<
https://theconversation.com/dont-say-anything-about-it-why-so-many-lgbtqia-buddhists-feel-pressure-to-hide-their-identities-212253>
"More than half of Australia’s LGBTQIA+ Buddhists feel reluctant to “come out”
to their Buddhist communities and nearly one in six have been told directly
that being LGBTQIA+ isn’t in keeping with the Buddha’s teachings.
These are some of the findings from my research looking at the experiences of
LGBTQIA+ Buddhists in Australia.
I’m a genderqueer, non-binary Buddhist myself and I was curious about others’
experiences in Australia since there has been no research done on our community
before. So, in 2020, I surveyed 82 LGBTQIA+ Buddhists and have since followed
this up with 29 face-to-face interviews.
Some people may think Buddhism would be quite accepting of LGBTQIA+ people.
There are, after all, no religious laws, commandments or punishments in
Buddhism. My research indicates, however, this is not always true.
Buddhism does have five precepts, or rules for behaving in a moral or ethical
way, that monastics and some lay practitioners are meant to follow to have a
morally good life. The precept of “sexual misconduct” has been interpreted as
referring to homosexuality.
As a result, many LGBTQIA+ Buddhists here continue to experience
discrimination. For example, some trans and non-binary Buddhists have been
subjected to gender segregation at meditation retreats, while others have been
forced to lie about being LGBTQIA+ out of fear of being denied access to
ordination."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
