Authorities in Nepal have finally renewed the charity license for the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) ending a suspension of important LGBT human rights work in the Himalayan nation.

Gay Star News joined forces with the UK capital’s talented LGBT singers and musicians to make a video to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).

While reports out for IDAHO today (17 May) again show the shocking levels of abuse, harassment, discrimination, violence and even murder faced by the world’s LGBT citizens, the GSN video tries to bring some hope.

Nepal's biggest LGBT rights organization, Blue Diamond Society (BDS), is battling against low morale after wages have not been paid for seven months.

Founded in 2001, BDS successfully lobbied the government for recognition of a third gender and recently got LGBTI issues on the school curriculum.

It has achieved significant gains for LGBTI rights in the country but now their work is being thwarted by a government office.

LGBT activists in Nepal are reporting increased public and police harassment in recent months.

According to international rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW), attacks on Nepal’s LGBT activists have escalated from threatening text messages and being followed by people wearing masks to abductions and arrests.

‘The LGBT rights movement in Nepal is a regional and international leader but is under serious threat,’ said Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at HRW.

LGBT rights activists from across Asia gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal last week for a UN seminar to discuss strategies in the region.

'I laud the courage you have shown despite the circumstances you live and work in, said Nepal's Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Riddhi Baba Pradham, AFP reports.

'This conference in Kathmandu proves that the common assertion that LGBT rights are incompatible with Asian values is false.'

Details have been released for a UN seminar on LGBTI human rights in Nepal this week, demonstrating the progressive attitude of the government. But at the same time it has decided not to renew the license for Nepal's only gay rights group.

Nepal has received funding from the Norwegian government to host a UN regional seminar into sexual orientation and gender identity human rights.

'It speaks volumes to the success of the LGBTI rights movement in Nepal that the United Nations has identified is as the host country,' said Sunil Pant, chair of Nepal LGBT activists Blue Diamond Society and a former MP.

Pant added that the fact that Nepal's foreign ministry accepted the offer to host the event shows that they value the human rights of sexual orientation and gender identity minorities.

More that 250 athletes competed in the first LGBTI sports festival in Nepal this weekend.

Former Olympic diver Greg Louganis played in the games’ opening football match wearing a Nepali cap and the festival continued for three days of athletics and team games.

Kathmandu-local Roshan Mahato won gold in the 100m sprint at a time of 13.14 seconds.

American Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis has arrived in Nepal for a three-day international LGBTI sports festival.

Louganis, who won golds for diving in 1984 and 1988, is guest of honor at the sports festival which starts tomorrow with over 300 LGBTI sports people from all over the world competing in athletics, karate, football and volleyball.

In a statement issued yesterday the US Embassy in Kathmandu, who is supporting the festival along with the Norwegian Embassy and the Australian government, said:

Gay Olympian Greg Louganis will be guest of honor at South East Asia's first ever gay sports tournament.

The US athlete, who won two gold medals in diving in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, will attend the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender games held at the national stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 12 October to 14 October.

The 52-year-old who spoke publicly for the first time about being HIV positive earlier this month will join other gay athletes and artists, as well as international LGBT activists including Peter Tatchell.

A gay rights group in Nepal has blasted a TV channel for a 'despicable' news report which accused the LGBT campaigners of fraud and corruption.

Sagarmatha TV’s Khoj Khabar program, which bills itself as 'investigative journalism', claimed the Blue Diamond Society's leadership had been pocketing money meant to be used for activism and community work.

The 30-minute bulletin also accused the group, which spearheaded a successful campaign to have third gender people recognized as 'other' on citizenship identification cards, of neglecting Nepal's LGBT population.

Gay Star News have been sent some great photos of the Gaijatra Pride Festival in Pokhara City, Nepal, where thousands marched for LGBT equality last Friday (3 August).

The photos show grey skies and plenty of umbrellas, but high spirits.

Nepalese LGBT rights activist and organizer of the festival, Sunil Pant, told Gay Star News he was ‘extremely pleased’ with how it went and that it was ‘a lot of fun’.