Religion and LGBTQ people - Wikipedia

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See also
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Symbols of the
world's largest religions
displayed on
rainbow flags
at the Queer Easter, Germany
Religions intersect with
LGBTQ people
through a range of beliefs, practices, and organizational policies that shape experiences of
romantic orientation
and relationships including
same-sex couples
sexual orientation
gender identity
and
expression
, and participation in social and religious life.
The relationship between religion and sexual orientation, romantic orientation, and gender identity varies widely across traditions and communities. In many cases, understandings of romance, gender, and sexuality do not align with modern Western LGBTQ categories, reflecting different cultural and historical perspectives.
Within both historic and contemporary religious traditions, views on LGBTQ people vary widely. These range from full support from LGBTQ-affirming religious groups, including affirmation of diverse sexual and romantic orientations, gender identities and expressions, and same sex marriage, to opposition, including condemnation that can extend from social exclusion explicitly forbidding
same-sex sexual activities
and/or
gender reassignment
among adherents,
actively opposing social acceptance of LGBTQ identities
to the
criminalization
and
violence against LGBTQ people
, such as the
death penalty for people engaging in homosexual practices
. Adherence to anti-gay religious beliefs and communities is correlated with the prevalence of emotional distress and suicidality in LGBTQ minority individuals.
Some religions and traditions may affirm certain members of the LGBTQ community while rejecting others, for example supporting gay rights while opposing transgender rights, or accepting gender diversity while condemning same sex relationships.
Historically, some cultures and religions accommodated, institutionalized, revered and/or tolerated
same-sex relationships
and non-heterosexual identities; such
mythologies and traditions
can be found in numerous religions around the world;
elements of religious and cultural incorporation of non-heterosexual identities can still be identified in traditions that have survived into the modern era, such as the
Berdache
Hijra
and
Xanith
Regardless of their position on LGBTQ, many people of faith look to both
sacred texts
and
tradition
for guidance on this issue. However, the authority of various traditions or scriptural passages and the correctness of
translations
and interpretations are continually disputed.
Scholarship on LGBTQ people and religion
edit
Attitudes toward homosexuality have been found to be determined not only by personal religious beliefs, but by the interaction of those beliefs with the predominant national religious context—even for people who are less religious or who do not share their local dominant religious context.
Within the
social sciences
, religious practice and institutions have been studied for their role in orienting
heteronormative societies
in how they relate to
LGBTQ people
and
same-sex couples
, and their abilities to be functional beings in societal contexts.
Attitudes toward homosexuality have been found to be determined not only by personal religious beliefs, but by the interaction of those beliefs with the predominant national religious context—even for people who are less religious or who do not share their local dominant religious context.
Religious views of LGBTQ people
edit
Symbols of the world religions, highlighted by the rainbow
Pride flag
According to a 2006
Australian
survey,
LGBTIQ+ people in Australia
, compared to the general
Australian population
, were much more likely to report
irreligiosity
, much less likely to be affiliated with a
Christian denomination
, and more likely to be affiliated with a religion other than
Christianity
. The
distribution of religions
that LGBTQ Australians were raised in, however, was similar to that of the general population. Men—particularly
bisexual men
—were more likely to be
Christians
and to have stayed adherent to the religion they were raised in.
Lesbian women
were more likely to have left the religion they were raised in and be currently unaffiliated.
A 2007 study on the beliefs of
LGBTQ people in New Zealand
found that 73% were irreligious, 14.8% were Christians, and 2.2% were
Buddhists
In contrast, a 2001 census reported that 59.8% of
New Zealanders
were Christians and 29.2% were irreligious.
A 2008 analysis showed that the proportion of LGBTQ individuals identifying as Christians in New Zealand had decreased, with the rate of disaffiliation among LGBTQ individuals who were previously Christian being 2.37 times higher than the general population.
The
Radical Faeries
is a worldwide
queer
spiritual
movement founded in 1979 in the
United States
. Radical Faerie communities are generally inspired by aboriginal, native, or traditional spiritualities, especially those that incorporate queer sensibilities. A
Williams Institute
survey found that the majority of LGBTQ Americans were raised as Christians and predominantly Protestant.
10
A 2024 survey of LGBTQ Americans found that more than 50% were raised as Protestants and in
Pentecostalism
11
Religious groups and public policy
edit
See also:
Transgender people and religion
Opposition to
same-sex marriage
and LGBTQ rights is often associated with conservative religious views. The
American Family Association
, an American
right-wing Christian
group, and other religious groups have promoted boycotts of corporations whose policies support the LGBTQ community.
12
13
14
On the other hand, the
Unitarian Universalist Association
supports LGBTQ individuals' freedom to marry,
15
comparing resistance to marriage equality to resistance to the abolition of
slavery
women's suffrage
, and the end of
anti-miscegenation laws
16
LGBTQ individuals often endure significant challenges in
Islamic countries
, which frequently have laws that explicitly criminalize
same-sex sexual behavior
. In Islamic countries,
Sharia
may be interpreted to condemn males who engage in same-sex behavior to death—a violation of human rights per international human rights experts and organizations, including
Amnesty International
17
18
19
In conservative Islamic nations, laws generally prohibit same-sex sexual behaviour, and interpretation of
Sharia Law
on male homosexuality carries the death penalty.
20
This has been condemned as a violation of human rights by human rights organisation
Amnesty International
and by the writers of the
Yogyakarta principles
. With the signature of the US in 2009, the proposed
UN declaration on LGBT rights
has now been signed by every European secular state and all western nations, as well as other countries—67 members of the UN in total. An opposing statement put forward by Muslim nations was signed by 57 member states, mostly in Africa and Asia. 68 out of the total 192 countries have not yet signed either statement. In 2011 the
United Nations Human Rights Council
passed a landmark resolution initiated by
South Africa
supporting LGBT rights (
See
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at the United Nations
).
21
22
With the US's signature in 2009, the proposed
UN declaration on LGBTQ rights
had been signed by 67 members of the
United Nations
, including all 27 European Union members as well as
Japan
Australia
, and
Mexico
23
24
The Human Rights Watch website published an article in 2008 that includes the rest of the 67 members UN.
25
Muslim nations put forward an opposing statement, and 60 member states have signed this as of March 2009, the majority being in Africa and Asia.
26
23
Sixty-five out of the total 192 countries have not yet signed either statement as of 2009.
Views of specific religions
edit
See also:
History of human sexuality
and
LGBTQ-affirming religious groups
Abrahamic religions
edit
Two men kissing at a
pride event
while wearing symbols of two Abrahamic religions.
Abrahamic religions
(namely
Judaism
Samaritanism
Christianity
, the
Baháʼí Faith
, and
Islam
) have traditionally affirmed and endorsed a
patriarchal
and
heteronormative
approach towards
human sexuality
27
28
29
30
favouring exclusively
penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women
within the boundaries of
marriage
over all other forms of
human sexual activity
29
30
including
autoeroticism
masturbation
oral sex
non-penetrative
and
non-heterosexual
sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "
sodomy
" at various times),
31
believing and teaching that such behaviors are forbidden because they are considered
sinful
29
30
and further compared to or derived from the behavior of the alleged residents of
Sodom and Gomorrah
29
32
33
34
35
However, the status of LGBTQ people in
early Christianity
36
37
38
39
and
early Islam
40
41
42
43
is debated.
The
Abrahamic religions
have traditionally forbidden
sodomy
, believing and teaching that such behavior is
sinful
44
45
Today some denominations within these religions are accepting of homosexuality and inclusive of homosexual people, such as
Reform Judaism
, the
United Church of Christ
and the
Metropolitan Community Church
. Some
Presbyterian
Anglican
, Lutheran, and Methodist churches welcome members regardless of same-sex sexual practices, with some provinces allowing for the ordination and inclusion of gay and lesbian clerics, and affirmation of same-sex unions.
46
47
Reform Judaism incorporates lesbian and gay rabbis and same-sex marriage liturgies, while
Reconstructionist Judaism
and Conservative Judaism in the US allows for lesbian and gay rabbis and same-sex unions.
48
Judaism
edit
Main articles:
Homosexuality and Judaism
and
Homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible
Further information:
LGBTQ-affirming denominations in Judaism
LGBTQ clergy in Judaism
, and
Same-sex marriage and Judaism
Orthodox Jewish
protesters holding Anti-LGBT Protest signs during the Gay Pride parade in
Haifa
, Israel (2010)
The
Torah
(first five books of the
Hebrew Bible
) is the primary source for Jewish views on homosexuality. It states that: "[A man] shall not lie with another man as [he would] with a woman, it is
תועבה
to'eba
, "abomination")" (
Leviticus
18:22).
49
(Like many similar commandments, the stated punishment for willful violation is the
death penalty
, although in practice
rabbinic
Judaism no longer believes it has the authority to implement death penalties.)
Orthodox Judaism
views homosexual acts as sinful. In recent years, there have been approaches
50
claiming that only the sexual anal act is forbidden and considered an abomination by the Torah, while sexual orientation and even other sexual activities are not considered a sin.
Conservative Judaism
has engaged in an in-depth study of homosexuality since the 1990s, with various rabbis presenting a wide array of
responsa
(papers with legal arguments) for communal consideration. The official position of the movement is to welcome homosexual Jews into their
synagogues
, and also campaign against any discrimination in
civil law
and public society, but also to uphold a ban on anal sex as a religious requirement.
A halakhic egalitarian Pride
minyan
in
Tel Aviv
on the second Shabbat of
Hanukkah
with a rainbow
menorah
Reform Judaism
and
Reconstructionist Judaism
in
North America
and
Liberal Judaism
in the
United Kingdom
view homosexuality to be acceptable on the same basis as
heterosexuality
. Progressive Jewish authorities believe either that traditional laws against homosexuality are no longer binding or that they are subject to changes that reflect a new understanding of human sexuality.
51
Some of these authorities rely on modern biblical scholarship suggesting that the prohibition in the Torah was intended to ban coercive or ritualized male-male sex, such as those practices ascribed to
Egyptian
and
Canaanite
fertility cults
and
temple prostitution
52
53
The American branch of
Conservative Judaism
formally approves of same-sex marriage ceremonies.
