Kathmandu, May 1 -- There is a particular cruelty in being promised something, watching it be written into law, and then being told, not through any official announcement, but through silence, unreturned calls, and stalled paperwork, that it no longer applies to you. That is the experience of many transgender people in Nepal today.

A report published on April 29, by the Human Rights Watch, based on interviews with eleven transgender individuals in December 2025, documents how the Ministry of Home Affairs has halted processing of legal gender recognition applications. People who spent years navigating district offices and collecting documents say they are being told their cases are on pause. No letter. No explanation. No timeline.

The ha...