Leading Spiritual Teacher in India Discusses Being Gay as it Applies to Spirituality

Copenhagen, Denmark - July 26, 2009
Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.com

Many years ago, I attended a couple of seminars offered by this "guru" when he was little known. Today he is one of India's most respected spiritual teachers, and I came across an article about what he recently said about being gay.

So much has been written about homosexuality since the Delhi High Court judgment to strike down Section 377, which the British imposed on the Indian legal system in 1861. Here is what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had to say in a recent interview on the subject.

Question: The new Pontificate (Vatican) is expected to take a rigid stance on issues like those of gay relationships. What do ancient scriptures say about these matter?

Guruji: As far as the ancient scripture is concerned, there is neither mention nor prohibition of it. One thing the ancient scriptures say, as far as I know is that every human being is made up of both Mother and Father - half-female, half-male. The male tendency may be dominant; sometimes the female tendency may be dominant. It is a biological phenomenon. So if people are bound to have sunch tendencies, they should acknowledge it.

Question: Are you approving of gay marriages? Would you conduct gay marraiges?

Answer: Conducting marriages is not part of spirituality at all. It is a religious thing. Spirituality simply makes you aware that you are spirit and it uplifts you from all tendencies, whether you are for, or against, or paranoid about the sexuality of other people. All this is not concerned with spirituality. Spirituality makes you realize that you are not just flesh. You are light. So there is a gender equality in spirituality. Religion will not give you gender equality, whereas in spirituality, whether you are a mother, or father, it doesn't matter - you are equal.

Question: But here we are not talking about parenthood.

Answer: I am talking about the male and female tendencies in a person. Depending on whatever tendencies are strongest in the system, biologically, this will accordingly reflect in one's life and sexuality. So, I think, one should see that one is not just flesh because it's a temporary thing. Tendencies are temporary, but the spirit is much more than tendencies. You are the spirit, which is all light, all love, wisdom and knowledge. Your identification must shift from gender to spirit... and this is exactly what spirituality means - to rise above the tendencies that are impermanent.

We have seen that many straight people "get" gay tendencies, sometimes... and this creates fear in them. They are so scared about what is happening to them. When they start meditating, they rise above this, and become natural and loving. Even people, who brand themselves as being gay, suddenly find themselves being attracted to opposite sex... and it creates big confusion. This is why I say that you should not label yourself. You are much more than your tendencies. You are the beautiful spirit, and if that is also a label, it is better to have this label, than any other.

As a gay person, this is lovely to read. But it certainly is not new insight. Living inside the skin and spirit of the gay psyche, virtually all LGBT people feel the essential "purity" of their sentient self. (I'm not talking about closeted or self-hating homosexuals who deny their truth.) Different as our sexual orientation may be from the majority of people, we are not living in any "separate reality". We are all far more similar than different as human beings. What Guru Shankar is talking about is human essence, not human psychology or human behavior.

When we allow our minds to go into a higher level of awareness, sexual orientation becomes irrelevant. Ram Dass spoke about the experience of coming from a higher plain of awareness as well. Using tantric yoga breathing techniques infuses the body with an energy that offers a lighter view of sexuality that is neither maleness or femaleness. It is "is-ness", and I think this is what Shankar is talking about, not carnal issues or gay identity or sexual orientation.

Homosexuality not a Taboo in Jharkhand Tribe (India)

Westhampton, MA - July 18, 2009
Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.com

Well, here is some fine news, for a change, from the July 6, 2009 Hindustan Times, that is not full of oppression, homophobia, anti-gay sermons or discriminatory political statutes.

Turns out that “among the Ho tribe of Jharkhand (a state in Eastern India ) homosexuality has always been socially accepted. Homosexual men are called Kothi Panthis in the region. There is no shame attached to being one.”

And it’s obviously known around that these men folks get conjugal with each other to the point where a survey was done about their behavior. An NGO called Citizens Foundation studied a 20 km area and indeed found that Chaibasa town has a higher incidence of homosexual activity. (Compared to what other finding? I wonder if the donors to Citizens realize their funds are used to study the consensual sexual behavior of adult men, as if it were some kind of rare exotic phenomenon!)

