Nonbinary people is the term I HAVE CHOSEN to be used to remove the whole “pride parade LGBTQIA+” group from the Dharmic discussion.
Points –
First of all, being Gay (used in the context of men having a homosexual attraction) is not the same as being a transgendered person. Gay men have their male genitalia intact and are aroused by other men.
A gay male is not attracted to a female person. He does not get aroused when looking at female genitalia. It just cannot happen.
Many gay males are very masculine. They are what some people would describe as being a man’s man. You cannot tell by their appearance that they are gay. Watch this video to understand further: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1kg3DvqrGE
Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual people know that they are attracted to members of their own sex at an early age, sometimes as young as 13 or 14 years old. Others learn much later in life, in their 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s. So, there is no definitive answer.
Nobody can force you to be gay. You cannot confuse someone and make them think they are gay. They are either gay or they are not and later in life they may become so. This applies to being Lesbian and Bisexual as well.
This does not apply to being transgender. People can confuse children that they are transgender and the decisions they make as children will have a life-long impact on them as adults.
Terms like Kinnar, Hijda, Chakka, etc refer to people that have undergone either chemical or rudimentary (sometimes botched) castration where their previously male sexual organs have been removed. This is usually done for people with “gender dysphoria” a term that refers to a psychological issue where a person does not feel comfortable with the sexual organs he (because we are talking about males) is born with. This includes hermaphrodites, but not just them. They are part of the gender non-conforming spectrum.
Jogins/Jogappas can be either transvestite or transgendered depending on their choice. Transvestite means someone who only cross-dresses but has not biologically undergone a gender change. They are dedicated to Yellamma. There have been attempts to create a picture of these Jogins/Jogappas as “temple prostitutes” wherein there was no such concept anywhere in all of the Dharmic age.
Then there are Shiva/Satti people. They are male/female most of the time and don the clothes of the opposite gender on some spiritual occasions. Then there are Pagati Vesha Gallu/Veedhi Natakala vallu basically performing artists usually male who don the female costume when performing. The Drag Queens and Kings usually belong to this same kind of behavior without the spiritual aspect, only sticking to the performance aspect of things. They usually hold heterosexual relationships having a wife and kids but are also sometimes homosexual or bisexual.
Kinnars and Hijdas as they are usually referred to as are all not spiritual. They might dedicate themselves to Aravan, Bahuchari Mata, Aghora Panth, Vyoma Bindu, etc. They might also just not have any other avenues, join people similar to them, and may be involved in things ranging from begging, and pickpocketing, to prostitution and sometimes even extortion. Even these criminally inclined Kinnars or Hijdas may still be associated with Aravan or Bahuchari Mata.
Many well-educated, well-to-do people are Transgender. They might have businesses. Have a lot of inherited wealth. Hold PhDs but they necessarily do not join these Kinnar or Hijda groups.
Heterosexual lust is the same as homosexual or bisexual lust. Lust is the reason we are here on planet Earth. Lust does not equal anything perverse even though it might not lead to reproduction all the time. Just take the example of millions of heterosexual couples unable to have children. Have they all stopped having sex? Although asexuality is common in both heterosexual and homosexual people with age it definitely has exceptions in both cases. Also, it is not all about lust. Have you ever considered people who are asexual? Voluntarily asexual? Involuntarily asexual? Are they not part of the nonbinary gender spectrum?
People who are pedophiles, zoophiles, and even necrophiles, in all 3 cases where consent is absent try to harp on the nonbinary people’s movement, where whatever happens is happening between consenting people. That should not make us hate nonbinary people.
99% of them would never accept any of these sexual perversions. That 1% exists even in the heterosexual population.
Other than this there are various sexual fetishes (such as BDSM) or attention-seeking behaviors (such as kin people, fur people or adult babies, adult children, anime konjuga, etc) which are seen only as fetishes and behaviors. Nothing more. A lot of those people are heterosexual. Some of them might be both: into those fetishes and behaviors and also homosexual or bisexual.
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation. It is not greed. It is just being aroused by both sexes.
To understand the nuances, put yourselves in their shoes. 2 scenarios:
- Imagine a nude man in front of you. Completely butt naked. Would you be aroused? A gay man might be aroused. A straight man will not be. A bisexual man might be. A transgendered person might be depending on their sexual, spiritual, and other preferences.
- Again, imagine the same scenario but with a woman. A gay man will not be aroused. A straight man might be. A bisexual man might be. A transgendered person might be depending on their sexual, spiritual, and other preferences.
Discussion –
If Kamasutra clearly prohibited Oral sex, or sexual acts of such nature which are not “natural” it would not have mentioned so many ways of achieving pleasure through the use of Oral sex. It would have directly stated “Do not perform these acts” and would have only mentioned ways to achieve pleasure “naturally.” The Kama Sutra, also states that same-sex experience is “to be engaged in and enjoyed for its own sake as one of the arts.” So, I for one am unable to understand how Kama Sutra, is seen as a book against the sexual practices of nonbinary people.
When a particular text is written in Samskritam, there are chances of innumerable cases of misinterpretation as has been evidenced throughout history. When we are faced with such issues we as Dharmics must turn to the Vedas as we consider their supreme authority. Vedas have the concept of having inherent spiritual equality for people who are on the path of Moksha which makes nonbinary individuals fellow sojourners on the path to Moksha.
The Atharvana Veda refers to “a group of people for whom sex is not procreative, either through impotence or a lack of desire for the opposite sex.”
I would also like to know the kind of Kama that the nonbinary community would be assumed to have, that has been explicitly prohibited either by the Vedas, Upanishads, or Shastras. Except for truly criminal acts such as the Murder of Brahmins, Murder of humans in general, Rape, Abuse of nature, Abuse of animals (including but not limited to cows and many others), Pedophilia, Zoophilia, Necrophilia, Incest, and other such truly ghastly acts, which are globally condoned by every tribe whether accepting the authority of the Vedas or not, nothing pertaining to the assumed Vanchas of the nonbinary gender community has never been allowed or prohibited in any of the Vedas, Upanishads, and Shastras. These are the only true authority on Dharma. There is nothing Adharmic about the nonbinary gender community.
Celibacy has its place. But so does sexual desire. Being a person, who is born or chooses to have a nonbinary gender even encompassing fluid gender identity is not to be treated as any less than a person who is celibate. If they do not do anything inherently criminal as per the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Shastras and are treated as any less, we are going against the inherent nature of the Vedas. Both of these have their own place in nature.
Being nonbinary was common in ancient India. If not it would not have been discussed so many times in so much of the Vedic body of literature. Victorian ethics has destroyed this nuanced, beautiful fabric of India. People became scared to be out with their sexual orientation due to the indoctrination that it is sin, or they would be punished for being so, etc. The increase in numbers worldwide is just a reclaiming of what once was. It is a resurgence. We as Dharmic people must welcome it sans all the “Pride group Propaganda” that we are seeing all around the world.
Just ask yourselves this question, if someone proves to you beyond a reasonable doubt that homosexuality and bisexuality have a Vedic sanction and they are part of Dharma, would you accept homosexual and bisexual behavior as normal?
You will have your answer then, with your obsession over proving that they do not have any Dharmic sanction or they are perverse.
I hope this clears any confusion regarding this topic.
Without understanding these basics we cannot discuss nonbinary people under the Dharmic umbrella.