Mon. March 26, 2012
Katmandu, Nepal -
Nepalese lawmaker Sunil Babu Pant has asked Facebook to allow users to choose a third gender while signing up.
"I write today as an avid user and admirer of Facebook. Your product has revolutionised (sic) 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," Pant wrote in a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. "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."
The first openly gay politician in Nepal, Pant often advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Pant also owns a gay travel agency and he is the founder of the Blue Diamond Society, an umbrella group of LGBT organizations in Nepal.
"I encourage Facebook to celebrate diversity," concluded Pant's letter.
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