As part of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride month, the US Embassy is flying banners in the colors of the rainbow – one of the symbols of LGBT community pride – at the Embassy building in Maharajgunj from June 23-30, 2014.

LGBT awareness month follows IDAHO, the May 17 International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, an annual event celebrated internationally to counter homophobia and raise awareness of the discrimination faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals.

On June 15, 2014, President Obama spoke at an LGBT Pride Month reception in Washington, outlining recent improvements on the status of LGBT rights in America.  He stated: "We’ve put forward a strategy to promote and protect the rights of LGBT communities all over the world, because, as Secretary Clinton said back in December, gay rights are human rights."

During the month of June, US Embassy Kathmandu is actively engaging with Nepali audiences on LGBT rights as part of a broader focus of civil rights programming.