Variations in Global Sexuality
Since as long as most of us can remember, people of the LGBTQIA+ community have been seen as outcasts of society. Renegades living in a mind-forged manacle by way of our “choices.” Choices which go against the “laws of nature.” Homosexuals, transgenders, queers, intersex, and all our family in between have been historically met with abuse, fear and punishment. Accusations we face range from being tarred as pedophiles or abusers all the way to being cast out of society as sinners and wild animals. Seen as hopeless hedonists who lack discipline, control, and intelligence. These prejudices stemming of course from colonization and imposed religiosity.
Is it fair to assume though, that we are really going against nature? The very fact that we exist and continue to evolve through natural selection is proof enough that homosexuals are indeed as “natural” as their hetero brethren. This, of course, isn't good enough for some. Some personalities hate uniqueness, resent perceived differences, and fear those who act according to their own experience and code. Insecure people seek guidance from society. Free people heed their own inner light.
To conclude that we are somehow defying nature by our queerness is to assume that we are a “new” species, a brand-new type of human, abruptly thrust into society’s midst. We are seen as an inconvenience to the “pure” and “rational'' communities we were so unceremoniously dropped into. I argue that this attitude is not only absurd, but false. And not just false, but dangerous.
What If I told you that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been around since before religion itself? Not just in one area of the world but every area. Below you will find a short list and description of people from various areas in our world who belong to the different shades of the rainbow, and have since time immemorial. The acronym LGBTQIA+ is a western acronym used to describe people in the “gay” community. I'll reference this acronym and the terms for which they stand so that it can be easily understood, but please note that culturally, these terms may mean absolutely nothing to the Modoko Dako, Mahu or the Hijras.
Cultural Variations in Sexuality and Gender
Hijras
Hijras, a politically recognized third gender of the Indian subcontinent, are seen as neither men nor women, but a gender of their own. While many hijras do consider themselves transgender, the real takeaway for me is the longstanding and honored status of these beautiful people within Indian culture. The 4,000 year old history of the hijras in Hindu spirituality depicts them as highly respected, colorful beings who are actually reincarnated forms of the Gods of Luck and Fertility. Think part Lakshmi, part Ganesha. A powerful and illuminating spirit!
The Hijras are always present for every important day in Indian life. When a couple gets married, they first visit a Hijra to recieve blessings. When a baby is born, they are held by a Hijra to recieve lifelong luck and blessings. The Hijra play a large role in their communities, always projecting positivity and light. Unfortunately they are not always met with the same. Many everyday people in India have, through the hustle and bustle of modern daily life, forgotten their spiritual history, and have pushed the Hijra to the side. This may sound familiar to many of us who have been shunned by our own communities and families.
Because many families no longer see the Hijra as blessings the way their ancestors did, they are too often kicked out of their homes, and forced into devastating cycles of poverty, prostitution and crime in order to makes ends meet.
Māhū
In the Hawaiian language, kāne means male, and wahine means female. This rich and ancient culture knew, however, that not everyone fits neatly into these two categories. For as long as there have been Hawaiians, there have been Māhū: uniquely complex individuals who embrace both male and female qualities. According to the well known Māhū leader in Hawaii, Hinaleimoana Wong Kalu, Māhū are “not a source of contention or disdain, it is simply an adjective to describe someone in the middle of kāne and wahine.”
Similarly to other areas in the world, Anglo-Saxon colonizers and Christian missionaries attempted to taint this nuanced and colorful culture by claiming that Māhū are “impure.” As a result of this persecution, many of the Māhū are no longer accepted, much less praised and appreciated by their communities. Māhū are left to fight for the right simply to exist and to be their authentic selves, in a world suddenly unfamiliar with their gender. This is the unfortunate truth that many third-gender people face in a society where their “kind” are not taught about in schools. There is no nuance, no middle color or middle place where third-gender people fit. What does it mean to embody both women and men? How does one describe the transcendence of gender, the unity behind the duality?
There is a special place in my heart for the peoples who, despite everything, still wiggle their way authentically through society, trying to enlighten others along the way. It would have made many lives much easier and more pleasant to live had we been taught that not everyone fits neatly into two categories. I know my life would have been. So I am here to tell you: gender is not neat; it’s fluid.
Mudoko Dako
While inflammatory and homophobic rhetoric continues to spill from the mouths of African leaders, there are some demographics of people whose “kind” have been seen, recognized and honored since long before European colonialism came to Africa.
The mudoko dako are considered by the Langi,Teso and Karamoja in Uganda, to be people of a different gender. Born as biological males, they are considered in reality to be an alternate gender, and were thus able to marry men, take on traditional female roles, and dress in women’s clothing.
According to Anthropologist Jack Herbert Dribert, who wrote on this subject in his work The Lango: A Nilotic Tribe of Uganda (1923), where he made observations of some mudoko dako simulating menstruation. There is still a lot to learn about these particular cases, however these individuals may have belonged to what the West has termed the “intersex” population.
Homophobia has, sadly, spread rampantly throughout the world. It has spread as fast as its colonizing, judgemental creator: the Abrahamic religions. Countries and cultures throughout Africa have been so emboldened as to call homosexuality, and all its multifoliate derivatives, “un-African,” claiming that homosexuality was brought to Africa by the West.
The mudoko dako are just one example of variations on the theme of gender duality. Their very existence and tenacity throughout history show sexuality and gender to not be as black and white as so many would ignorantly assume. The mudoko dako are as natural and African as the Baobab tree.
The hard truth that we are faced with, time and time again, is that the Christian colonizers of the West created this a priori intolerance for sexuality and gender. We live with it to this day. And it must be fought.
These examples of gender fluidity and elasticity are mere glimpses into the diverse and colorful world of sexuality we all inhabit. It is critically important to me, not just as a LGBTQIA+ person, but as a friend, spouse, daughter and colleague, to introduce and advocate for these different shades of the rainbow. Some of you may already know of these cultures, and perhaps know of many more. Some of you may not. Regardless, it is imperative for us to keep learning, and to remain humble enough to realize that not everything is the way it may seem, or the way it’s been taught, or the way it’s been written about in dusty old books.
Not everything falls into a black/white or male/female dichotomy. There are shades. So many shades. Respect your fellow humans. Honor the complexity and intricacy of our world, and navigate with open eyes and a loving heart. Be completely you, and accept others completely. Flow like water through the Universe of gender and sex, of being and becoming.