Blue Diamond Society is Nepal’s pioneer non-government organization led and driven by LGBTIQ community with the mission to improve the sexual and reproductive health, human rights and well-being of LGBTIQ people in Nepal. BDS is registered in Nepal as per NGO act of Nepal. BDS is renewed its licence from District Administration Office and Social Welfare Council for using foreign grants for this fiscal year. Blue Diamond Society (BDS), established in 2001, which advocates for change in the laws and policies for the LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) community. For the last 19 years, BDS continue to advocate to create a society where marginalized sexual and gender minorities (SGM) can live with equal rights, freedom, dignity and a full range of opportunities. BDSaddress human rights violations including gender based violence, inequality, stigma & discrimination, lack of access to education, employment and healthcare services including prevention of HIV & AIDS, and STIs. Blue Diamond Society (BDS) has been working in seven provinces of Nepal with local communities and community based organizations and on a national level including 35 CBOs across the country. Most of the staff and board member within the organization are from the sexual and gender minority community who are infected and affected by HIV, sex worker, PLHIV, PWID, young LGBTIQ, Dalit and from indigenous community. BDS is working with most marginalised LGBTIQ community who are poor, underprivileged from the society, who do not have educational background, who are sex workers, who are HIV positive. BDS includes voices of these community while designing policies, strategies, activities and proposals to ensure everyone is heard. In addition, it provides the assurance for future generations of the LGBTIQ community to gain recognition of their human rights, and their benefit from equal access to opportunities while ensuring their needs will be met. BDS has working experiences with government agencies, National Human Rights commission, municipalities, local ward office and concerned stakeholders and private companies at national, provincial and local level. Currently, BDS is focusing on advocacy & policy change, awareness & sensitization, network strengthen, capacity building, research & study, humanitarian crisis situation including post Covid situation and HIV and AIDS intervention for LGBTIQ community. BDS was involved in a public interest litigation process and has played a significant role to advocate LGBTIQ rights in the constitution.BDS successfully implemented regional grant through Global fund; DIVA project through UNDP APRC and Save the Children and KPRA through APTN in the past. Currently BDS is successfully implementing the projects from Open Society Foundation, NOREC, Save the Children, FRI, Canadian High Commission, CECI, UN Women, FHI (Epic Project) and Nepal Government. BDS has excellent track record of implementing various projects from national and international donor including Social Welfare Council of Nepal. BDS has gone through the organizational audit in yearly basis. BDS has strong collaboration with ILGA world & ILGA Asia, APTN, APCOM, IRGT, GIN, UN agencies at regional level and national level, different LGBTIQ organization in the region and global level, National Human Rights Commissions, University and Schools, Youth organization, Key population networks and organizations of HIV, feminist groups and organization and media. BDS has its HR policy, Financial Policy, Anti-fraud and corruption policy, Gender diversity and HIV policy, Adopted Child Safeguard Policy from STC. BDS has developed a gender diversity and HIV policy which ensures the rights of minority people including HIV infected and affected within the organization BDS has its 5 years strategy; 2019-2023 which provide guidance to BDS to work on protection and promotion of human rights of LGBTIQ people

Sanjay Sharma is an LGBT rights activist from of Nepal. He has been involving in Nepal’s LGBT rights movement since 2003 through different projects on HIV/AIDS, human rights activism, constitutional campaigns, advocacy, capacity building, academic research, and others from grass root level. Sanjay is currently the Assistant Program Director of Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal’s leading LGBT rights organization. BDS is one of Nepal’s largest non-governmental organizations with over 750 full-time staff, 53 offices, and an annual budget exceeding $1 million. Sanjay is also the founder vice president of the board of the Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities Nepal, which is the network of all LGBTI rights organizations. Regionally He is Task force member of The South Asian Human Rights Association of Marginalized Sexualities and Genders (SAHRA) also Board Member of Global Interfaith Network representing South and Central Asia. His contributions to the LGBT movement in Nepal On 21 December 2007, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued a landmark verdict directing the government to enact laws enabling equal rights to LGBT citizens. Sanjay was involved in court pleadings on this case on behalf of LGBT people before the Supreme Court. He is working closely with interfaith network of Nepal on SOGI issues. He attend regional faith leaders dialogue at Bangladesh also involve in panel discussion. He was a member of the Country Coordination Mechanism of the Global Fund (CCM).. On 21 December 2007, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued a landmark verdict directing the government to enact laws enabling equal rights to LGBT citizens. Sanjay was involved in court pleadings on this case on behalf of LGBT people before the Supreme Court.