Hindu American Foundation Releases LGBTQ Guide

Photo: HAF

India-West Staff Reporter

NEW YORK, NY – The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has released an updated brief on LGBTQ rights, placing “contemporary discussions within a millennia-old traditional framework,” it said in a press release.

The brief highlights Hindu knowledge sources, particularly medical treatises, which approach gender and sexuality with nuance, treating gender as an attribute that highly overlaps with but is distinct from sex.

According to HAF, human beings are divided into three main categories of gendered innate traits: feminine, masculine, or third-natured. The third category can be further divided into seven general categories and over 40 specific categories based on combinations of biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical capability, and sexual interests.

The updated brief reflects current understandings and aims to inspire nuanced, compassionate, and spiritually grounded perspectives, beyond contemporary political polarization and dogmatism. HAF emphasizes that this approach is rooted in timeless spiritual principles, supporting the rights of LGBTQ people.

When HAF published the first edition of its position paper in 2015, the organization pointed out, few Hindus, and even fewer Hindu organizations, openly discussed LGBTQ-related topics. “It is for that reason that HAF made the decision to take a public stand, as Hindus grounded in timeless spiritual principles, in support of the rights of LGBTQ people,” it stated.

The foundation hopes this updated guide will not only reflect the current moment but also foster broader acceptance and understanding within the Hindu community and beyond.

For more: https://www.hinduamerican.org/issues/haf-policy-brief-hindu-teachings-inclusive-of-lgbt-people/