Gay gods

In this dive through history. When he declared his god, the official had him beaten to death. Most favoured only men, but the Greek Aphrodite was a special patron of lesbians. In Japanese Shinto religion, homosexuality is said to have been introduced to the world by two servants of the sun goddess, and many deities participate in ritual pederasty.

Now, What side earring is gay wonder why they should be linking male homosexuals with beauty, dance, flowers and music? In Europe, classical Greek mythology,where it is easier to track down gods who had male lovers than those very few who did not.

Books: Links to Amazon. A gay cupbearer banana gay Mount Olympus? Many stories of the Buddha himself in his previous lives include descriptions of close friendships with young men, including displays of affection but not actual sexual intercourse.

Reflecting what each culture gay in itself, the deities also reflect a range of interests, temperaments — and sexual preferences. Among an array of gods and goddesses in the vast Hindu pantheon with homosexual or transgender connections, the elephant-headed Ganesh is not only especially connected with homoerotic worship, but in some versions of his birth, he is said to have been born as the result of homosexual intercourse between same — sex parents.

Several, both gods and goddesses, were also considered patrons of homosexual love. In modern Taiwan, a temple has been built by a gay Taoist priest and worship to the Rabbit deity resuscitated to cater to the needs of modern homosexuals.

Despite the often — repeated claims that God as known to Jews and Christians is opposed to homosexual activity, this is simply not so. Buddhist religion disapproves of any sexual relationships for monks, but not for lay people. Also in Latin America, the Mayas had a little literally — physically small god called Chin, who introduced homoerotic relationships to the Mayan nobles.

Mortals throughout history looked to the gods for guidance, love, and acceptance regardless of sexuality. But, for those who are taken in by these claims and are bothered by them, perhaps they can take comfort from the fact that in many other religions, gods not only tolerate god — they indulge in it themselves, protect humans who do, or even introduce it to the world of humans.

Hindu deities are especially notable for the ease with which many of them change gender from time to time. For the Aztecs, Xochipilli was the god of games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song — and also the patron of homosexuals. He is said to have been originally a man called Wu Tien Bao who fell in love with an imperial official.

People have worshiped queer gods and deities for millennia. Like Loading LGBTQ themes in mythology occur in mythologies and religious narratives that include stories of romantic affection or sexuality between figures of the same sex or that feature divine actions that result in changes in gender.

Not all mythological systems include gods specifically designated as patrons or protectors of homosexual love, but as shown above, many do. Many pantheons, especially those from Classical Greece and Rome, China, India, South America and Oceania, feature prominent gods and goddesses who had homosexual relationships or adventures.

Such unions were considered legal marriages under Mayan law. Male lovers in the Trojan War? While tolerance is often presented as a sign of civilization's progress, a reading of Greek mythology reveals greater acceptance of. Nearly all, however, include at least some gods who have same sex interactions, and in many cultures the gods also have significant transgender associations, either in themselves, or in their human priests and priestesses.

These myths are considered by some modern queer scholars to be forms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) expression, and modern conceptions of. This is especially obvious outside of the monotheistic religions. This much I knew.

Chinese mythology, like Greek, features several gods who themselves had homosexual affairs. But the biggest surprise for me yesterday, when I was reading some more about LGBT themes gay mythology, was the discovery that in some mythologies, there are gods who are specifically designated not just as practitioners, but even as patrons of male homosexuality.