AHMEDABAD, India — As India grapples with gay rights, theologians and historians often disagree on whether homosexuality is compatible with Hinduism.
Category: LGBTQI+Faith Globally
The following selection of stories originally appeared on RNS as part of a reporting series on LGBTQI+ rights and religion in the U.S. and Global South. These and other stories in the series were supported by a grant we received from the Arcus Foundation.
Gay civil rights activist, MLK mentor Bayard Rustin to be honored
Years before the gay rights movement gained momentum, the openly gay black activist, a Quaker, advised Martin Luther King Jr. on nonviolent protest tactics and organized the 1963 March on Washington.
The journey of one transgender Latina in the church
Nicole Garcia says she was “a good Catholic boy” when she was in her teens. Today, she is a candidate for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She is on track to be the denomination’s first transgender clergyperson of color.
‘African Pride’ film shows violence against lesbians in townships
CAPE TOWN — A new documentary looks at the effects of continuing homophobic violence against lesbians in South Africa’s impoverished townships, and the activists who continue the struggle.
Despite Pakistan’s ‘third gender’ recognition, discrimination is widespread
LAHORE — Pakistan added a “third gender” option to national identity cards in 2009, but official recognition has not stopped discrimination against “khawaja saras,” those who choose not to be identified as either male or female.
Ugandan priest: LGBT people are fleeing for Kenya to avoid rampant discrimination
In Uganda, LGBT people are beaten, raped, evicted and dismissed from their jobs because of their sexual identity or orientation, said the Rev. Anthony Musaala during a speaking engagement. Even associating with or advocating for LGBT people may invite discrimination, he said.
She’s black, gay and soon you can call her ‘rabbi’
Sandra Lawson was a personal trainer and religious about nothing but fitness. Now she’s religious about Judaism.
‘The New Black’ opens new dialogue about LGBT and religion in black community
A 2013 documentary is getting new life as a tool to open a dialogue on the African-American church and LGBT rights at historically black colleges and universities.
LGBT Kenyans gain the right to organize, and churches promise to fight
NAIROBI, Kenya — The nation’s highest court ruled that refusing to register a gay rights organization infringed on the constitutional rights of free association for LGBT Kenyans.
Were some Catholic saints transgender? Berkeley show raises eyebrows
An exhibit in Berkeley, Calif., questions the gender of popular female Catholic saints, affording artist Alma Lopez a chance to ask viewers what is feminine, what is masculine, and is there something holy in the mashup.
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