Esan Regmi (born 1988) is a prominent

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...

man and intersex human rights activist. He has founded the Nepali organization Campaign for Change, and he is one of the co founders of International NGO

Intersex Asia Intersex Asia is a pan-Asian intersex human rights organization, established in 2018 and registered in Taiwan. History Intersex Asia was established at the First Asian Intersex Forum on February 10, 2018, in Bangkok, Thailand. The forum brough ...

Early life

Regmi was born in

Bajura Bajura District ( ne, बाजुरा जिल्ला ), a part of Sudurpashchim Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Martadi (today part of Badimalika municipality) as its district headquarters, c ...

, Nepal, in 1988. He describes the region around Bajura as remote, mountainous, and conservative. Regmi was raised female but developed male characteristics during puberty, resulting in stigma, discrimination and claims of 'fake' identity in education and employment. He describes travelling to India for medical treatment, and discussion about being sent to be part of a

kinnar In the Indian subcontinent, hijra ur} bn, kn, te, pa, or, , and / ''khusra'' (Punjabi). are eunuchs, intersex people, or transgender people who live in ...

or hijra community. Regmi was loved by his family, and studied at home, but his mental health suffered.

Activism

Regmi became an intersex human rights activist in 2011, initially with

Blue Diamond Society The Blue Diamond Society (BDS; Nepali: नील हीरा समाज) is an LGBT rights organization in Nepal. It was established in 2001 to advocate for change in the existing laws against homosexuality and to advocate for the rights of N ...

, before later establishing Campaign for Change and jointly establishing Intersex Asia. He organized and led first national workshop for intersex people in 2016, supported by the

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

. Regmi has worked with

and

Zwischengeschlecht Zwischengeschlecht (literally "between sexes") is a human rights advocacy group campaigning on intersex bodily autonomy issues. The group demonstrates outside medical events where surgical interventions are discussed or performed, engages with th ...

on submissions to the United Nations leading to calls for change to medical and social systems in Nepal. He speaks nationally and internationally on intersex rights.

Selected bibliography

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References

Living people Intersex rights activists Intersex rights in Nepal Intersex men Intersex writers 1988 births People from Bajura District {{Nepal-bio-stub