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Home > STUDENT_PUBS > RELICS > Vol. 2 > Iss. 1 (2016)

 

Article Title

LGBTQ Buddhism

Abstract

If you type “what does [insert any religion here] say” into Google, the search bar will auto-fill to the top four or five options. One of the top options will almost always be “what does [insert random religion here] say about homosexuality, gay marriage, or marriage”. Questions regarding same-sex marriage and LGBTQ identities have also become particularly popular for public research and polling organizations. This comes at a time when same-sex marriage, while federally legal, is still being debated and new “religious” freedom bills are being passed in response. Pew Research did a study and found that as of July 2015, Buddhists in the U.S. had no conclusive stance on same-sex marriage. Questions about religion and LGBTQ identities continue to be a contentious intersection. However, the discussion surrounding “what do religions say” are leaving out a crucial piece of the puzzle; they are failing to ask “how” do LGBTQ religious practitioners think of their own identities. Many LGBTQ people across the U.S. have found a home in various sects of Buddhism. This will be analyzed through various personal essays by Buddhist practitioners from Queer Dharma Volume 2. Ultimately, LGBTQ practitioners are drawn to Buddhism because of its non-duality, its cultural malleability, and its teachings that relate to impermanence.

Subject

Religions; Religions -- Philosophy; Religions -- History

Journal

Relics, Remnants, and Religion: an Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies

Publication Date

12-12-2016

Language

English

Publication Place

Tacoma, Washington

Publisher

The University of Puget Sound

Type

article

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