54
As of 1992 with the
Report of the Reconstructionist Commission on Homosexuality
, the Reconstructionist Movement of Judaism has expressed its support for same-sex marriages as well as the inclusion of gay and lesbian people in all aspects of Jewish life. The
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
leaves the choice of whether or not to perform same-sex marriages to individual rabbis but the procedure is included in the Reconstructionist
Rabbi's Manual
and many choose to use the traditional language and symbols of
kiddushin
55
56
Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States, is generally supportive of LGBTQ rights and marriage.
57
58
Christianity
edit
Main articles:
Christianity and sexual orientation
History of Christianity and homosexuality
, and
The Bible and homosexuality
Further information:
Christianity and homosexuality
Christianity and transgender people
List of Christian denominations affirming LGBTQ people
, and
LGBTQ clergy in Christianity
Part of a series on
Christianity and LGBTQ topics
Overview articles
Inclusive church
Christianity and sexual orientation
Christianity and homosexuality
Christianity and transgender people
History of Christianity and homosexuality
The Bible and homosexuality
Hebrew Bible
New Testament
Queer theology
LGBTQ-affirming Christian denominations
Blessing of same-sex unions
Denominational positions
Anglican Communion
Baptist
Eastern Orthodox
Latter-day Saints
Lutheran
Mennonites
Methodist
Pentecostal
Presbyterian
Quaker
Roman Catholic
Seventh-day Adventist
LGBT Christian clergy
LGBTQ Christian clergy
LGBTQ Roman Catholic clergy
Gay bishops
LGBTQ portal
Washington National Cathedral
Episcopal Church in the United States
) at
D.C.
Gay Pride
(2014)
United Church of Christ
's motto which expresses its support for LGBTQ rights
Scene during a church service at
Glide Memorial Church
, San Francisco, a church-place that is supportive to LGBTQ people
Metropolitan Community Church
, an LGBT-affirming Christian church in
New York City
The
LGBTQ flag
at the
First Unitarian Universalist Church
in
Houston
indicates that the church welcomes LGBTQ-identifying people.
Throughout the majority of
Christian history
, most
Christian theologians
and
denominations
have considered homosexual behavior as
immoral
or
sinful
32
59
Currently,
Christian denominations
have a variety of beliefs about LGBTQ people, and the moral status of same-sex sexual practices and gender variance. LGBTQ people may be barred from membership, accepted as
laity
, or ordained as
clergy
, depending on the denomination.
The
Hebrew Bible
Old Testament
and its traditional interpretations in
Judaism
and
Christianity
have historically affirmed and endorsed a
patriarchal
and
heteronormative
approach towards
human sexuality
29
30
favouring exclusively
penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women
within the boundaries of
marriage
over all other forms of
human sexual activity
29
30
including
autoeroticism
masturbation
oral sex
non-penetrative
and
non-heterosexual
sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "
sodomy
" at various times),
60
believing and teaching that such behaviors are forbidden because they are considered
sinful
29
30
and further compared to or derived from the behavior of the alleged residents of
Sodom and Gomorrah
32
29
Passages from the
Mosaic Covenant
and its broader
Old Testament
context have been interpreted to mean that anyone who is engaging in homosexual practices should be punished with death (
Leviticus
20:13;
61
cf.
Genesis
19:4–25;
62
Judges
19:22–20:48;
63
2 Peter
2:6–10;
64
Jude
7).
65
HIV/AIDS
has also been portrayed by some
Christian fundamentalists
such as
Fred Phelps
and
Jerry Falwell
as a punishment by God against homosexuals.
66
In the 20th century, theologians like
Karl Barth
Jürgen Moltmann
Hans Küng
John Robinson
Bishop David Jenkins
Don Cupitt
, and
Bishop Jack Spong
challenged traditional theological positions and understandings of the Bible; following these developments some have suggested that passages have been mistranslated, are taken out of context, or that they do not refer to what is generally understood as "homosexuality."
67
68
Conservative Christian
protesters at a 2006
San Francisco Pride
event
Christian denominations
hold a variety of views on
homosexual
sex, ranging from outright condemnation to complete acceptance. Most Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex, but teach that homosexual sex is
sinful
69
70
59
These denominations include the
Roman Catholic Church
70
the
Eastern Orthodox
church,
71
the
Oriental Orthodox
churches,
72
Confessional Lutheran
denominations
such as the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
73
74
and the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
75
76
and some other
mainline
denominations, such as the
Anglican Church in North America
Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans
Reformed Church in America
77
Presbyterian Church in America
Global Methodist Church
, and the
American Baptist Church
78
as well as
Conservative Evangelical
organizations and churches, such as the
Evangelical Alliance
79
and
fundamentalist
groups and churches, such as the
Southern Baptist Convention
80
81
82
Pentecostal
churches such as the
Assemblies of God
83
as well as
Restorationist
churches, like
Iglesia ni Cristo
, the
Jehovah's Witnesses
and
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
, also take the position that homosexual sexual activity is sinful.
84
85
Symbolic depiction of the intersection of
Christianity
and
LGBTQ people
, combining the
Christian cross
and
LGBTQ rainbow flag
Liberal Christians
are generally supportive of homosexuals. Some Christian denominations do not view
monogamous
same sex relationships as bad or
evil
. These include the
United Church of Canada
, the
United Church of Christ
86
the
Episcopal Church
87
the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
88
the churches of the
Old Catholic Union of Utrecht
, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
, the
Church of Sweden
89
90
the Lutheran, reformed and united churches in
Evangelical Church of Germany
, the
Church of Denmark
91
the
Icelandic Church
92
the
Church of Norway
93
and the
Protestant Church of the Netherlands
. In particular, the
Metropolitan Community Church
, a denomination of 40,000 members, was founded specifically to serve the Christian LGBT community, and is devoted to being open and affirming to
LGBTQ
people. The United Church of Christ, the
United Methodist Church
(UMC)
94
95
and the
Alliance of Baptists
also condone
gay marriage
, and some parts of the
Anglican
and
Lutheran
churches allow for the blessing of gay unions. Within the Anglican communion there are openly gay clergy; for example,
Gene Robinson
and
Mary Glasspool
are openly homosexual bishops in the US Episcopal Church and
Eva Brunne
in Lutheran Church of Sweden. The Episcopal Church's recent actions vis-a-vis homosexuality have brought about increased ethical debate and tension within the
Church of England
and worldwide Anglican churches. In the United States and many other nations, the religious people are becoming more affirming of same-sex relationships. Even those in denominations with official stances are liberalizing, though not as quickly as those in more affirming religious groups.
96
Religious protest against homosexuality in San Francisco
Conservative denominations
97
98
99
100
generally oppose same-sex sexual relations based on Old Testament and
New Testament
texts that describe human sexual relations as strictly
heterosexual
by God's design.
As such, it is argued that sexual desires and actions that contradict God's design are deemed sinful and are condemned by God (e.g.
Leviticus 18:22
; cf.
Leviticus 20:13
). Since love does not rejoice in unrighteousness or iniquity (cf.
1 Corinthians
13:6),
106
and since homosexual desires and actions are believed to remain contrary to God's design and condemned by God as sinful/iniquity (e.g.
in general
Romans
126–27;
107
passively
, 1 Corinthians 6:96:9;
108
109
actively
, including but
not
limited to
pederasty,
1 Corinthians 6:9;
110
1 Timothy
1:9-11;
111
112
113
considered sexually
immoral
Galatians
5:19-21;
114
Colossians
3:5-7;
115
Ephesians
5:3
116
117
), adherents of conservative denominations believe that genuine love for God and humanity is best expressed by following God rather than the world (
Acts
5:29;
118
cf.
Jeremiah
23:1-40;
119
Romans
12:9
120
).
The
Catholic Church
teaches that those who are attracted to persons of the same sex are called to practice
chastity
70
just like everyone else has to before they get married.
70
The Catholic Church does not regard homosexual activity as an expression of the
marital sacrament
, which it teaches is only possible within a lifelong commitment of a marriage between a man and a woman. According to
the Church's sexual ethics
, homosexual activity falls short in the
complementarity
(male and female organs complement each other) and
fecundity
(openness to new life) of the sexual act. Few studies of parishioners' individual views are sometimes at variance with the church's non-acceptance of homosexuality.
121
The
Catholic Church
welcomes people attracted to the same sex, while maintaining its teaching that homosexual relationships and acts are
sinful
122
123
The Roman Curia considers transgender individuals to be their
biological sex
and admits no distinction between "sex" and "gender".
124
The
Orthodox Church
holds similar stances on same-sex attraction and conjugal relations.
125
Protestant
denominations have a wide range of views. Some denominations espouse similar views to Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and teach that all sexual relations outside of traditional marriage between a man and a woman are sinful, such as the
Reformed Church in America
77
Southern Baptist Convention
80
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
126
and
Jehovah's Witnesses
127
While the Catholic view is founded on a
natural law
argument informed by scripture and proposed by
Thomas Aquinas
70
the traditional conservative Protestant view is based on an interpretation of scripture alone. Protestant conservatives also see homosexual relationships as an impediment to heterosexual relationships. They interpret some Biblical passages to be commandments to be heterosexually married.
128
Catholics, on the other hand, have accommodated unmarried people as priests, monks, nuns and single lay people for over 1,000 years. A number of self-described gay and '
ex-gay
' Christians have reported satisfaction in
mixed-orientation marriages
129
130
131
Even within the scope of Christianity, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) denomination demonstrates some of the most intolerant views towards LGBTQ members and the larger LGBTQ community.
132
Noted in its spiritual teachings, this religious organization instructs its members to suppress same-sex behaviors and feelings. The organization preaches that homosexuality (queerness) is a choice that can be rejected. Embracing queerness within the JW organization will result in disfellowshiping, which involves a public denouncement of the congregant and an expulsion from the congregation.
133
In the Jehovah's witness branch of Christianity, LGBTQ is seen as something to be shamed.  Within a study of 245 Jehovah's witnesses, 76% agreed that LGBTQ practices should be discouraged, while only 16% thought these ideas should be encouraged.
134
The remaining 8% seemed to have no opinion or were neutral on the situation.  Another study was conducted on Jehovah's witnesses with a range of ages from 18 to 29, 30–49, 50–64,65+.  The majority of those who were against LGBTQ practices came from the 30–49 age range, with the percentage being 34%.
