Can Nepal Sell Itself as a Gay-Wedding Destination?

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2083711,00.html

While this bodes well for the tourism industry, it is pretty ironic. In a country where, unwed men and women living together is still a big taboo, in a country where, inter-ethnic marriage is still frowned upon, and in a country where, the lawmakers want to divide the country based on ridiculous ethnic lines, people will approve the union of two men or two women? I am all up for this "progression" if it sparks the abolishment of much more pertinent taboos in our society.

Very well said Pulsar Beat.

I second pulsar's thought too.. Nepal might sell itself as the gay wedding destination for foreigners.. But as far as the progression is concerned I don't see it coming too fast.. One thing Nepalese are good at is pitching about being progressive but when it comes to their own house they are still very much conservative.. Hattie ko daant khane Eeuta dekhaune aarko vanya jastai ho :p

I think we can follow the same rules as of Casinos. Foreigners can go 2 Nepal and do same sex marriage but lets keep our people out of this crap.

Yes, but what is sad through all of this is the cheapening of what it means to be a Nepali or Nepal.

Nepali women are whoring themselves for the pleasure of foreigners (in Mumbai's red light district as well as in Thamel, among other places).

Nepali tourism is whoring itself to foreign dictates even though it may not be Nepali cultural standards.

What does that tell us?

What it comes down to is that we are cheapening our own culture and our people so that foreigners will buy it. Instead of being able to sell our product based on our own standards: "Nepal based on our own Nepali values," we are selling Nepalese and Nepal to foreigners based on what they will pay us for.

Why don't Nepal and Nepalese have the power to bargain for our "services and products" based on our own standards?

What standards are you all talking about??

Let the foeigners come to Nepal and do their business...Any form of tourism is good for our economy. If y ou do not like Gay marriage..just find an opposite sex to marry with relax.

Back in the days....the hippie influx into KTM was not about hippies wanting to see Nepal and its cultue...it was about KTM being the Hashis mecca of the world hippies wanted to be there. Shahs knew well about this and banked bunch of $$$ with hashis business. Dhirendra and possibly Gyanendra were front men during the drug tade of the 70s and the 80s in Nepal. We got bunch of tourists back then....Did you all know Keith Richards used to make usual visits to KTM back in the day...If the world had any idea who Keith Richard was back then...Nepal would have made bunch of headlines???? Imagine having stars like Michael Stiepe, Elton John, George Michael..Boy George, Jodi Foster, Ian Mckennel (Gandalf) making a frequent stops to Nepal.......You would not need any PR to promote your tourism industry anymore.

And yes it will be selling our own products...the product here is our " tolerance and greetings" to people of any orientation.

If this will help eradicate the extreme poverty we have in our county....i am all for it.

Sidster,

So you're suggesting that Nepal turn into a place for "under-ground" dealings because we aren't competitive enough for "over-ground" interaction?

It was this type of thinking that led Afghanistan from the opium trade into the hands of Taliban and attracted Al Qaeda to it. Is that the model we want to emulate? 

The issue for me is not really about Gay Marriage. I actually don't have a problem expressing their sexuality the way they please. The issue I have more of is being played into other people's agenda because we Nepalese are not strong enough or organized enough to create our own agenda on our terms. 
I am for organized tourism on Nepal's terms and in Nepal's long term interests. But what I am not for is turning Nepal into a place that supports every vice on the planet that is banned in more developed nations. And that may be drugs, gambling, prostitution or whatever. Over time, these elements attracts thugs and other unwanted elements that I find very hard to believe would be in the long term health for supporting strong family values. 
And Nepal may not have a lot of wealth in terms of money. But I feel most Nepalese have traditionally taken a lot of pride in Nepal having strong family values and culture, no? 

doesn't explain how we did not lose our tradional and/or family value during the alter years of late 60's and 70's hippie era in Nepal.

During the Panchayat era, because power was centrallized, the drug trade in Nepal was operating more from a monopoly model.
It wasn't that police crack down wasn't strong during the Panchayat era. It was. The palace was intent on clamping down on any dissidence that would cause the over-throw of the Shah rule. This is true under both Mahendra and Birendra.
I don't have 'hard proof' of the degree to which Dhirendra et al were involved in the drug trade in Kathmandu during the 70's and 80's. But certainly, there is a lot of evidence pointing in that direction. It is well known that Dhirendra, D.P Lama and all used their position of power to cover up their dealings.

If the drug trade would flourish in Nepal now, the model would be more Perfect competition. Now since there is not one dominant power, almost anyone could enter and play to win in the ensuing drug war. This means that the country is broken apart into factions with drug lords using violence to maintain their control over their territory. This is how the drug wars are fought in Somalia and Afghanistan.
I'm not sure what kind of strong family values and culture are in those war ridden countries...but I feel it is in Nepal's interest to find a better model.

Homie,

Gay marriage does not invite Thugs and unwanted element of the society. Quit being so homophobic....It is quite ingorant to compare Gay rights into Prostitution, Gambling and Drug...by the way i am all for legalized prostitution, gambling and Drugs.