The men—apparently not in the closet about their desires-- are reported to have their own social network and meet in the evening at ten different gathering places to gossip and tell stories. Reportedly there are two couples who say they are married to their partners. (Now that would be an interesting story in itself. Who performed the ceremony? Was there a wedding? Were heterosexuals invited? And since is India, was a dowry given and from whom to whom?)

The Times story went on: “The numbers of Kothi Panthis has been constantly increasing. Some attribute this to the near total absence of women in and around the numerous mines in the area, where a large number of males are at work all day and night.”

But surprisingly, the same-sexers were not, as one might expect, all miners who were situationally gay because they lacked female access.

“Homosexuals here embrace all professions: some are farmers, some workers, some businessmen, some even government officials. If they are of the Ho tribe, they face no social censure.”

Of course, like any sexually active population there are medical problems in the form of disease: two Kothi Panthis have died of AIDS, while two others are known to have contracted the disease. Given the increasing numbers of this community as well the general poverty rate and low education among manual workers, issues such as safe sex are barely on the horizon of their awareness.

Citizens Foundation was called in last year to address this health issue and educate the men about the risks of unprotected sex and to intervene with treatment programs with assistance from Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society.

As the agency moved among the Ho tribe workers they noticed some unusual aspects of the homosexually inclined community.

Said one Citizens official, "most of them have developed relationships with their partners from their childhood... It's tough convincing them to stop practicing homosexuality because their tribal society has no hassles accepting gay marriages. It has been happening amongst them since decades."

Citizens encourages the men to come to monthly meetings to learn about health as well as financial matters and domestic conditions. “We even arrange bank loans for them to start business and lead dignified lives," said a staff member.

Most of the Kothi Panthis did not know about the recent historic Delhi High Court ruling that struck down the old criminal laws against homosexuality, but one of them did hear about it and said, "now maybe at least, the police will not harass us."

This is a remarkable ‘finding’ - a homophiliac culture where same-gender affectional behavior is a community norm. How is this possible, I wonder?

A bit of research reveals what I think are important contributing factors. First, over 90% of the Ho tribe subscribe to tribal ‘other’ religions than the mainstream ones, which means these people have been blessedly removed from the homophobic dogma of Christianity.

Second, the fact that most of the Kothi Panthis were unaware of the recent Delhi court decision (which was broadcast worldwide) suggests the remoteness and disinterest in contact with the larger Indian society, which has been polluted by 150 years of antique British laws that criminalized “unnatural’ behavior.
Third, the lower labor class in some cultures tends to be more tolerant of differences within their ranks; they don’t have status reputations to uphold as there is a feeling of ‘we’re all the same’ in their impoverished condition. Few if any feel better than their neighbors.

Fourth, of course, is that any number of the Kothi Panthis are indeed homosexually inclined, including bisexual males who, lacking other choices, shift comfortably toward same-sex affiliations both for social and sexual reasons.

Whatever the real ‘cause’’ of this Kothi culture’s easiness with variant sexuality, a veritable truth is that homophobia is clearly the ‘unnatural’ aspect of human sexuality, which, when not imposed on a society, is comfortably absent from their norms and allows truthful expression of self. It allows people to be themselves within a wide range of affection styles. No bible-thumpers need apply for jobs in Chaibasa town.
It makes me ponder how many native tribes in Asia, Africa and other continents could today be free of the disease of homophobia had not the European armies and god-fearing Christian missionaries not desecrated these tribal religions and societies.

At what cost does ‘civilization’ march allegedly forward?

Also see this report about Jharkhand Mining and the daunting lives of workers and residents.

Jordanian Publisher Puts Muslim Gays at Risk with Botched Book Title Translation

Westhampton, MA - July 12, 2009
Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.com

Gay Muslim book translates into possible trouble. GlobalGayz protests "perverted" book title used for Arab translation of book about gay Muslims

Today's New York Post carried the following story about the newly published book Gay Travels in the Muslim World. The book is a collection of articles by traveled writers familiar with homosexuality in the world of Islam. It was edited by veteran journalist Michael Luongo of New York. It seems that the Jordanian publisher that put out the Arab-language translation used an old Arabic word that translates into "pervert", which was once commonly used to describe gay people. Considering that there is already a pervasive and largely hostile attitude about gays in Muslim countries, this is bound to make life MORE difficult for gay people in these countries.