134
Jehovah's witnesses can be 'disfellowshipped,' leading to ostracism from former support and social groups.  'Disfellowshipping' can occur if sin is committed that is seen as weighty and is not repented for.
135
Homosexual or LGBTQ practices would fall under the category of a sin which could lead to disfellowshipping.  Within a survey of 187 Jehovah's witnesses, 90% strongly opposed same-sex marriage and would classify it as something against their religion.
134
Other Christian churches, such as the
Church of England
136
United Church of Canada
, the
United Church of Christ
, the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
137
the Lutheran
Church of Sweden
, the Lutheran
Church of Denmark
, the Lutheran
Church in Norway
, the Lutheran
Church of Iceland
, the
Protestant Church of the Netherlands
, the
United Protestant Church in Belgium
, the
United Protestant Church of France
, the German Lutheran, Reformed and United Churches in
Evangelical Church in Germany
, the
Old Catholic Church
, the
Anglican Church in Canada
, the
Episcopal Church in United States
, and the
Scottish Episcopal Church
do not consider same-sex relations immoral, and will ordain
LGBTQ clergy
and celebrate
blessings of same-sex marriages
. Liberal Quakers, those in membership of
Britain Yearly Meeting
and
Friends General Conference
in the United States, approve of same-sex marriage and unions and conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies in the United Kingdom.
138
139
140
All homosexual or same-sex sexual activity is forbidden by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(LDS Church) in its
law of chastity
, and the church teaches that
God
does not approve of
same-sex marriage
and may punish same-sex sexual behavior with a
disciplinary council
141
Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who
self-identify
as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and all sexual relations outside an opposite-sex marriage,
142
143
144
but all, including those participating in same-sex activity and relationships, are allowed to attend weekly church worship services.
145
However, in order to receive
church ordinances
such as
baptism
, and to enter church
temples
, adherents are required to abstain from same-sex relations.
146
147
Additionally, in the church's
plan of salvation
noncelibate gay and lesbian individuals will not be allowed in the top tier of
heaven
to receive
exaltation
unless they repent, and a heterosexual marriage is a requirement for exaltation.
148
149
The LDS Church previously taught that homosexuality was a curable condition
150
151
152
and counseled members that they could and should change their attractions and provided therapy and programs with that goal.
153
154
155
156
From 1976 until 1989 the
Church Handbook
called for church discipline for members attracted to the same sex equating merely being homosexual with the seriousness of acts of adultery and child molestation—even celibate gay people were subject to excommunication.
157
: 16, 43
156
: 382, 422
158
: 139
Church publications now state that "individuals do not choose to have such attractions", its church-run therapy services no longer provides
sexual orientation change efforts
, and the church has no official stance on the
causes of homosexuality
159
160
161
These current teachings and policies leave homosexual members with the options of entering a
mixed-orientation opposite-sex marriage
, or living a
celibate
lifestyle without any sexual expression (including
masturbation
).
162
163
: 11
164
: 20–21
Unification Church
edit
Unification Church
views heterosexual marriage which becomes "fruitful" by raising their children as God's ideal. Any other sexual relationship, than between husband and wife, is considered a sin.
Unification Church founder
Sun Myung Moon
opposed homosexuality and free sex and in some of his speeches compared such relationships to "dirty dung filled water" and that "Satan and dirty dung-eating dogs go after that".
165
He prophesied that "gays will be eliminated" in a "purge on God's orders".
166
Islam
edit
Main articles:
LGBT people and Islam
and
Mukhannathun
Further information:
Liberalism and progressivism within Islam
Liberal and progressive Islam in Europe
, and
Liberal and progressive Islam in North America
Same-sex sexual activity illegal
Not enforced or unclear
Penalty
Life in prison
Death penalty on books but not applied
Death penalty
Same-sex intercourse illegal:
Death penalty for homosexuality
Death penalty on books but not applied
According to the
ILGA
seven countries still retain capital punishment for homosexual behavior:
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
(for adultery),
Iran
Brunei
Afghanistan
Mauritania
, and northern
Nigeria
167
Classical Islamic jurists did not deal with homosexuality as a sexual orientation, since the latter concept is modern and has no equivalent in traditional law, which dealt with it under the technical terms of
liwata
and
zinā
168
Most legal schools treat homosexual intercourse with penetration similarly to unlawful heterosexual intercourse under the rubric of
zinā
, but there are differences of opinion with respect to methods of punishment, as evident from an eleventh-century discussion among the scholars of
Baghdad
, some scholars argued that homosexual desires are natural, but only allowed in the afterlife.
169
: 152
Some gay individuals undergo sex reassignment surgery to transition into the opposite gender to legally marry.
170
The discourse on homosexuality in Islam is primarily concerned with activities between men. There are, however, a few hadiths that mention homosexual behavior among women.
171
Although punishment for lesbianism is rarely mentioned in the histories,
al-Tabari
records an example of the execution in the year 170
AH
(786 or 787
AD
) of a pair of lesbian slavegirls in the
harem
of
al-Hadi
in a collection of highly critical anecdotes pertaining to that
Caliph
's actions as ruler.
172
Some jurists viewed sexual intercourse as possible only for an individual who possesses a
phallus
173
hence those definitions of sexual intercourse that rely on the entry of as little as the
corona of the phallus
into a partner's orifice.
173
Since women do not possess a phallus and, in this interpretation, cannot have intercourse with one another, they are therefore physically incapable of committing
zinā
173
Attitudes towards LGBTQ people and their experiences in the
Muslim world
have been influenced by its religious, legal, social, political, and cultural history.
174
175
43
41
42
The religious stigma and
sexual taboo
associated with homosexuality in Islamic societies can have profound effects for those Muslims who self-identify as LGBTQ.
174
176
177
178
Today, most LGBTQ-affirming Islamic organizations and individual congregations are primarily based in the
Western world
and
South Asian
countries; they usually identify themselves with the
liberal and progressive movements within Islam
174
179
180
Homosexual acts are
forbidden
in traditional
Islamic jurisprudence
and they are liable to different punishments, including
flogging
stoning
, and the
death penalty
176
41
175
depending on the situation and
legal school
176
However, homosexual relationships were generally tolerated in
pre-modern Islamic societies
41
42
175
and historical records suggest that these laws were invoked infrequently, mainly in cases of
rape
or other "exceptionally blatant infringement on
public morals
".
175
Public attitudes toward homosexuality in the Muslim world underwent a marked negative change starting from the 19th century through the
global spread
of
Islamic fundamentalist movements
such as
Salafism
and
Wahhabism
176
and the influence of the sexual notions and restrictive norms prevalent in
Europe
at the time: a number of Muslim-majority countries have retained criminal penalties for homosexual acts enacted under European
colonial rule
176
Istanbul LGBTQ Pride parade
in 2013,
Taksim Square
Istanbul
, Turkey
In recent times, extreme
prejudice
discrimination
, and
violence against LGBTQ people
persists, both
socially
and legally, in much of the Muslim world,
174
exacerbated by increasingly
socially conservative
attitudes and the rise of
Islamist movements
in Muslim-majority countries.
181
176
There are laws against
homosexual sexual activities
in a large number of Muslim-majority countries, which prescribe the
death penalty
in a limited number of them.
182
Islamic views on homosexuality are also influenced by the rulings prescribed by the
Quran
and the teachings of the
Islamic prophet
Muhammad
43
183
The mainstream interpretation of some Quranic verses and
hadith
condemn sexual acts between members of the same sex, along with most forms of
extramarital relations
174
184
In the late 1980s, Mufti
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy
of
Egypt
issued a
fatwa
supporting the right for those who fit the description of
mukhannathun
to have
sex reassignment surgery
Ayatollah Khomeini
of
Iran
issued similar
fatwas
around the same time.
185
186
Khomeini's initial
fatwa
concerned
intersex
individuals as well, but he later specified that
sex reassignment surgery
was also permissible in the case of transgender individuals.
185
186
Because
homosexuality is illegal in Iran
but being
transgender
is legal, some gay individuals have been forced to undergo sex reassignment surgery and transition into the opposite sex, regardless of their actual gender identity.
187
Therefore, transgender people are generally more accepted, provided they conform to traditional gender norms post-transition; for example, the Iranian government not only allows and recognizes
sex reassignment surgery
, but also subsidizes the procedure for transgender citizens.
188
In some regions of
South Asia
such as
India
Bangladesh
, and
Pakistan
, the
hijras
are officially recognized as a
third gender
that is neither male nor female,
189
a concept that some have compared to
mukhannathun
183
Gay Muslim activists of the
Al-Fatiha Foundation
holding the
flag of Turkey
at the
San Francisco Pride
(2008)
In
France
there was an Islamic same-sex marriage on 18 February 2012.
190
In Paris in November 2012 a room in a Buddhist prayer hall was used by gay Muslims and called a "gay-friendly mosque",
191
and a French Islamic website
192
is supporting religious same-sex marriage. The
Ibn Ruschd-Goethe mosque
in Berlin is a liberal mosque open to all types of Muslims, where men and women pray together and LGBTQ worshippers are welcomed and supported.
193
Other significant LGBTQ-inclusive mosques or prayer groups include the El-Tawhid Juma Circle Unity Mosque in Toronto,
194
195
196
Masjid an-Nur al-Isslaah (Light of Reform Mosque) in Washington D.C.,
197
198
Masjid Al-Rabia in Chicago,
199
198
200
Unity Mosque in Atlanta,
201
202
People's Mosque in Cape Town South Africa,
203
204
Masjid Ul-Umam mosque in Cape Town,
205
Qal'bu Maryamin in California,
206
207
and the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Community in New York City.
208
209
Muslims for Progressive Values
, based in the United States and
Malaysia
, is "a faith-based, grassroots, human rights organization that embodies and advocates for the traditional Qur'anic values of social justice and equality for all, for the 21st Century."
210
211
MPV has recorded "a lecture series that seeks to dismantle the religious justification for homophobia in Muslim communities." The lectures can be viewed at MPV Lecture Series.
212
The Mecca Institute is an LGBT-inclusive and progressive online Islamic seminary, and serves as an online center of Islamic learning and research.
