From "Untouchable" to Sinner: Queer Dalits and Christian Conversion in Nepal

Queer Dalits in Nepal face double discrimination: caste discrimination for being Dalit and gender or sexuality discrimination for being queer. In this paper, I explore the ways in which this double discrimination intersects with religion. For many Nepali Dalits, queer or non-queer, the ongoing trauma of caste discrimination leads to their conversion from Hinduism to Christianity. Already notable for its divergence from Ambedkar’s call for Indian Dalit conversion to Buddhism, many Dalit Nepalis find that caste discrimination nevertheless persists within the Christian community in different ways. Further, for queer Dalits, conversion to Christianity introduces a new source and variety of gender and sexuality discrimination that they previously had not faced, namely, religion. This raises questions about the role of religion in gender and sexuality discourses and discrimination in Nepal and the multiple, intersectional identities that inform queer Dalit subjectivity, discrimination, and activism. In addition to addressing trans as a gender identity, I enlist trans as an analytical heuristic to think through the implications of queer Dalits crossing religious boundaries.