- AddressG21b, The Pier, Pier Point Road, Cairns QLD 4870 Australia
Nepal is a country that has a very long way to go in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights; same sex relationships are not recognised by law and transgender people are often discriminated against. Nepalese eople from the LGBTQIA+ community are often embarrassed to come out of fear of bringing shame to their families.
We strongly believe in inclusiveness and acceptance and take the following steps to ensure that Take on Nepal is supportive of the LGBTQA+ community but in Nepal and for our trekkers who come to Nepal.
We are proud to appreciate and understand our differences, we urge all visitors to Nepal and our team members to be inclusive and open minded.
1. We never tolerate discrmination
We practice what we preach! Our team members are all made aware about the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. Many of our team members had no knowledge of this community and were surprised to learn about same sex relationships. With knowledge comes awareness and acceptance. We have a written policy provided to our team members that outlines the expectation that all people are treated as equals and without judgment. Discriminatory behaviour will not be accepted and if it is experienced by any of our trekkers it will result in disciplinary action.
The same is to be said for fellow trekkers, we have a zero tolerance policy towards any discriminative behaviour within our groups. If witnessed or experienced, the person perpetrating the behaviour may be removed from the group.
2. We’re members of the ACON “welcome here” project.
The Welcome Here Project supports businesses and services throughout Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTQIA+) communities. We have signed up to their charter which is a strong commitment to welcoming LGBTQIA+ people to Nepal, celebrating diversity and creating positive change. We’re taking real steps to be a part of the solution.
3. Educating ourselves and others
We understand that genuine support for the diverse LGBTQIA+ community requires a level of understanding and participation that we can’t achieve without an approach that is fully committed. It makes no sense for us to put ourselves out there as LGBTQIA+-friendly if we don’t fully understand why the community needs our support. We know that the LGBTQIA+ has historically been denied basic human rights but our role is to hear real stories and from people who have been discriminated against. We encourage our trekkers from the LGBTQIA+ community to feel safe enough to share their stories and to be openly comfortable with who they are. Hearing real stories is where understanding will start for everyone.
4. We have our faults
There’s no official guideline for becoming an LGBTQIA+- supportive business, and we will make mistakes along the way. However, we have made a commitment to being open to constructive feedback and to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in the way that’s wanted and needed. When we make mistakes we will admit to them, if we ever offend any LGBTQIA+ person we will learn from it and work harder to be a better ally.
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