Meti is a term used, in the country of Nepal, referring to a feminine displaying and masculine bodied individual. Known in western culture and society as transgender. The word meti or metis is predominantly used to refer to a transgender male. Metis are a part of a larger group of queer individuals in Nepal referred to as anya.
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Metis are an officially recognized third gender in the country of Nepal as of a Supreme Court ruling in 2007. As of this Supreme Court ruling, metis are able to be officially recognized by the Nepalese government – able to have a government-issued ID card listing “both” as an option under “gender”. This also set a precadent of using self-determination as a source of proof in determining a person eligibility in establishing a gender on government documents.
Discrimination
Discrimination is a common issue among self-identified meti individuals. In the country of Nepal ‘unnatural sex’ is still illegal despite the more progressive inclusion of a third-gender on registration forms in Nepal. In 2004, 39 meti individuals were arrested and detained for ‘spreading perversion’ and furthermore were unable to receive due process, as a result of the lack of LGBT support among Nepalese laws. Although a potential amelioration to the situation could be acquired by pushing for education and informing of the citizens of Nepal.
Meti are commonly associated with the Blue Diamond Society of Nepal. The society is a LGBT rights association devoted to crusading for the rights of marginalized LGBTQ+ individuals.
HIV
The HIV epidemic prevalent in Nepal is especially concentrated among the meti community. This can be attributed to the unique struggle that Meti face finding employment and acceptance in society. Many meti are pushed into the sex-industry working as prostitutes and are unwelcome in any other roles in society. As with issues of discrimination, the key to starting to solve the HIV epidemic among meti is making knowledge readily available and educating about safe-sex methods.