198
213
Baháʼí Faith
edit
Main article:
Homosexuality and the Baháʼí Faith
Artist's symbolic depiction of the intersection of the
Baháʼí Faith
and
LGBTQ community
combining the Bahai
nine-pointed star
and
LGBTQ rainbow flag
The
Baháʼí Faith
considers same-sex sexual behavior and same-sex marriage to be against
God's
will.
214
: 381
215
216
Sex is only permitted in a
marriage between a man and a woman
for Baháʼís.
217
216
214
: 381
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual members who engage in any same-sex sexual behavior are subject to sanctions from the Baha’i administration, including being excluded from community gatherings and denied participation in organizational elections.
218
219
Baháʼís have been discouraged from both promoting or opposing efforts to legalize
same-sex marriage
220
The
Baháʼí Faith
teaches that the only acceptable form of sexual expression is within
marriage
, and
Baháʼí marriage
is defined in the religion's texts as exclusively between one man and one woman.
221
222
Baháʼís stress the importance of absolute
chastity
for any unmarried person,
223
and focus on personal restraint. The
Universal House of Justice
, the elected governing body of the Baháʼí Faith, has stated that "the Faith does not recognize homosexuality as a 'natural' or permanent phenomenon."
224
The Universal House of Justice has approved of and encouraged Shoghi Effendi's idea of possible medical treatment.
225
However, membership in the Baháʼí community is open to lesbian and gay adherents,
226
who are to be "advised and sympathized with".
227
228
229
Dharmic religions
edit
Ardhanarishvara
, the
androgynous form
(half-male and half-female) of the
Hindu deity
Shiva
combined with his consort
Parvati
. Tiruvenkadu, Chola, 11th century CE.
Among the
religions that originated in ancient and medieval India
, including
Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
and
Sikhism
, teachings regarding homosexuality are less clear than among the Abrahamic traditions, and religious authorities voice diverse opinions.
Sikhism
has no specific teachings about
homosexuality
and the Sikh holy scripture, the
Guru Granth Sahib
, does not explicitly mention
heterosexuality
, homosexuality or
bisexuality
. The universal goal of a Sikh is to have no hate or animosity to any person, regardless of factors like race, caste, color, creed or gender.
230
Hinduism is diverse, with no supreme governing body, but the majority of
swamis
opposed same-sex relationships in a 2004 survey, and a minority supported them.
231
Ancient religious texts such as the
Vedas
do not restrict homosexuality and often refer to people of a
third gender
, who are neither female nor male.
232
Some see this third gender as an ancient parallel to
lesbian
gay
bisexual
transgender
and
intersex
identities.
Hinduism
edit
Main articles:
Hinduism and LGBT topics
Hinduism and LGBT topics
Kama
, and
LGBT themes in Hindu mythology
Hinduism
does not have a central authority. Many Hindu sects have taken various positions on homosexuality, ranging from positive to neutral or antagonistic. Referring to the nature of
Samsara
, the
Rigveda
, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism says 'Vikruti Evam Prakriti' (
Perversity/diversity is what nature is all about
, or,
What seems unnatural is also natural
), which some scholars believe recognizes homosexuality as natural, if not an approval of homosexuality..
233
Sexuality is rarely discussed openly in Hindu society, and LGBTQ issues are largely a
taboo
subject — especially among the strongly religious. A "
third gender
" has been acknowledged within numerous Hindu texts. Several Hindu texts, such as
Manu Smriti
234
and
Sushruta Samhita
, assert that some people are born with either mixed male and female natures, or sexually neuter, as a matter of natural biology (while at the same time there are examples of speaking negatively in regards to male homosexuality as shown by the Manu Smriti and Arthashastra). They worked as
hairdressers
, flower-sellers, servants,
masseurs
and
prostitutes
. In addition, each Hindu denomination had developed distinct rules regarding sexuality, as Hinduism is not unified and is decentralized in essence. Today, many people that identify as
hijras
are officially recognized as a
third gender
that is neither male nor female in India;
189
they mostly live on the margins of society, and many still work in prostitution, or make a livelihood as beggars.
235
Several Hindu religious laws contain injunctions against homosexual activity, while some Hindu mythologies speaks favorably of lesbian relations and some third-gendered individuals were highly regarded by Hindu legends. Hindu groups are historically not unified regarding the issue of homosexuality, each one having a distinct doctrinal view.
236
237
238
A damsel who pollutes (another) damsel must be fined two hundred (panas), pay the double of her (nuptial) fee, and receive ten (lashes with a) rod.
Manusmriti
, 8.369
239
The Indian
Kama Sutra
, written in the 4th century CE, contains passages describing
eunuchs
or "third-sex" males performing
oral sex
on men.
240
241
242
However, the author was "not a fan of homosexual activities" and treated such individuals with disdain, according to historian
Devdutt Pattanaik
242
The text describes
Kama
as one of the three objectives to be achieved in life.
243
Though it forbids the educated Brahmins, bureaucrats and wisemen from practicing
Auparishtaka
(oral sex).
244
Similarly, some medieval Hindu temples and artifacts openly depict both male homosexuality and lesbianism within their carvings, such as the temple walls at
Khajuraho
. Some infer from these images that Hindu society and religion were previously more open to variations in human sexuality than they are at present.
Erotic sculptures from
Khajuraho temple complex
India
In some Hindu sects (specially among the hijras), many divinities are
androgynous
. There are Hindu deities who are
intersex
(both male and female); who manifest in all three genders; who switch from male to female or from female to male; male deities with female moods and female deities with male moods; deities born from two males or from two females; deities born from a single male or single female; deities who avoid the opposite sex; deities with principal companions of the same sex, and so on.
245
However, this is not accepted by the majority of Hindus, and is often considered heretical in nature. Those who do accept it justify with the belief that both God and nature are unlimitedly diverse and God is difficult to comprehend.
Ayoni
sex, which includes oral and anal sex, never came to be viewed as much of a sin like in Christianity nor a serious crime and could be practiced in some cases. Close friendship between people of same genders has also been seen as permissible in Hindu texts.
246
Several Hindu priests have performed same-sex marriages, arguing that love is the result of attachments from previous births and that marriage, as a union of spirit, is transcendental to gender.
247
248
It is often regarded that Hinduism does not condemn homosexuality.
Buddhism
edit
Main article:
Buddhism and sexual orientation
Further information:
Buddhism and sexuality
Shunkō-in
Japanese
春光院
: "Temple of the Ray of Spring Light") in
Kyoto
Japan
, is a Buddhist temple that performs same-sex marriage ceremonies.
The most common formulation of Buddhist ethics are the
Five Precepts
and the
Eightfold Path
, one should neither be attached to nor crave sensual pleasure. The third of the Five Precepts is "To refrain from committing sexual misconduct": this precept has sometimes been interpreted to include homosexuality.
249
However, "sexual misconduct" is a broad term, and is subjected to interpretation relative to the social norms of the followers.
The determination of whether or not
same-gender
relations are appropriate for a layperson is not considered a religious matter by many Buddhists.
250
According to the
Pāli Canon
and
Āgama
(the
early Buddhist scriptures
), there is nothing saying that same or opposite gender relations have anything to do with sexual misconduct,
251
252
and some
Theravādin
Buddhist monks
express that same-gender relations do not violate the rule to avoid sexual misconduct, which means not having sex with
people under age
(thus protected by their parents or guardians), someone
betrothed
or
married
, and those who have taken vows of
religious celibacy
253
254
255
Artistic representation of the intersection of
Buddhism
and
LGBTQ
people shown by the
Buddhist flag
and
rainbow flag
Views on homosexuality and LGBTQ rights differ in the
Buddhist tradition
. However, many Buddhist leaders and groups have been historically supportive and continue to be supportive of LGBTQ people.
256
257
258
259
The renowned
Thiền Buddhist
master,
Thích Nhất Hạnh
, remarked that the spirit of Buddhism is inclusiveness and stated that "when you look at the ocean, you see different kinds of waves, many sizes and shapes, but all the waves have water as their foundation and substance. If you are born gay or lesbian, your ground of being in the same as mine. We are different, but we share the same ground of being."
260
261
Japan
's
culture
and
major religions
don't have a history of hostility towards homosexuality.
262
Same-sex marriages are performed at
Shunkō-in
, a
Rinzai Zen
Buddhist temple in
Kyoto
, Japan.
263
Some modern Buddhist leaders were active in the movement for same-sex marriage rights in
Taiwan
, which legalized same-sex marriages in 2019.
264
265
266
267
Some adherents of the
Navayāna (Ambedkarite) Buddhist tradition
are supporting LGBTQ rights within their larger activist activities.
268
In
Thailand
, some leaders in the
Theravāda tradition
including Phra Payom Kalayano have expressed support for LGBTQ rights.
269
270
271
The
Dalai Lama
of the
Gelug
sect of Tibetan Buddhism previously interpreted sexual misconduct to include lesbian and gay sex, and indeed any sex other than penis-vagina intercourse, including oral sex, anal sex, and masturbation or other sexual activity with the hand; the only time sex is acceptable is when it performed for its purpose of procreation.
272
273
274
In 1997, the
14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso
declared: "From a Buddhist point of view, men-to-men and women-to-women is generally considered sexual misconduct."
275
However, this view expressed by the Dalai Lama is not based on the teachings of
Gautama Buddha
but derived from some later
Abhidharma
texts.
276
Moreover, the Dalai Lama has repeatedly "voiced his support for the full recognition of human rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation."
277
In 2009, when interviewed by Canadian TV news anchor Evan Solomon on
CBC News: Sunday
about whether or not homosexuality is acceptable in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama responded that "it is sexual misconduct."
278
However, the Dalai Lama supports human rights for all, "regardless of sexual orientation."
279
In the most recent interview with the Dalai Lama on this topic (10 March 2014), the Dalai Lama said gay marriage is "OK", provided it's not in contradiction with the values of one's chosen religion.
280
281
Also in the Tibetan tradition, the
Nalandabodhi
sangha
has stated that they are welcoming of all sexual orientations and well-known Bhutanese lama
Khyentse Norbu
has expressed support for LGBTQ rights in
Bhutan
282
283
In
Western Buddhist denominations
, there is widescale support for LGBTQ rights from Buddhist groups and organizations, including the
European Buddhist Union
284
the Buddhist Churches of America,
285
286
287
many Shin Buddhist groups,
288
and Zen leaders such as
Thích Nhất Hạnh
261
260
The Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils (FABC), representing Buddhist laypeople, and the Australian Sangha Association vocally supported
same-sex marriage
in Australia.