I am not saying we need 60s and 70s alike drug economy ......Phuket is also a GAY destination...It has not made Thailand a GAY country...Given that Thailand is a very common Gay destination but it still does not mean its a gay Country. Open up your mind....and learn to live like a tolerant being.

What do you mean ..???.we are doing something banned in other countries....????Gay marriage is open in many countries. Read the wiki link i have provided you below. Out of all those countries if Gay people want to come to your country then just feel lucky....because we need the economy more than any other country. Besides, Nepal government is not providing any marriage certificates to those couples...they are just getting a ritual wedding...some go to hawai and some may chose to come to Nepal. NO BIG DEAL.

How can you openly say it is banned in developed nation unless you are very closed minded and do not want to research anything before putting in words on what is already in your mind ( Prejudgement)

"Since 2001, countries have begun allowing same-sex couples to marry nationwide, 10 have done so thus far: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. Same-sex marriages are also performed and recognized in Mexico City and parts of the United States. Some jurisdictions that do not perform same-sex marriages recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere: Israel, the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, parts of the United States, and all states of Mexico."

Sidster,

Personally I agree with Pulsar Beats original comment that encouraging homo-sexual tourism is not the panacea to all of Nepal's problems. You seem to have a different opinion.
You seem to have a lot of faith that homosexuality is the way to better the world and solve all of it's problems.  If you feel that making Kathmandu the "Gay Marriage Capital of the world" is going to save the world and bring world peace, erradicate poverty, write the Nepali constitution and cleanse Nepal of all corruption, all the power to you.
If you believe that strongly in it, I think you should work actively towards 'promoting gay marriage in Nepal all over the world.' What are you personally planning on doing to bring about this vision? What is your level of involvement going to be?

I hope you'll keep us all updated.

Homie,

You either do not understand my point or you do understand my point and you are trying to answer me with your pre existing homophobic anxiety.

"You seem to have a lot of faith that homosexuality is the way to better the world and solve all of it's problems.  If you feel that making Kathmandu the "Gay Marriage Capital of the world" is going to save the world and bring world peace, erradicate poverty, write the Nepali constitution and cleanse Nepal of all corruption, all the power to you."

I have never said anywhere that homosexuality is the way to better the wold and solve all of its problem. All i am saying is that looks like there is an oppurtunity here to cash on the tourism industry and help eradicate some of that poverty problem we have. But i see where you are coming from....it is pretty clear from your posts that you see homosexuality as a disease and a shame to the society. In that sense you would not want Homosexuals to bring Nepal into any context. Since you are already homophobic this thread makes no relevance on what your opinion is, as you already have your mind set on how you feel about the homosexuals.

Sidster,

Engaging in name calling and labelling may make you feel superior to me, but it is not going to solve Nepal's problems. And at the end of the day, you and I are discussing here because we are more interested in Nepal's long term development, right? We're not just trying to feel superior to each other by putting each other down, right?

Maybe I don't understand what you are saying. But I want to understand. So Sidster, why don't you give me a chance. Why don't you and I be a little more solution oriented. Tell me what I can do. How could I help you in bringing your vision about? How could one small Nepali, like me, help you in bringing about your vision that you have for Nepal? 

What could you and I practically do together?

Homie Bro,

I was only expressing my opinion over CNN article. I was just implying that i had no issues with Gay community making Nepal as one of their destination. I am all for any kind of tourist attraction to Nepal, be it Trecking, Hiking, rafting, Religious, Sexual Orientation, music, handicraft, cultures and so on. My OPINION is that anything that helps bringing Nepal's name into international media is good for Nepal's economy. That is my opinion and opinion only. If you do not agree with my views, i respect that as well.

Being said that, i have no interest in forming an advocacy group of anything. I do my own charities at personal level and that pretty much keeps me occupied. I wish for the betterment of Nepal and Nepali economy but unfortunately i do not have resources to venture my impact on those yet.

Sidster Bro,

You seem like a very intelligent person who can articulate his opinion quite well. You also seem to have your heart in the right place. Those two qualities sets you far above most of the leaders that I see in Nepal today.
 I think if Nepal had more people like you, we would make amazing progress as a nation. So please don't be modest and say that you have "no resource to venture." On the contrary, if more people in Nepal had your strengths and could use it practically, I think that Nepal would really make some solid progress. What do you think?

I feel that most of the time in Nepal, we don't make progress because the communication becomes unproductive because of personal hostilities. People rarely go from the "simply talking for the sake of talking" phase and get to implementing ideas in a productive way. I don't know why that is.

Do you have any suggestions about how we might improve that in us Nepalese? Because unless we can solve this problem, I don't feel we'll ever make progress as a nation. Again, that is just my opinion. You don't have to agree with it. But I would like to hear what you think.

Thanks for the Kind words!!!

I agree with what you are saying.

I think it's a good idea to promote tourism..it acts as our country being one step ahead even if it's still got a lot of issues!!! BUt again this should not be the only thing our country is known for!