A mother celebrates Pride

Amidst the members of the LGBTQIA+ community gathered to celebrate Pride month around Phewa Lake in Pokhara this week, was Sukundhara Sunar, carrying a pride flag and enjoying with the rest.

Sukundhara herself does not belong to the queer community but came to the Pride Parade to support her son, Aveen Gahatraj. Aveen came out to his parents at the age of 16. Now 22, he is a student in the US.

Initially, it was difficult for Sukundhara and the family to understand their son but eventually, they came around. “Because I love my son, we accepted his identity and supported him,” says Sukundhara.

In the beginning, the family also had to face a lot of problems in society, but Sukundhara says that with time things have gotten much better. On Sunday, Sukundhara participated in the parade with her daughter Khusbu Sunar, who came to show support for her brother and others from the community.

According to Angel Lama, advocacy officer of Blue Diamond Society which organised the event with Naulo Bihani Pokhara, Pride month is a month for the LGBTQIA+ community to show their identity and take pride in their achievements.