Hindu rites for lesbian wedding

(AP)

A lawyer and a university professor from the United States celebrated Nepal's first public lesbian wedding ceremony yesterday, after the Himalayan nation began recognising gay rights and drafting laws to end sexual discrimination.

Courtney Mitchell, 41, and Sarah Welton, 48, from Denver, Colorado, celebrated in a Hindu Nepalese tradition at the Dakshinkali temple south of the capital Kathmandu. As well as friends of the couple, the ceremony was attended by local gay rights activists.