and prepared by the government, though LGBT activists have accused it of being "lukewarm" in its support. In August 2018, former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai urged to legalise same-sex marriage. The new Nepali Civil Code, which came into effect in August 2018, does not address same-sex marriage and specifically defines marriage as being between partners of the opposite sex. Activists have called out the Civil Code as unconstitutional and contrary to Supreme Court guidelines. Gender recognition On 31 October 2021 twenty nine LGBT and intersex rights organizations, two federations, five loose networks and others have collectively proposed an Act regarding Gender Identity, 2021. Queer Youth Group, an LGBT rights organization, has filed several writ petitions at the Supreme Court of Nepal demanding legal recognition of gender identity. On 2022 March 29, the group proposed A Directive on Gender Recognition for Intersex People, A Directive on Gender Recognition for transgender men and transgender women and A Directive on Gender Recognition for Non-Binary and Third Gender People, proposed to be promulgated by the Supreme Court. Third gender recognition The Supreme Court has dictated that the category "other" or anya (), representing non-cisgender identities be added to all official documents and Nepalis identifying as such be given citizenship documents to reflect their new status. The government has started issuing citizenship with an "other" ("O") option to transgender people on a rolling basis. This allows for "third gender" identifying individuals to open bank accounts, own property and register for universities. In 2008, Bishnu Adhikari became the first Nepali citizen to officially register under the "third gender" category, with Badri Pun being the second. Other legal accomplishments include allowing citizens to register to vote as "third gender". In 2015, Monica Shahi became the first person to gain a passport with the "other" gender category, and Bhumika Shrestha became the first transgender woman to travel aboard with a passport that identified her as an "other" gender. Nepal, similarly to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, has an indigenous third gender community, considered by society as neither male or female. Such individuals, known as metis, are assigned male at birth but commonly act, dress and behave as female. Although metis (मेटी) have traditionally had important roles at weddings or at the birth of a child to ward off evil spirits, they now regularly face discrimination in education, health, housing, and employment. They are often referred to as transgender in