289
Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is the most diverse Buddhist community in the United States with more than 500 chapters and some 100 centers throughout the country supports LGBTQ rights.
290
American
Soka Gakkai
Buddhists have performed same-sex union ceremonies since the 1990s.
291
In a
Pew Research
poll, 88% of American Buddhists stated that homosexuality should be accepted.
292
This was a higher level of support than any other religious group studied.
292
Some later traditions gradually began to add new restrictions on sexual misconduct, like non-vagina sex, though some academics argue it usually involves situations seen as coerced sex.
293
294
295
This non-vagina sex as sexual misconduct view is not based on Buddha's teachings, but from later
Abhidharma
texts.
296
297
Buddhism is often characterized as distrustful of sensual enjoyment and sexuality in general.
298
Traditionally, sex and lust are seen as hindering to spiritual progress in most schools of Buddhism; as such
monks
are expected to refrain from all sexual activity, and the
Vinaya
(the first book of the
Tripitaka
) specifically prohibits
sexual intercourse
, then further explain that anal, oral, and vaginal intercourse amount to sexual intercourse, which will result in permanent exclusion from Sangha.
299
A notable exception in the history of Buddhism occurred in Japan during the
Edo period
, in which male homosexuality, or more specifically, love between young novices and older monks, were celebrated.
300
References to
pandaka
, a
eunuch
impotence
category that is sometimes interpreted to include homosexual males, can be found throughout the
Pali canon
as well as other
Sanskrit
scriptures.
301
302
In the Chinese version of
Sarvastivada Vinaya
, the pandaka is mentioned as also trying to have sex with women, not just men.
303
Leonard Zwilling refers extensively to
Buddhaghosa
's
Samantapasadika
, where
pandaka
are described as being filled with defiled passions and insatiable lusts, and are dominated by their
libido
. Some texts of the
Abhidharma
state that a
pandaka
cannot achieve enlightenment in their own lifetime, (but must wait for rebirth) and Asanga and Vasubandhu discussed if a pandaka was able to be enlightened or not. According to one scriptural story,
Ananda
—Buddha's cousin and disciple—was a
pandaka
in one of his many previous lives.
Some later classic Buddhist masters and texts disallow contact between monks/
Bodhisattva
and
pandakas
/women and classify non-vagina sex as sexual misconduct, including for lay followers.
304
305
293
306
307
308
309
In
Thailand
, some accounts propose that "homosexuality arises as a
karmic
consequence of violating Buddhist proscriptions against heterosexual misconduct. These karmic accounts describe homosexuality as a congenital condition which cannot be altered, at least in a homosexual person's current lifetime, and have been linked with calls for compassion and understanding from the non-homosexual populace."
298
However, Buddhist leaders in Thailand have also condemned homosexuality,
298
ousted monks accused of homosexual acts, and banned
kathoey
from ordination. In 2009, Senior monk Phra Maha Wudhijaya Vajiramedh introduced a "good manners" curriculum for novices in the monkhood, stating to the BBC that he was concerned by "the flamboyant behaviour of gay and transgender monks, who can often be seen wearing revealingly tight robes, carrying pink purses and having effeminately-shaped eyebrows."
310
However, in Thailand, several leaders in the Theravada tradition including Phra Payom Kalayano have expressed support for LGBT rights.
311
312
313
A later popular Japanese legend attributed the introduction of monastic homosexuality to Japan to Shingon founder
Kukai
, although scholars now dismiss the veracity of this assertion, pointing out his strict adherence to the Vinaya.
314
315
316
Nonetheless, the legend served to "affirm same sex relation between men and boys in seventeenth century Japan."
316
317
However, Japanese Buddhist scholar and author of "
Wild Azaleas"
Kitamura Kigin argued that there was a tendency in monasteries to avoid heterosexuality and to encourage homosexuality.
318
Although Mahayana Buddhism has some texts against homosexuality (from later Abhidharma texts and
Buddhist apocrypha
), the majority of its teachings assert that all beings who correctly practice the dharma may reach enlightenment, since all possess an innate Buddha nature. Enlightenment being achievable even in a single life.
319
320
Some Mahayana Buddhist leaders were active in the movement for same-sex marriage rights in Taiwan which legalized same-sex marriages in 2019.
321
322
323
324
The capacity of Buddhism to reform itself and its great variety of distinct beliefs and schools, provide many liberal streams of Buddhism, which are accepting of all sexual orientations. Reformists of Buddhism are mainly predominant in cosmopolitan cities. In global traditions, there is a widescale support for LGBT rights including the European Buddhist Union,
325
the Buddhist Churches of America,
326
327
328
many Shin Buddhist groups,
329
and Zen leaders such as Thich Nhat Hanh.
261
The Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils (FABC), representing Buddhist laypeople, and the Australian Sangha Association vocally supported
same-sex marriage
in Australia.
330
Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is the most diverse Buddhist community in the United States with more than 500 chapters and some 100 centers throughout the country supports LGBT rights.
331
In a PEW research poll, 88% of American Buddhists stated that homosexuality should be accepted.
292
This was a higher level of support than any other religious group studied.
292
Sikhism
edit
Main article:
Sikhism and sexual orientation
LGBTQ Sikh-Believers demonstrate in London for the acceptance of LGBTQ people in their religion
Sikhism
has no specific teachings about
homosexuality
and the Sikh holy scripture, the
Guru Granth Sahib
, does not explicitly mention
heterosexuality
homosexuality
or
bisexuality
. The Guru Granth Sahib is seen as the spiritual authority on all Sikh matters. In
Guru Granth Sahib
, marriage is seen as a union of souls. In Sikhism, the soul is seen as genderless, and the outward appearance of human beings (man, woman) is a temporary state.
Same-sex marriage
advocates refer to this fact.
332
The universal goal of a Sikh is to have no hate or animosity to any person, regardless of factors like race, caste, color, creed or gender.
230
Akal Takhat
, the highest religious authority of the Sikhs, issued an edict (
hukamnaama
) in 2005 against any homosexual marriage in front of Sikh Scriptures (11th Guru of the Sikhs—
Shri Guru Granth Sahib
). This was again reiterated when one couple performed an
Anand Karaj
(Sikh religious marriage) of two homosexual men in 2020 in
California
. The couple was thrown out of the Sikh religion for this violation.
333
Sikh-Believers for lgbti – acceptance at London Pride
Some modern Sikh leaders have condemned homosexuality. Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti of the temporal Sikh authority (
Akal Takht
), has condemned homosexuality while reminding visiting Sikh-Canadian
Members of Parliament
(MPs) of their religious duty to oppose
same-sex marriage
334
The Sikh religious body, the
Akal Takht
, has issued an edict condemning gay marriage.
335
Other Sikhs point out that Sikhism does not condemn homosexuality or gay marriage
336
reminding them that the Guru Granth Sahib leaves this as a matter of personal conscience.
337
Gurbani based view:
...... much of Sikh teaching is couched in metaphors from family life. Even the adoration of God is explored in terms of the closest relationship that humans can comprehend—that between a man and a woman. The heterosexual relationship is defined as sacred in Sikhism; an honest family life is described as the first duty—the primary religion of humans.
— Dr I J Singh "Same Sex Unions"
338
Eastern and Southeast Asian religions
edit
Among the
Taoic religions
of
East Asia
, such as
Taoism
, passionate homosexual expression is usually discouraged because it is believed to not lead to human fulfillment.
339
Burmese folk religion
edit
Main article:
Burmese folk religion
Many
Nat Kadaws
in traditional Burmese folk religion are members of the LGBT community.
340
341
342
Chinese folk religion
edit
Main article:
Chinese folk religion
Further information:
Homosexuality in China
Tu'er Shen
, also known as the Rabbit God, is a gay
Chinese deity
343
344
In 2006, Lu Wei-ming
founded a temple
for Tu'er Shen in
Yonghe District
in the
New Taipei City
in
Taiwan
345
346
347
which has been called the world's only religious shrine for gay people.
344
About 9,000 pilgrims visit the temple each year praying to find a suitable partner.
348
346
The Wei-ming temple also performs love ceremonies for gay couples.
349
350
Confucianism
edit
Main article:
LGBT topics and Confucianism
Confucianism
, being primarily a social and political philosophy, focused little on sexuality; whether homosexual or heterosexual. However, the ideology did emphasize male friendships, and
Louis Crompton
has argued that the "closeness of the master-disciple bond it fostered may have subtly facilitated homosexuality".
351
Homosexuality
is not mentioned in the
Analects of Confucius
352
Đạo Mẫu
edit
Main article:
Đạo Mẫu
In Vietnam, many LGBT people find a safe community within the
Đạo Mẫu
religion, which is worship of the mother god
353
354
Many LGBT people act as mediums during
Đạo Mẫu
rituals
355
Shinto
edit
Main article:
LGBT topics and Shinto
Historically, the
Shinto
"had no special code of morals and seems to have regarded sex as a natural phenomenon to be enjoyed with few inhibitions."
356
While
Shinto beliefs
are diverse, Shinto doesn't condemn homosexuality,
356
and the formally organized
Konkokyo
sect is fully affirming.
357
358
359
Multiple Shinto leaders advocated in support of
gay marriage in Hawaii
360
Taoism
edit
Main article:
Homosexuality and Taoism
There is no single official position on homosexuality in Taoism, as the term Taoism is used to describe a number of disparate religious traditions encompassing a variety of views. Although Taoist alchemy generally emphasized that ejaculation in heterosexual relationships represented a draining of the male's "life essence," this concept was not generally extended to non-heterosexual sex.
In a similar way to Buddhism, Taoist schools sought throughout history to
define
what would be sexual misconduct. Broadly speaking, the precept against "sexual misconduct" in Taoism relates to extramarital sex. The term for a married couple (夫婦) usually in Chinese suggests a male with a female, though Taoist scripture itself does not explicitly say anything against same-sex relations.
361
362
Many sorts of precepts mentioned in the
Yunji Qiqian
雲笈七籤
), The Mini Daoist Canon, does not explicitly say anything against same-gender relations as well.