GlobalGayz writer and owner Richard Ammon contributed a chapter to this book, based on the tragic experience of a friend's murder in Morocco. Ammon met the deceased, George Waldo, several years ago and interviewed him for story about gay life in Morocco. (See Gay Morocco story)

In Gay Travels in the Muslim World, the violent incident is described in its various complexities of culture, sexuality, money, religion, fantasy and betrayal.

Said Ammon, "It is doubly regretful for me to have this book, an honest testimony of gay Muslim life, have its title mistranslated with the use of a pejorative term that demeans gays. It is regretful that we have come so far in the struggle for gay rights and recognition only to be publicly smeared by a single unaware Jordanian publisher. It's doubly regretful that a dear friend and sophisticated gentleman's life be included in such an unjustly labeled book. George deserves much better than this."

Luongo said he has protested the mis-title and demanded a more modern and accurate title be used.

Read the complete New York Post story here.

Gays in the military: we are here and queer - get over it!

Westhampton, MA - July 12, 2009
Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.com

US Secretary of Defense Gates said yesterday one possible modification to "Don't Ask Don't Tell" might be to consider the circumstances under which a service member is 'outed' in determining whether or not he or she must leave the military.

Gates offered as an example, "When we're given information from someone with vengeance in mind or blackmail, somebody who has been jilted. If somebody is outed by a third party, does that force us to take action?" he said. "That's the kind of thing we're looking at - seeing if there's a more humane way to apply the law until it gets changed."

For chrissake when will we grow up!? Parsing a blatantly vicious and discriminatory policy does nothing to change it. You can't partially suture up a gaping wound that bleeding. Highly skilled service people are being ripped from their careers this minute and they deserve better than a bigoted prejudicial reason for their discharge.

Dan Choi, a native of California and an Army Lieutenant (photo right), was dismissed from his commission last week. This is a immoral crime and an offense to all manner of integrity. It makes a mockery of our posturing about democratic rule of law and freedom and liberty.

What do Israel, Denmark, Holland, France, UK and other EU countries, who let gays serve in the military, know that we don't? Probably the simple truth that it doesn't matter. Sexual orientation is not an issue in the armed services of any country. Competence and loyalty matter most.

Unbelievable for modern progressive times, the top brass and congress absurdly let freakish religious homophobia influence military decision making. What next--chariots of fire instead of humvees?!

There are rare intelligent exceptions, however, as one fortunate "outed" gay soldier wrote, "They could have kicked me out when someone told. But my commanders weighed loss to the service against the benefit of me staying. They gave me a chance and I gave them everything I had. I served with pride not prejudice."

This fine testimony gives the hypocritical lie to the DADT policy: thousands of LGB (T?) people are serving (secretly) in the armed forces at this very moment--from high ranking Navy Admirals to new Air Force recruits. Is unit cohesion disturbed? Is 'homosexual recruiting' going on? Are the showers a risky place? Is there sneaky activity in the bunks at night? Are gay personnel flirting with battalion leaders?

How ridiculous even to ask. What sensible volunteer military person is going to risk their career and reputation on inappropriate behavior--gay or straight. The hysterical knee-jerk homophobic thought that went into making the DADT policy, based on ignorant stereotypical thinking, is far removed from reality. Gay men and women officers have as much integrity and self-respect and self-discipline as any straight officer to conduct their professional and personal lives in a proper manner. Gay and lesbian recruits are no different: they are in the service to serve not to cruise.

And I must add, from my personal experience across several decades of observing humanity, that, far from the typical straight presumption that we gay men are out to seduce every child, boy and man--I find that 98% of other males on this planet are decidedly NOT appealing to my eye and do not merit a second look. It's no different in military life. Do straight congressmen find every woman attractive? Again, it's ridiculous to ask. So wake up to the truth about gays and reflect it in military policy.

Call President Obama and Secretary Gates and let them know how you feel on the issue. The time for positive change is NOW.

Pentagon Communications Office: 703-428-0711

White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111