Gay gods

These LGBT Greek gods and demigods prove gay culture is no modern invention. Above: Antonio Verrio, The Gods on Mount Olympus () The Greek hero Achilles was invulnerable excepting. 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.

Discover mythology anew through the tales of the top ten gay Greek gods and their enduring legends. Greco-Roman mythology features male homosexuality in many of the constituent myths. In addition, there are instances of cross-dressing, androgyny, and other themes which are grouped under the acronym LGBTQ+. Behold, this incomplete list of Hindu deities and divine descendants who defied gender and sexual norms back in the day.

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1. Shiva and Parvati. This is especially obvious outside of the monotheistic religions. Reflecting what each culture sees in itself, the deities also reflect a range of interests, temperaments — and sexual preferences. 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. Hindu deities are especially notable for the ease with which many of them change gender from time to time.

This much I knew. But the biggest surprise for me yesterday, when I was reading some more about LGBT themes in 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. For the Aztecs, Xochipilli was the god of games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song — and also the patron of homosexuals. Now, I wonder why they should be linking male homosexuals with beauty, dance, flowers and music?

Also in Latin America, the Mayas had a little literally — physically small god called Chin, who introduced homoerotic relationships to the Mayan nobles. Such unions were considered legal marriages under Mayan law. Chinese mythology, like Greek, features several gods who themselves had homosexual affairs.

He is said to have been originally a man called Wu Tien Bao who fell in love with an imperial official. When he declared his love, the official had him beaten to death. 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. 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.

Buddhist religion disapproves of any sexual relationships for monks, but not for lay people.

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. 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.

In Europe, classical Greek mythology,where it is easier to track down gods who had male lovers than those very few who did not. Several, both gods and goddesses, were also considered patrons of homosexual love. Most favoured only men, but the Greek Aphrodite was a special patron of lesbians. Not all mythological systems include gods specifically designated as patrons or protectors of homosexual love, but as shown above, many do.

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. Despite the often — repeated claims that God as known to Jews and Christians is opposed to homosexual activity, this is simply not so. 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 homosexuality — they indulge in it themselves, protect humans who do, or even introduce it to the world of humans.

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