Hinduism’s queer history provides a “sword of knowledge” for fighting anti-LGBTQ+ bias
With LGBTQ+ identity under attack by radical governments and religious conservatives around the world, how should gay and trans people respond?We “confront this challenge with knowledge,” says Amara Das Wilhelm, a Hindu priest who has spent the last 30 years ministering to LGBTQ+ people. “The sword of knowledge is very helpful and powerful.” Related Seminary leader: Anti-LGBTQ+ politics are a “distraction” from the Gospel’s true mission Amara Das joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in 1974 and earned both his “harinama” and “brahmana” initiations (for chanting and sacred rituals) two years later at just 19. In 2004, he published “Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex,” a landmark article explaining Vedic Hinduism’s traditional accommodation of sex- and gender-minorities in society. “In Hinduism, God is recognized as unlimited and untethered by any gender restrictions,” Amara Das says. It’s a conception that cascades through the religion and informs Hinduism’s “foremost quality”: compassion. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Amara Das shared his thoughts on the challenges confronting LGBTQ+ people today from his home in Honolulu, Hawaii. LGBTQ Nation: In 2001, you founded the Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association, known as GALVA-108, the world’s first LGBTQ+ Hindu religious organization. What inspired you to start the group, and how do you describe its mission? Amara Das Wilhelm: The main inspiration to found GALVA-108 was my spiritual master or guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Knowing his desire to see all different types of people make spiritual advancement and engage in the chanting of Hare Krishna, and at the same time seeing many misunderstandings and even some exclusion or ridicule of LGBTI+ people within his mission, I felt it important to research the matter thoroughly from a personal and more positive perspective. The Vedic literatures really stand out as different from the Abrahamic views of homosexuality and transgender identity. I suppose I could sum up the main mission of GALVA-108 as to educate Vaishnavas and Hindus about the Vedic (ancient, traditional Hindu) understanding of LGBTI+ people, known as “tritiya-prakriti” or the third sex in Sanskrit. Knowledge is a powerful tool in dispelling misunderstandings, fear, and doubts about the unknown. What does the “108” in the name represent? 108 is a very auspicious number in Vaishnava Hinduism and symbolizes several different things. For instance, we chant on 108 beads and Lord Krishna has 108 groups of cows, as well as 108 prominent “gopis,” or milkmaid girlfriends. [They symbolize the pinnacle of bhakti (pure, selfless devotion) to Lord Krishna, leaving behind their worldly duties to surrender to the divine.] An illustration of the Hindu God Krishna | Shutterstock Most conservative theologians interpret the Bible, the Koran, and other religious texts to outlaw homosexuality. Broadly, what did you learn from the Vedic and Hindu scriptural canon that contradicts that claim among Hindus who demonize LGBTQ+ people? Yes, the Vedic literatures really stand out as different from the Abrahamic views of homosexuality and transgender identity. First of all, three natural sexes or genders are clearly mentioned and described throughout the religious scriptures, or “sastra.” This is opposed to the “two-gender only” stance maintained by most other faiths. Briefly, the three sexes mentioned are cisgender heterosexual males, cisgender heterosexual females, and a third sex that contains various combinations of the two. This third sex is more in line with many of the other indigenous beliefs in the world, such as the two-spirits of Native Americans or the “mahu” (transwomen) of Polynesia. Just knowing that the Vedic canon acknowledges a natural third sex or gender can go a long way in dispelling the fears and demonic ideas people may have about sexually- or gender-different people. Is there a particular passage or example you can share that illustrates the accommodation Hinduism provides for LGBTQ+ people? Oh wow. There are so many, but perhaps the best-known examples are the passages from the Kama-sutra about gay men, and also a story from the Mahabharata [one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India]. The Kama-sutra [an ancient Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism, and emotional fulfillment] provides various details about the practices of gay men and how they were commonly engaged as barbers, masseurs, florists, etc. in Vedic society. The Mahabharata describes how Maharaja Virata, a great king of Vedic India, welcomed the transwoman Brihannala into his kingdom. Brihannala enters the kingdom as a transwoman dressed in female attire, despite a somewhat manly physique, and professing to be a teacher of all the fine arts. Maharaja Virata kindly welcomes Brihannala into his kingdom, allowing her to live in the female quarters and become a teacher to all the ladies of the palace, a typical role for transwomen in ancient India, and also here where I live in Polynesia. The cover for a modern book on the Kama-sutra. What else can you share about attitudes toward same-sex relationships in Hinduism? Christian conservatives cite a Biblical claim that for a man to lie with a man, it’s an abomination. Is there something similar in Vedic literature, and something that contradicts it? The negative attitudes we find in Hinduism today come from the many centuries of foreign rule — first by the Islamic Moghuls and then, especially, under the British. Otherwise, prior to foreign rule, same-sex relationships were considered a natural variation of desire in India, especially among people of the third sex. There are some mild prohibitions of homosexuality in religious texts such as Manu-samhita [an ancient foundational text of Hindu law and society], but only in regard to brahmanas [priests], who were held to much higher standards than the ordinary population. For example, if a brahmana engaged in homosexual acts, it would be considered a mild sin; he would atone for it by taking a ritual bath, and if the behavior continued, he would leave his brahminical post and serve society in other ways that were less demanding. In terms of lesbianism, Manu-samhita prohibits it only when the violation of underage girls is concerned. What is a quality in Hinduism that on its face contradicts a derogatory judgment of LGBTQ+ people? The foremost quality in Hinduism is compassion. It is considered to be the highest dharma or righteous path. This compassion is extended to all beings, even the animals. So, what to speak of other types of human