Transgender woman, 40, and her 22-year-old husband becomes the first couple to wed in Nepal (photos)

A 40-year-old transgender woman, Monika Shahi Nath and her 22-year-old husband Ramesh Nath Yogi have become the first couple to be formally married in Nepal. The pair got married earlier this year in May.

Ms. Monika, who was born and raised as a boy in rural Nepal, never thought that she would become a bride and feared that her in-laws would not welcome her as a tranny. But she was wowed when she was accepted as a wife and daughter-in-law by her husband’s people.

According to Mail Online. the 40-year-old made history when she was issued with a marriage certificate by district officials, despite no laws that approve such unions in the country.

The Excited tranny who was the first Nepali to get a passport with the 'O' for 'other' gender designation in 2015, told AFP:  "We are happy and feel accepted as husband and wife. I never dreamed that one day I would be someone's wife, that I would be loved as a daughter-in-law. We are happy and feel accepted as husband and wife.

Nath who grew up in a remote village in western Nepal as a boy called Manoj, said she always felt different and always wanted to be in the women cycle during her school days as a boy.

'At school, I wanted to sit with the girls and was fascinated with women's clothing,' she said.

According to her, when she was in her 20s, she started experimenting with dressing as a woman, stealing her sister's clothes and running away for days at a time to the closest city.

'Away from my home, I would secretly become a woman. It would make me very happy, but I was afraid to tell my family, I felt I would shame them,' she said.

Her husband’s family were said to have been initially resistant to the marriage, but his community has now accepted the couple.

Although, Monika Shahi and Yogi could face an allegation of polygamy, which is illegal in Nepal, as Yogi was already married with two children.

On his new marriage to Nath, Yogi said: 'I am blessed to be someone's wife, but the government needs to make the legal changes so people can easily marry the person they love.'