Nepal gives legal status to transgender for the first time

In a first for Nepal, a transgender person has been given a citizenship certificate which gives special recognition to the gender.

Kathmandu, Feb 04:

Chanda Musalman of Banke district in western Nepal has been recognised not as a man or woman, but as "both" in the official document, an NGO working for the protection of the rights of sexual minorities said today.

Chanda had applied for citizenship certificate as a transgender and the administration has accepted the application and granted the certificate, said Sunil Punta, president of blue diamond society.

This is for the first time any Nepalese person has got citizenship certificate which marks the gender as "both"( male and female).

I hope that the other rights of sexual minorities will be ensured as well, Panta said.

Transgender College Professor Fired for Dressing as a Woman

A transgender professor at a private, Christian university in Michigan is losing her job for appearing on campus dressed as a woman.

02.04.07

By Anthony Cuesta

The Associated Press reports that John Nemecek, 55, who now goes by Julie Marie Nemecek, is fighting the dismissal by Spring Arbor University, which takes effect June 1.

The ordained Baptist minister, who began wearing dresses and wigs to school in 2005, has filed a discrimination claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"I have worked hard for this university, have been praised for my performance, and I have done nothing immoral or sinful," Nemecek told the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Officials at Spring Arbor said in a statement released by a public relations firm: "We expect our faculty to model Christian character as an example for our students."

The university is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church.

Faculty who "persist with activities that are inconsistent with the Christian faith" may be fired, the statement said. In their response to Nemecek's EEOC complaint, college officials said the Christian mandate is critical to Spring Arbor and is protected by civil rights laws.

According to the Citizen Patriot, both sides have tentatively agreed to mediation.

The Citizen Patriot reports that after a lifetime of denying the woman within, Nemecek said she was diagnosed in 2004 as being transgender, or transsexual. By late 2005, estrogen therapy and subtle changes such as manicured nails and eye shadow led her to play her cards.

She explained her transformation to her supervisor, Dean Natalie Gianetti. Within a few days, President Gayle Beebe summoned her. Joanne, Nemecek's wife of 35 years, accompanied her for support.

Soon her job responsibilities changed. She was banned from appearing as a woman on campus or in town. She could not teach in classrooms, interview prospective employees or attend graduation ceremonies. Her administrative duties were cut and college officials ordered her not to discuss her circumstances with any SAU staff.

"They cut my pay 20 percent and restricted me from appearing on campus," she said, reports the AP.

Nemecek has worked out of her home for more than a year, directing online classes.