Namaste everyone!
Today I’m going to talk about Hinduism’s
stance on the LGBT community,
or anyone who is not heterosexual or cisgender.
First of all, Hindus don’t share a unified
opinion on this topic.
Unlike the holy books of other religions,
Holy texts in Hinduism like the Vedas or Upanishads
don’t contain any anti-LGBT sentiments.
Although there are some Hindus that hold anti-LGBT
sentiments, these feelings are personal opinions
formed by society and culture--not
religion.
And of course there are many Hindus who are
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual,
If you are familiar with Hindu theology, you
will notice several LGBT themes throughout.
There are many forms of deities that are considered
genderless or represented as both male and
female through incarnations or characteristics.
Some examples include:
-Ardhanareshvar, the merging of Shiv and Parvati
-The character Shikhandi from Mahabharat who
was born female but went through gender reassignment
to become male and participate in a war
-Bahuchara mata, who is considered the patron
goddess for the third gender
-There are also countless other instances
of relationships and gender identities in
Hindu stories that are not heterosexual or
cisgender.
Many believe that the view of it as unnatural
in India stemmed from the laws and regulations
established by the British, which discriminated
against the LGBT community. Indians became
concerned with carrying on their family name
in order to maintain their wealth and status,
and homosexuality was seen as a behavior that
prevented this.
In a religious sense, being LGBT is seen as
any other quality someone is born with; a
result of one’s karma, which doesn’t necessarily
mean that it’s a good or a bad thing. It’s
destiny or fate. Just as someone by chance
happens to be born male or female, short or
tall, some people just happen to be born not
straight.
If you’re born short, you shouldn’t live
your life pretending to be tall. Similarly,
if you are born gay, you shouldn’t live
your life pretending to be something you’re
not. That would be going against your dharma
in your current life.
In Hinduism, Bhagavan (aka God) is beyond
gender, and is neither male nor female, masculine
or feminine. Logically, masculinity cannot
exist without femininity. There needs to be
balance.
The important thing to remember is that the
overall goal of Hinduism is to overcome any
superficial or materialistic desire in order
to follow your dharma. So God would not punish
you for your sexuality because it is something
you’re born with and your sexuality doesn’t
put you at any spiritual disadvantage.
In Hinduism there are different paths to become a good person and live a good life, and sexuality
isn’t something that determines that. So,
any Hindus out there who condemn homosexuality,
especially on the basis of religion, should
probably do some reflecting on their own faith.
Everyone has the right to be happy, as long
as they don’t hurt others. And Hinduism
welcomes anyone to recognize the divinity
within themselves and others.
Have a nice day, and namaste!
