Roshan Mohato A quarter of the funding needed to fund a Nelapese gay activist's attendance at the Asia Pacific OutGames in Wellington this March has so far been donated. Legal firm LawWorks, formerly Milne Ireland Walker, has confirmed that $520 has been deposited into their trust account in the first week of the appeal, with a further $500 pledged by TV producer and Auckland gay community stalwart Glenn Sims. Roshan Hahato is a Nepalese man who campaigns for the rights of glbt people in the mountainous country beloved of Sir Edmund Hillary. He was recently briefly arrested and jailed as he sought to improve legal and social conditions for his fellow lgbt people. Attending the 2nd Asia Pacific OutGames sports, cultural and human rights festival, which starts in Wellington on March 12 was beyond Mohato's modest financial means until the Games organising committee selected him as a person of exceptional merit and deserving of the support of the NZ glbt communities. As well as attending the OutGames it is hoped Mohato will meet some Kiwi community and political leaders and will spend a few days seeing a little of New Zealand beyond the capital. The appeal will remain open until February 4th by which time it is hoped the balance of the appeal target of $4,000 will be raised. You can discuss this New Zealand glbt community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 20th January 2011 - 8:43pm