363
Homosexuality is not unknown in Taoist history, such as during the Tang dynasty when Taoist nuns exchanged love poems.
364
As a sexual misconduct however would depend on what sect or school they were from as some traditions considered homosexuality to be misconduct and others did not mention it at all. There are also certain
talismans
recorded in different traditions that claim to "cure" a person of the "homosexual disease/desire". Attitudes about homosexuality within Taoism often reflect the values and sexual norms of broader Chinese society and what region of China the sect resided in (see
Homosexuality in China
).
Zoroastrianism
edit
Main article:
Zoroastrianism and sexual orientation
The man that lies with mankind as man lies with womankind, or as woman lies with mankind, is a man that is a Daeva [demon]; this man is a worshipper of the Daevas, a male paramour of the Daevas
Vendidad
The
Vendidad
, one of the later
Zoroastrian
texts composed in the Artificial Young
Avestan language
, has not been dated precisely. It is thought that some concepts of law, uncleanliness,
dualism
, and
salvation
were shared between the religions, and subsequent interactions between the religions are documented by events such as the release of the Jews from the
Babylonian captivity
by Zoroastrian
Cyrus the Great
in 537 BC, and the Biblical account of the
Magi
visiting the infant
Jesus
The Vendidad generally promotes procreation: "the man who has a wife is far above him who lives in continence; he who keeps a house is far above him who has none; he who has children is far above the childless man; he who has riches is far above him who has none." It details the penance for a worshipper who submits to
sodomy
under force as "Eight hundred stripes with the Aspahe-astra, eight hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana." (equal to the penalty for breaking a contract with the value of an ox),
365
and declares that for those participating voluntarily "For that deed there is nothing that can pay, nothing that can atone, nothing that can cleanse from it; it is a trespass for which there is no atonement, for ever and ever". However, those not practicing the
Religion of Mazda
were pardoned for past actions upon conversion.
366
It has been argued that, in ancient times, those prohibitions against sodomy did not apply to
eunuchs
367
African diasporic religions
edit
Main article:
Haitian Vodou and sexual orientation
Homosexuality is religiously acceptable in
Haitian Vodou
368
369
370
The lwa or loa (spirits) Erzulie Dantor and Erzulie Freda are often associated with and viewed as protectors of queer people.
371
372
Within
Candomblé
, a
syncretic
religion primarily found in Brazil, there is widespread (though not universal) support for gay rights, many members are LGBT, and have performed gay marriages.
373
374
375
Practitioners of
Santería
, primarily found in Cuba, generally (though not universally) welcome LGBTQ members and include them in religious or ritual activities.
376
377
Also a Brazilian syncretic religion,
Umbanda
houses generally support LGBTQ rights and have performed gay marriages.
378
374
375
379
Homosexuality is religiously acceptable in
Haitian Vodou
368
369
370
The lwa or loa (spirits)
Erzulie Dantor
and
Erzulie Freda
are often associated with and viewed as protectors of queer people.
371
372
The lao
Ghede Nibo
is sometimes depicted as an effeminate drag queen and inspires those he inhabits to lascivious sexuality of all kinds.
380
381
Candomblé
edit
Within
Candomblé
, a
syncretic
religion found primarily in Brazil, there is widespread (though not universal) support for gay rights, many members are LGBT, and have performed gay marriages.
382
383
374
In Candomblé, homosexuality is usually accepted and explained by the sex of one's orisha.
384
Homosexuality would be more probable in a man with a female orisha, a woman with a male orisha, or any of them with an androgynous orisha (such as
Olokun
).
Haitian Vodou
edit
Main article:
Haitian Vodou and sexual orientation
Homosexuality is religiously acceptable in
Haitian Vodou
368
369
370
The lwa or loa (spirits) Erzulie Dantor and Erzulie Freda are often associated with and viewed as protectors of queer people.
371
372
The lao
Ghede Nibo
is sometimes depicted as an effeminate drag queen and inspires those he inhabits to lascivious sexuality of all kinds.
380
385
Santería
edit
Practitioners of
Santería
, primarily found in Cuba, generally (though not universally) welcome LGBT members and include them in religious or ritual activities.
386
387
Umbanda
edit
Also a Brazilian syncretic religion,
Umbanda
houses generally support LGBT rights and have performed gay marriages.
388
374
382
389
New religious movements
edit
Since the beginning of the
sexual liberation movement
in the Western world, which coincided with
second-wave feminism
and the
women's liberation movement
initiated in the early 1960s,
390
391
new religious movements and alternative spiritualities such as
Modern Paganism
and the
New Age
began to grow and spread across the globe alongside their intersection with the sexual liberation movement and the
counterculture of the 1960s
390
391
and exhibited characteristic features, such as the embrace of
alternative lifestyles
, unconventional dress, rejection of
Abrahamic religions
and their
conservative social mores
, use of
cannabis
and other
recreational drugs
, relaxed attitude,
sarcastic humble
or self-imposed poverty, and
laissez-faire
sexual behavior
390
391
The sexual liberation movement was aided by feminist ideologues in their mutual struggle to challenge traditional ideas regarding
female sexuality
male sexuality
, and
queer
sexuality.
391
Elimination of undue favorable bias towards men and objectification of women, as well as support for women's right to choose their sexual partners free of outside interference or societal judgment, were three of the main goals associated with sexual liberation from the feminist perspective.
391
Unitarian Universalism
edit
Main article:
Unitarian Universalism and LGBTQ people
Unitarian Universalism
and the
Unitarian Universalist Association
(UUA) have a long-standing tradition of welcoming LGBTQ people. The first ordained minister of any religion in the US or Canada to
come out
was the Rev.
James Stoll
in 1969.
392
There have been UUA resolutions supporting people regardless of sexual orientation since 1970, and a popular program of becoming a "Welcoming Congregation" since 1989. The UUA has officially supported UUA clergy performing Services of Union between same-sex couples since 1984,
393
and has supported
same-sex marriage
since 1996.
394
The
Canadian Unitarian Council
(CUC) similarly operates a Gender and Sexual Diversity Monitoring Group
395
and, like the UUA (of which it became autonomous in 2002), has Welcoming Congregations.
396
The Canadian Unitarian Universalist congregations perform same-sex marriages and the CUC supports this work through its Lay Chaplaincy program.
397
The first ordained minister of a major religious sect in the U.S. or Canada to
come out
as gay was the UU Minister
James Stoll
in 1969.
398
There have been denominational resolutions supporting LGBTQ people since 1970, when a resolution was passed that condemned discrimination against homosexuals. Unitarian Universalism was the first denomination to accept openly
transgender
people as full members with eligibility to become clergy; in 1988 the first openly transgender person was ordained by the
Unitarian Universalist Association
(UUA).
399
400
401
The UUA has supported marriage equality since 1996
402
and compared those who resisted such equality to the resistance to the
abolition of slavery
, women's
suffrage
, and the end of anti-
miscegenation
laws.
403
Three-quarters of all UU congregations have undertaken a series of organizational, procedural, and practical steps to become acknowledged as a "Welcoming Congregation": a congregation that is intentionally welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ members.
404
On June 29, 1984, the UUA became the first major denomination "to approve religious blessings on homosexual unions." Unitarian Universalists were in the forefront of the work to make same-sex marriages legal in their local states and provinces, as well as on the national level. In May 2004,
Arlington Street Church
, Boston, was the site of the first state-sanctioned same-sex marriage in the United States. LGBTQ people are regularly ordained as ministers, and have also served at the highest levels of leadership in the denomination, including as president of the Canadian Unitarian Council, interim co-president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and co-moderator of the UUA.
405
406
407
Antoinism
edit
Antoinism
, a
new religious movement
founded in Belgium in 1910, does not provide any prescription on issues such as sexuality,
408
as it considers that this is not related to spirituality; homosexuality is not deemed a sin and there is nothing wrong to be gay and antoinist.
409
Eckankar
edit
Eckankar
, an American
new religious movement
founded by
Paul Twitchell
in 1965, says on its website that "where legally recognized,
same-sex marriages
are performed, in the form of the ECK Wedding Ceremony, by ordained ministers of Eckankar".
410
Neo-Druidism
edit
The
Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
is a worldwide group dedicated to practicing, teaching, and developing modern
Druidry
and has more than 25,000 members in 50 countries. The Order is LGBT-affirming within a larger framework of support for civil rights, love of justice, and the love of all existences.
411
Santa Muerte
edit
The cult of
Santa Muerte
is a
new religious movement
412
centered on the worship of Santa Muerte, a
cult image
female deity
, and
folk saint
which is popularly revered in
Mexican
Neopaganism
and
folk Catholicism
413
414
personification of death
, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the
afterlife
by her devotees.
415
Santa Muerte is also revered and seen as a saint and protector of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities in Mexico
416
417
418
419
420
since LGBTQ+ people are considered and treated as outcasts by the
Catholic Church
evangelical churches
, and Mexican society at large.
416
417
Many LGBTQ+ people ask her for protection from violence, hatred, disease, and to help them in their search for love. Her intercession is commonly invoked in
same-sex marriage ceremonies
performed in Mexico.
421
422
423
The
Iglesia Católica Tradicional México-Estados Unidos
, also known as the Church of Santa Muerte,
recognizes
gay marriage and performs religious wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples.
424
425
426
427
According to R. Andrew Chesnut,
Ph.D.
in
Latin American history
and
professor
of
Religious studies
, the cult of Santa Muerte is the single fastest-growing new religious movement in the Americas.
412
Modern Paganism
edit
Queer Pagan flag combining a
pentagram
and
LGBTQ flag
Main article:
Modern pagan views on LGBT people
Most
Neopagan religions
have the theme of fertility (both physical and creative/spiritual) as central to their practices, and as such encourage what they view as a healthy sex life, consensual sex between adults, regardless of gender.
Heathenry
, a
modern Germanic Pagan movement
, includes several pro-LGBTQ groups. Some groups legitimize openness toward LGBTQ practitioners by reference to the gender-bending actions of
Thor
and
Odin
in
Norse mythology
428
There are, for instance, homosexual and
transgender
members of
The Troth
, a prominent U.S. Heathen organisation.
