Nepal: Relief camps for LGBTI people

When transgender woman Maya K.C. sought help at a relief camp in the ruins of Nepal's capital after a devastating earthquake, she was quickly made to feel as though she did not belong. "As soon as my sexual orientation became known to others in the camp, they turned their back on me," she said.

"They did not say anything offensive to me. But from their body language and expressions I could understand that they would not let me stay on," said the 28-year-old, wearing a gold stud in her nose and a necklace of glass beads.

The 7.8 magnitude quake, which rattled the Himalayan nation on April 25, killed more than 8000 people, and left around two million more in urgent need of food, water and shelter.

Many survivors live in hard-to-reach mountainous regions where aid delivery is difficult.

But even though aid is more accessible in the capital Kathmandu, problems including discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have prompted charities to set up 15 relief camps for sexual minorities.

Read the full story at: http://www.dailylife.com.au