Sunil Babu Pant, the only openly gay MP of Nepal as well as Asia, has written an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, seeking to expand the gender identifying option beyond male and female. In the letter, Sunil Babu Pant writes, “I write today as an avid user and admirer of Facebook. Your product has revolutionized 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.”
Mentioning about Blue Diamond Society and the work it has done in Nepal for gay rights, Mr. Pant highlights how all the gender variant people who do not identify themselves as male or female, feel left out since they cannot write about their true self in their Facebook profile. “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.”
Urging the social networking giant to celebrate diversity, Mr. Pant writes, “For the sake of respect for gender-variant people around the world who want to socialize, organize, and be a part of your 21st century internet revolution. I encourage Facebook to celebrate diversity.”
Mr. Pant ends the letter by extending his support for any help that might be required by Facebook in implementing the required changes.