beings? Everyone is to be treated kindly and everyone is to be included in society. These are all very important Hindu and Vaishnava principles. There are actually many, many different manifestations of God, the Goddess, and various demigods that display various types of gender transformations and varieties. I don’t think any other religion does this to such an extent. You’ve written that even some liberal members of your own order, ISHKON, have expressed “well-intended yet uninformed views” of LGBTQ+ people. Can you share some examples? Yes. Just before I started GALVA-108, there was a Godbrother of mine named Bhakti Tirtha Swami. In one of his books, he expressed some fear that homosexuals were increasing in the modern age and pondered over what could be done about it. He was actually a very compassionate and open-minded leader within ISKCON, but he didn’t yet know about the Vedic concept of a third sex. He read my original article, “Tritiya Prakriti: People of the Third Sex,” which really piqued his interest. Around that same time, an ISKCON member, a young gay man, committed suicide in the backyard of an ISKCON temple after he was rejected for being gay. The incident really touched Bhakti Tirtha Swami, and after that, he sincerely began trying to understand LGBT+ people and address their concerns.Among Vaishnavas — one of the largest major denominations within Hinduism, which includes your own — the Supreme Being is personal and accessible, and the path to liberation is through intense love, devotion, and surrender to the divine. How do those beliefs inspire accommodation for sex- and gender-minorities in society? The personal aspect of God (and also the Goddess) in Vaishnava Hinduism is very helpful to LGBTI+ devotees in several ways. First of all, many of the manifestations of God, and even lesser demigod types, display numerous examples of sex and gender variations. They manifest all three types of gender. For example, Lord Krishna is considered the Supreme Male, and His consort, Sri Radha, the Supreme Female. They also combine together into one form as Lord Caitanya — Radha and Krishna combined. There are many similar examples of Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu, and others displaying similar third gender forms of male and female. These forms are very dear and interesting, especially for LGBTI Hindus and Vaishnavas. There are actually many, many different manifestations of God, the Goddess, and various demigods that display various types of gender transformations and varieties. I don’t think any other religion does this to such an extent. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the three main deities of Hinduism | Shutterstock What are some of the “false conceptions” that inspire discrimination by conservative Hindus who express animus for LGBTQ+ people? Basically, these are the standard misconceptions promoted by Abrahamic faiths. Western devotees, raised in Christian families, often bring these misconceptions with them to Hinduism, and Hindus, influenced by early British laws, schools, and Islam, are raised with them. These include such ideas that LGBTI+ identity is demonic, unnatural, something in need of correction, and so on. These misconceptions are still very prominent among Hindu families in India and South Asia. According to Vedic texts, homosexuality and transgender identity are developed within the womb (during the second month of gestation) due to variations in hormones. It is not something that is wrong or can be corrected. Since 2004, you’ve updated your foundational text with new research, more than doubling the book’s length. What have you learned in those intervening years that you didn’t know when you started? The Vedic (Hindu) canon is extremely voluminous. There are still many of the Puranas [a vast genre of ancient Hindu texts] that I have not studied or even read. I learned more about all the different demigods and forms of God that were gender-variant. I especially acquired more knowledge from the medical scriptures (Ayur-veda) describing LGBTI+ identity as inborn, the various Vedic lawbooks (Narada-smriti, Manu Samhita, Artha sastra, and others), and learned a lot more from all the astrological texts (Jyotir sastra). I’m sure there are still many texts to be discovered. The LGBTQ+ community today is confronted with hostility from some members of organized religion and governments in the United States and around the world. How do gay and third sex Vaishnavas and Hindus approach this challenge, or is it considered a challenge at all within the framework of their beliefs? We, first of all, confront this challenge with knowledge. The sword of knowledge is very helpful and powerful. People may have so many opinions, but what do the scriptures actually say? There are also some people who are inimical by nature and whose minds cannot be changed. For those types, it is best to avoid them and not waste time in arguments. I advise members who come to me for help to focus on the positive and avoid the negative. Associate with persons who are favorable, friendly, open- and like-minded. Good association is very important on the spiritual path, whereas bad, negative association can harm it. Like any other faith, there are favorable, liberal-minded Hindus and inimical, closed-minded ones. So, it is important to associate with other adherents and attend temples that are favorable. We have also created the GALVA-108 groups on the internet for those who may not have access to good association where they live. July 29, 2023 – Hare Rama, Hare Krishna Monks singing and chanting. | Shutterstock How can society at large today benefit from the example of Vedic Hinduism’s traditional accommodation of LGBTQ+ people? And what can LGBTQ+ people learn from the same example? Society has much to benefit by studying the ancient, pre-Abrahamic approaches to accommodating LGBTIQ+ people. Not just the Vedic but also the Native American, Polynesian, Greek, Roman, and other indigenous cultures around the world. Sex- and gender-variant people were not always stigmatized in society. Rather, they often held valuable and esteemed posts. The modern-day vilification of LGBT+ people can be taken as a symptom of this modern age of Kali-yuga, a degraded age when people argue endlessly and abuse one another. But by studying ancient, indigenous cultures that were much closer to nature and humanity than we are presently in these mechanical, technological, and often impersonal times, we can learn much. And LGBTI+ people will feel much better about themselves and the current state of things when they learn it hasn’t always, and doesn’t have to be, this way. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
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