Inclusivity

In Worship of a God Who Loves Gay People

Omkar Khandekar Omkar Khandekar | 20 Dec, 2013

The Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association works to excise the stigma on homosexuality

MUMBAI ~ In the past three years, in the riot of colours that is every Mumbai Queer Pride March, one man stood out. He was a baby-faced person in his late teens, wearing a white bandi and dhoti, his forehead marked with ‘U’ shaped paste, shouting slogans with enthusiasm. Ankit Bhuptani, now a 21-year-old who represents the Indian chapter of Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association (Galva), is used to people gaping at his traditional Hindu monk-like appearance, especially since it is a general belief that every religion is against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) cause, a perception reinforced by the Supreme Court’s re-criminalising of all kinds of ‘unnatural sex’ on 11 December.

Led by Vaishnavites, Galva has been steadily campaigning to lift the stigma on the LGBT community by spreading awareness of ancient Hindu scriptures. Their message: ‘Everyone is equal in God’s eyes’. Galva, a cyber community, was started by Amara Das Wilhelm, a Hindu monk with the Iskcon sect, in 2001. Hinduism, Wilhelm says, has no dictum calling for discrimination on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation.

It was brought to India by Bhuptani in July 2012. After starting a Facebook page, he decided to launch regular activities to spread the message on various online forums and debunk religious misconceptions about sexual minorities. Since last December, he has been organising workshops in retreats like Matheran.

“Often, something that is accepted by the law may not be accepted by the general public. But when something is accepted by religion, it is directly accepted by society,” says Bhuptani. After all, he adds, “Hinduism is about supreme acceptance.”

According to various essays and articles on Hindu mythology on the Galva website, various representations of transsexuals, transgenders and crossdressing exist. One of the examples frequently cited is that of Lord Ayyappa, born of the union of Shiva and Vishnu in the form of the seductress Mohini.