesday. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it.

Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former parliamentarian and leading LGBTQ+ rights activist, said: “After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra got their marriage registered at the local administration office.”