428
Many Heathen groups in Northern Europe perform
same-sex marriages
429
and a group of self-described "Homo-Heathens" marched in the 2008
Stockholm Pride
carrying a statue of the Norse god
Freyr
430
Research found a greater proportion of LGBTQ practitioners within Heathenry (21%) than wider society, although noted that the percentage was lower than in other forms of modern Paganism.
431
Wicca
, like other religions, has adherents with a broad spectrum of views, ranging from conservative to liberal. It is a largely nondogmatic religion and has no prohibitions against sexual intercourse outside of marriage or relationships between members of the same sex. The religion's ethics are largely summed up by the
Wiccan Rede
: "An it harm none, do as thou wilt", which is interpreted by many as allowing and endorsing responsible sexual relationships of all varieties. Specifically in the Wiccan tradition of modern witchcraft, one of the widely accepted pieces of
Craft
liturgy, the Charge of the Goddess instructs that "...all acts of love and pleasure are [the Goddess'] rituals",
432
giving validity to all forms of sexual activity for Wiccan practitioners.
In the
Gardnerian
and
Alexandrian
forms of Wicca, the "
Great Rite
" is a sex ritual much like the
hieros gamos
, performed by a priest and priestess who are believed to embody the Wiccan God and Goddess. The Great Rite is almost always performed figuratively using the athame and chalice as symbols of the penis and vagina. The literal form of the ritual is always performed by consenting adults, by a couple who are already lovers and in private. The Great Rite is not seen as an opportunity for casual sex.
433
Pagan groups tend to be relatively accepting of LGBTQ people, same-sex romance, and gender diversity. This has led to a growth in the number of LGBTQ adherents. Some groups continue to use gender essentialist notion causing conflict around non-cisgender individuals and single-gender groups of Pagan people.
434
: 390
Radical Faeries
edit
The
Radical Faeries
are a worldwide
queer
spiritual
movement, founded in 1979 in the
United States
Wicca
edit
The Wiccan
Charge of the Goddess
, one of the most famous texts in
Neopaganism
, states in the words of the Goddess, "all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals".
435
In traditional forms of Wicca, such as
Gardnerian
and
Alexandrian Wicca
, magic is often performed between a man and a woman, and the "
Great Rite
" is a sex ritual performed between a Priest and Priestess representing the God and Goddess;
436
however, this is not generally seen as excluding homosexuals or magic between same-sex couples. While many groups still insist that initiations be conferred from man to woman or woman to man, Wicca has become a very diverse religion with varying views. As there is no central governing body nor a core authoritative text, individual covens and practitioners often establish their own guidelines. Many self-initiates are LGBTQ+ and form queer-centered covens and traditions.
Raëlism
edit
Main article:
Raëlism
Further information:
Raëlian beliefs and practices
Raëlian participants attending the
Korea Queer Culture Festival
(2014)
Raëlism
, an international
new religious movement
and
UFO religion
which was founded in France in 1974,
437
438
promotes a
positive outlook towards human sexuality
, including homosexuality.
437
438
439
440
Its founder
Raël
recognised same-sex marriage, and a Raëlian press release stated that sexual orientation is genetic and it also likened
discrimination against gay people
to
racism
441
Some Raëlian leaders have performed licensed same-sex marriages.
442
Satanism
edit
Rainbow version of common Satanic symbol
Both major Satanic traditions,
The Satanic Temple
and the
Church of Satan
443
emphasise the right of the individual to free sexual expression.
Lucien Greaves
, spokesperson of The Satanic Temple, has stated the Temple "will always fight... to the death to ensure that there are equal rights for the gay community."
444
The
Church of Satan
has always accepted gays, lesbians and bisexuals since its foundation in 1966.
445
The church supports legalization of same-sex marriages.
445
Some
Theistic Satanists
like the
Order of Nine Angles
are extremely homophobic, and support and perpetrate hate crimes against LGBTQ people, like the
Keillers Park murder
perpetrated by the ONA group
Temple of the Black Light
446
447
448
The
London nailbomber
that targeted the LGBTQ people and migrants was also inspired by ONA founder
David Myatt
449
Scientology
edit
Main article:
Scientology and homosexuality
The
Church of Scientology
opposes same-sex marriage
450
and its founder
L. Ron Hubbard
called homosexuality a dangerous perversion.
451
452
: 88–90
453
The Church of Scientology's perspectives on homosexuality are based on the writings of its founder, and his statements about homosexuality have led critics to assert that
Scientology
promotes
homophobia
, and being gay or accused of being gay is viewed as negative in the Scientology community.
454
455
According to a 2018 source, currently used, updated editions of Hubbard's
canonical
book,
456
: 21
Dianetics
, continue to use
heteronormative
and
anti-gay
language and list gay people as perverts who are physically ill and extremely dangerous to society.
451
: 78
457
Some critics have stated that the church tried to
change their gay attractions
through forms of therapy.
453
458
Other religions
edit
Ancient Mesopotamian religion
edit
Main article:
Ancient Mesopotamian religion
Individuals who went against the traditional
gender binary
were heavily involved in the cult of
Inanna
, an ancient Mesopotamian goddess.
459
460
During Sumerian times, a set of priests known as
gala
worked in Inanna's temples, where they performed elegies and lamentations.
459
Men who became
gala
sometimes adopted female names and their songs were composed in the Sumerian
eme-sal
dialect, which, in literary texts, is normally reserved for the speech of female characters. Some Sumerian proverbs seem to suggest that
gala
had a reputation for engaging in
anal sex
with men.
461
During the Akkadian Period,
kurgarrū
and
assinnu
were servants of Ishtar who
dressed in female clothing
and performed war dances in Ishtar's temples.
461
Several Akkadian
proverbs
seem to suggest that they may have also had homosexual proclivities.
461
Gwendolyn Leick, an anthropologist known for her writings on Mesopotamia, has compared these individuals to the contemporary Indian
hijra
459
In one Akkadian hymn, Ishtar is described as transforming men into women.
461
Some modern pagans include Inanna in their worship.
462
Pre-colonial religions of the Americas
edit
Main articles:
Alaska Native religion
Mesoamerican religion
Native American religion
, and
Inuit religion
Further information:
Same-sex marriage in tribal nations in the United States
Drawing by
George Catlin
(1796–1872) while on the
Great Plains
among the
Sac and Fox Nation
. Depicting a group of male warriors dancing around a male-bodied person in a woman's dress, non-Native artist George Catlin titled the painting
Dance to the Berdache
Among the
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
prior to the
European colonization
, many Nations had respected ceremonial, religious, and social roles for homosexual, bisexual, and gender-nonconforming individuals in their communities and in many contemporary
Native American
and
First Nations
communities, these roles still exist.
463
464
465
466
Homosexual and gender-variant individuals were also common among other pre-
conquest
civilizations in
Latin America
, such as the
Aztecs
Mayans
Quechuas
Moches
Zapotecs
, and the
Tupinambá
of Brazil and were accepted in their various religions.
467
468
Many Nations had respected ceremonial, religious, and social roles for gender nonconforming
Native American
and
First Nations
communities, and these roles still exist.
463
464
465
466
469
However, the indigenous peoples of the Americas include hundreds of cultures with varying views on sex, gender, and spirituality. Additionally, First Nations and indigenous views on gender and sexuality may not fall within modern Western categorizations of sex and gender.
470
471
472
473
474
Pre-colonial religions of the Philippines
edit
Main articles:
Filipino shamans
Indigenous Philippine folk religions
, and
LGBT rights in the Philippines
Filipino shamans, often known as
babaylan
held positions of authority as religious leaders or healers in some precolonial Philippine societies
475
Cross-dressing or gender nonconforming males sometimes took on the role of the female babaylan.
476
Early historical accounts record the existence of male
babaylans
who wore female clothes and took the demeanor of a woman.
477
478
Anatomy was not the only basis for gender. Being male or female was based primarily on occupation, appearance, actions and sexuality. A male
babaylan
could partake in romantic and sexual relations with other men without being judged by society.
479
A small number of Filipinos practice local indigenous religions today.
480
Humanism
edit
Humanism
is a non-religious, non-theistic approach to life that supports full equality for LGBTQ individuals,
481
482
including the right to marry.
483
484
Humanism and Its Aspirations
, a statement of humanist principles from the
American Humanist Association
, states that "humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views...work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature's integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner."
485
The American Humanist Association provides an LGBT Humanist Pride award
486
and has funded an LGBT-inclusive prom for Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Mississippi.
487
The organisation
LGBT Humanists UK
"is a United Kingdom-based not-for-profit that campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and human rights and promotes Humanism as an ethical worldview." It was formerly an independent group, but since 2012 has been a part of the charity
Humanists UK
. In 2009 they gave
Stephen Fry
an award "for his services to humanism and gay rights."
488
489
Humanists UK Chief Executive
Andrew Copson
, who is gay, once wrote that "humanists have always been champions of LGBT rights" and cited his organisation's many years campaigning for decriminalisation and LGBT equality in the UK, including legal same-sex marriages. He pointed out the large number of LGBT people in the movement, including Stephen Fry,
Christian Jessen
, and
Peter Tatchell
, as well as historical associations with humanism like the writer
Virginia Woolf
and
E M Forster
490
In a statement following the
Orlando nightclub shooting
for the
International Humanist and Ethical Union
, of which Copson is also President, he went further, saying "Humanism is the ultimate, long-standing and unfaltering ally of LGBTI people everywhere".
491
See also
edit
LGBTQ portal
Religion portal
History of human sexuality
LGBTQ history
Culture war
Societal attitudes toward homosexuality
LGBTQ rights by country or territory
List of LGBTQ-related organizations and conferences
Outline of transgender topics
Timeline of LGBTQ history
Religion and sexuality
LGBT-affirming religious groups
Side B Christian
Side A, Side B, Side X, Side Y (theological views)
LGBTQ themes in mythology
Religious trauma syndrome
Religious views on same-sex marriage
Transgender people and religion
The Bible and homosexuality
Same-sex marriage
History of same-sex unions
Legal status of same-sex marriage
Timeline of same-sex marriage
Societal attitudes toward homosexuality
Third gender
Two-spirit
Notes
edit
Passages used to support this view include
Genesis
2:18–24;
101
Genesis 1:26–28;
102
Matthew
19:4–6;
103
1 Corinthians
7:1–40;
104
and
Ephesians
5:22–33.
