Gay monk

Traci (a lesbian woman) was told explicitly by monastics that being LGBTQIA+ is not in keeping with the Buddha’s teachings. At a press conference the day before the meeting, he said, "From a Buddhist point of view, [gay sex] is generally considered sexual misconduct." But he did note that this rule is for Buddhists, and from society's viewpoint, homosexual relationships can be "of mutual benefit, enjoyable, and harmless." [6]

The Dalai Lama is well known for his activism for human rights, and this specifically includes equal rights for gays.

It has now been translated into Dutch, French, Polish, Spanish and Thai, with a Portuguese translation on the way. - Dennis Conkin, "Dalai Lama urges 'respect, compassion, and full human rights for all,' including gays." Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco, Jun. 19, 1997. - "On Homosexuality and Sex in General." Interview with the Dalai Lama, World Tibet Network News, Aug.

27, 1997.

Ways to build a more inclusive community

To build a more supportive and inclusive community, some LGBTQIA+ practitioners are forming groups to connect with others internationally, such as the Third International Queer Buddhist Conference, which brings together hundreds of LGBTQIA+ Buddhists every year.

No sexual contact is mentioned in these instances, however. There is no explicit rule prohibiting those with a homosexual orientation from monastic life. ordinary person with a job, a family, a home, etc.)

Buddhist monks are expected to live lives of celibacy, meaning abstinence from any type of sex. You can’t be a monk.” He notes that in a monastery,

there was a lot of pressure to not identify with my sexuality […] which of course, no one else seemed to have to do that work on their sexuality.

Buddhism does have five precepts, or rules for behaving in a moral or ethical way, that monastics and some lay practitioners are meant to follow to have a morally good life. [7]

Homosexuality in Vajrayana/Tibetan Buddhism

In a 1997 interview, the Dalai Lama (the leader of Tibetan Buddhism and a widely-respected spiritual figure) was asked about homosexuality.

It's difficult to say." [5]

The Dalai Lama was more specific in a meeting with Buddhist leaders and human rights activists in San Francisco in 1997, where he commented that all forms of sex other than penile-vaginal sex are prohibited for Buddhists, whether between heterosexuals or homosexuals. You may recognise her from her 15 minutes of fame when she was crowned Miss Universe Singapore 2011.

- Kerry Trembath, "Buddhism and Homosexuality." Enabling.org, accessed 2005. And it is the same when the two people are of the same gender.

When he is asked if he has a partner, he still says no.

That is lying I guess […] because I do have a partner. He said that sexual desires in themselves are natural, perhaps including homosexual desires, but that one should not try to increase those desires or indulge them without self-control.

This has much to do with cultural norms, as well as the notion of karma, which remains strong in countries such as Thailand. From this viewpoint, a person's characteristics and situations are a result of past sins or good deeds. From the Buddhist viewpoint, being married with children is regarded as generally positive, but not compulsory (although social norms in various Buddhist countries often have different views).

[1]

It is also worth noting that Buddhism does not traditionally place great value on procreation like many western religions.

And when Annie (a pansexual transwoman) came out to her teacher (a monastic), he gave her an hour and a half lecture that focused in part on the “evils of gay sex”, despite the fact she stressed she isn’t gay.

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Read more: Traditional Buddhist teachings exclude LGBTQ people from monastic life, but change is coming slowly

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Barriers to meditation and ordination

Meditation is one of the key elements of Buddhism and many Buddhist groups offer meditation retreats.

Some trans and non-binary Buddhists I spoke to, however, have had difficulties attending these retreats because they always segregate participants into two groups based on a binary view of gender.

So, in 2020, I surveyed 82 LGBTQIA+ Buddhists and have since followed this up with 29 face-to-face interviews.

Some people may think Buddhism would be quite accepting of LGBTQIA+ people.

* All names in this article are pseudonyms.