From October 10 to November 2, 2025, Conscious Connections Nepal (CCN), with support from the Conscious Connections Foundation (CCF) and in partnership with Giving Face, organized a 10-day makeup training in Kalaiya Municipality, Bara District for transgender women and LGBTQI+ individuals, including those living with HIV. Please read our post about the training here. Interviews were conducted during the training, and five stories were developed to document stories of resilience, discrimination, and hope. This is the 5th and final story, the story of Krishna Bahadur Thapa
A Journey of Identity, Respect, and Change
My Story, by Krishna Bahadur Thapa
I’m Krishna Bahadur Thapa, 78 years old — a retired government employee and, in my heart, a proud transwoman. I’ve lived a long life between silence and expression, respect and rejection.
I married, raised two sons, and fulfilled my duties as a husband and father — at least in the eyes of the world. But inside, I always knew I was different. I never came out — not even to my wife. Yet somehow, they knew.
When I was younger, I used to dress in women’s clothes and perform dances, even at my office functions. People laughed and clapped. My parents accepted me as I was. My wife tolerated it. Only my younger son couldn’t — he once tore up one of my photos, saying I brought shame to our family. That hurt deeply.
Photo Credit: Rohan Thapa, photographer
I remember when transgender people were respected in our society. We dressed gracefully, behaved politely. People saw us as part of the community. Now, many of us are forced into sex work just to survive. I see young people struggling, humiliated, and at risk.
I joined the Blue Diamond Society 14 years ago — at the age of 64. There, I learned about HIV, condoms, and awareness. Before that, I didn’t even know what HIV was. We only knew the word “syphilis.”
Now, I spend my days talking to younger trans people, telling them to protect themselves, to learn, to live with dignity. I tell them — hiding only spreads harm. We must teach about sex education and HIV from school level, or our next generation will suffer too.
My life has been full of silence, but also full of lessons. The world may have changed, but my message stays the same — live with respect, love yourself, and never stop teaching others to do the same.