105
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"…the Faith does not recognize homosexuality as a "natural" or permanent phenomenon. Rather, it sees this as an aberration subject to treatment, however intractable exclusive homosexuality may now seem to be. To the question of alteration of homosexual bents, much study must be given, and doubtless in the future clear principles of prevention and treatment will emerge. As for those now afflicted, a homosexual does not decide to be a problem human, but he does, as you rightly state, have decision in choosing his way of life, i.e. abstaining from homosexual acts.
"Your plea for understanding and of justice extended to homosexuals is well taken in many respects, and the House of Justice assures you of its concern for the large number of persons so afflicted. Your work with the homosexual community is praiseworthy, and it permits you personally to exercise the support which is necessary for these often harassed persons, support which you call for in your essay. Moreover, your interest cannot but be therapeutic, at least for the more superficial elements of the problem; however, definitive therapy of the underlying predisposition, which you consider to be innate but the Teachings do not, may have to await additional investigations. As for the responsibility of Assemblies and of individual Baháʼís, certainly all are called upon to be understanding, supportive and helpful to any individual who carries the burden of homosexuality."
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[1]
Archived
18 September 2010 at the
Wayback Machine
"Amongst the many other evils afflicting society in this spiritual low water mark in history is the question of immorality, and over-emphasis of sex. Homosexuality, according to the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, is spiritually condemned. This does not mean that people so afflicted must not be helped and advised and sympathized with."
(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual, 21 May 1954;
Lights of Guidance
, p. 365, #1221)
[2]
Archived
26 January 2021 at the
Wayback Machine
"As for the responsibility of Assemblies and of individual Baháʼís, certainly all are called upon to be understanding, supportive and helpful to any individual who carries the burden of homosexuality."
(Compiled by Universal House of Justice Research Department,
Homosexuality
, p. 7)
[3]
Archived
18 September 2010 at the
Wayback Machine
"When an individual becomes a Baháʼí, he or she accepts the claim of Bahá'u'lláh to be the Manifestation of God bringing a divinely-inspired message from God for the benefit of mankind. Implicit in the acceptance of this claim is the commitment of the believer to embark on the lifelong process of endeavouring to implement the teachings on personal conduct. Through sincere and sustained effort, energized by faith in the validity of the Divine Message, and combined with patience with oneself and the loving support of the Baháʼí community, individuals are able to effect a change in their behaviour; as a consequence of this effort they partake of spiritual benefits which liberate them and which bestow a true happiness beyond description.
As you know, Bahá'u'lláh has clearly forbidden the expression of sexual love between individuals of the same sex. However, the doors are open for all of humanity to enter the Cause of God, irrespective of their present circumstance; this invitation applies to homosexuals as well as to any others who are engaged in practices contrary to the Baháʼí teachings. Associated with this invitation is the expectation that all believers will make a sincere and persistent effort to eradicate those aspects of their conduct which are not in conformity with Divine Law.
(Compiled by Universal House of Justice Research Department,
Homosexuality
, p. 11)
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[To Cunda the Silversmith]. Access to Insight. 1997.
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Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man
優婆塞經
Archived
18 February 2017 at the
Wayback Machine
(Upāsaka Sutra from Madhyam āgama):復次，舍梨子！白衣聖弟子離邪婬、斷邪婬，彼或有父所護，或母所護，或父母所護，或兄弟所護，或姉妹所護，或婦父母所護，或親親所護，或同姓所護，或為他婦女，有鞭罰恐怖，及有名雇債至華鬘親，不犯如是女。彼於邪淫淨除其心，白衣聖弟子善護行，此第三法
Ajahn Punnadhammo.
"Same Sex Marriage"
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The lay man is told to abstain from sex with "unsuitable partners" defined as girls under age, women betrothed or married and women who have taken vows of religious celibacy. This is clear, sound advice and seems to suggest that sexual misconduct is that which would disrupt existing family or love relationships. This is consonant with the general Buddhist principle that that which causes suffering for oneself or others is unethical behaviour. ("Unskillful behaviour" would be closer to the original.) There is no good reason to assume that
homosexual relations which do not violate this principle
should be treated differently.
Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya (1993).
Uposatha Sila The Eight-Precept Observance
Archived
from the original on 11 September 2020
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17 February
2017
There are
four factors of the third precept
(kamesu micchacara)
agamaniya vatthu – that which should not be visited (the 20 groups of women).
asmim sevana-cittam – the intention to have intercourse with anyone included in the above-mentioned groups.
sevanap-payogo – the effort at sexual intercourse.
maggena maggappatipatti – sexual contact through that adhivasanam effort.
Bhikkhu Bodhi (1981).
Going for Refuge & Taking the Precepts (The Five Precepts)
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Atwood, Haleigh.
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53.
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praktis isanghamahal
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. CNN.
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Harvard Divinity Bulletin
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Reuters
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The Pali scriptures make no mention of homosexuality being unwise sexual conduct. For monastics, all sexual intercourse is a root downfall. It doesn't specify the gender of one's partner. Vasubandhu, a teacher who came several centuries after the Buddha, discouraged homosexuality. Personally speaking, I think what's most important is the motivation behind how we use our sexuality. In other words, if people use their sexuality unkindly or unwisely, it doesn't matter if it is directed to someone of their own sex or the opposite sex.
"Dalai Lama urges 'full human rights for all,' including gays"
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dpr.info
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Wilson, Jeff.
"All Beings Are Equally Embraced By Amida Buddha": Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and Same-Sex Marriage in the United States"
Journal of Global Buddhism Vol. 13 (2012): 31–59
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2021
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《Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom》（Sanskrit: Mahā-prajñāpāramitā-śāstra; 中文: 大智度論）卷13：非道之處，則非女根，女心不樂，強以非理，故名邪婬。（The wrong orifice is not through the female organ, the lady does not like this, and so forcing it [upon her] is inappropriate, therefore it is said to be "sexual misconduct）
Thubten Chodron.
Dealing With Life's Issues
(PDF)
The Pali scriptures make no mention of homosexuality being unwise sexual conduct. For monastics, all sexual intercourse is a root downfall. It doesn't specify the gender of one's partner. Vasubandhu, a teacher who came several centuries after the Buddha, discouraged homosexuality. Personally speaking, I think what's most important is the motivation behind how we use our sexuality. In other words, if people use their sexuality unkindly or unwisely, it doesn't matter if it is directed to someone of their own sex or the opposite sex.
José Ignacio Cabezón.
"Thinking through Texts: Toward a Critical Buddhist Theology of Sexuality"
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2017
Now the obvious historical question then becomes this: If the early doctrine of sexual misconduct is so simple and elegant, when and why did it get so complex and restrictive – that is, when do we find the transition to "organ/orifice mode"? The answer to the "when" question is simple. We don't find any examples of the more elaborate formulation of sexual misconduct before the third century CE.
Jackson, Peter Anthony (December 1995).
"Thai Buddhist accounts of male homosexuality and AIDS in the 1980s"
The Australian Journal of Anthropology
(3):
140–
53.
PMID
12291560
See, for example, the Pandakavatthu section of the Mahavagga. 1:61, 68, 69; Vinaya: Mahavagga, 1:71, 76. Additionally, "The Story of the Prohibition of the Ordination of Pandaka" justifies the ban by giving an example of a monk with an insatiable desire to be sexually penetrated by men, thus bringing shame upon the Buddhist community. Vinaya, Vol. 4, pp. 141–142.
Leupp, Gary P. (1995).
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214.
十誦律(the Chinese version of sarvāstivāda-vinaya)：是時，跋難陀釋子，與不能男出家(this paragraph mentioned the pandaka)。是人，夜捫摸諸比丘，諸比丘驅出(this paragraph mentioned trying to have sex with bhikkhu, namely men)。到比丘尼邊式叉摩尼沙彌沙彌尼邊，皆捫摸諸比丘尼學戒尼，諸沙彌沙彌尼盡驅出(and this paragraph mentioned trying to have sex with bhikkhunī, namely women)
Abhidharmakośa
Cutler/Newland
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homosexual relations
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Rahman, Momin (2020). "Queer Muslim Challenges to the Internationalization of LGBT Rights: Decolonizing International Relations Methodology through Intersectionality". In Bosia, Michael J.; McEvoy, Sandra M.; Rahman, Momin (eds.).
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Ransom, Heather J.; Monk, Rebecca L.; Qureshi, Adam; Heim, Derek (February 2021).
"Life after Social Death: Leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses, Identity Transition and Recovery"
Pastoral Psychology
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S2CID
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the original
on 27 January 2024
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2 April
2026
Wafer, Jim (1991) "The Taste of Blood: Spirit Possession in Brazilian Candomblé" UPP Philadelphia
Wafer, Jim (1997) "Muhammad and Male Homosexuality" in "Islamic Homosexualities: culture, history, and literature" by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe (eds.), NYU Press New York
Wafer, Jim (1997) "The Symbolism of Male Love in Islamic Mysthical Literature" in "Islamic Homosexualities: culture, history, and literature" by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe (eds.), NYU Press New York 1997
External links
edit
Changing Attitude (International)
"Religion plays an important role in the lives of gay Americans"
LGBTQ Humanists
Archived
13 January 2022 at the
Wayback Machine
"LGBTQI Resources"
mpvusa.org
. Los Angeles:
Muslims for Progressive Values
. 2021.
Archived
from the original on 19 August 2021
. Retrieved
15 November
2021
Eastman, Don (1990).
"Homosexuality: Not a Sin, Not a Sickness – Part II: "What The Bible Does and Does Not Say…"
religiousinstitute.org
. Bridgeport, Connecticut:
The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing
. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021
. Retrieved
15 November
2021
Vines, Matthew (June 2014).
"10 Reasons God Loves Gay Christians"
Time
. New York City.
ISSN
0040-781X
OCLC
1311479
Archived
from the original on 3 May 2021
. Retrieved
15 November
2021
Wilson, Nancy L. (22 May 2010).
"Our Story Too: Reading the Bible with "New Eyes"
(PDF)
mccchurch.org
. Ocala, Florida:
Metropolitan Community Church
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 1 February 2017
. Retrieved
15 November
2021
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