Haitian Vodou and sexual orientation

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Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou is religiously acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities.[1] However, in West African countries with major conservative Christian and Islamic views on LGBTQ people, the attitudes towards them may be less tolerant if not openly hostile and these influences are reflected in African diaspora religions following Atlantic slave trade which includes Haitian Vodou.[2]

Haitian Vodou itself has remained open to people of all sexual orientations.[3] It is common knowledge in Haiti that a significant number of Haitian Vodou are gay.[3] Many LGBT people in Haiti believe that it is easier to be open about one's sexuality and gender expression within Vodou culture, in the face of open hostility by mainstream Haitian society.[3]

Haitian views of homosexuality

Vodou is an ancestral religion, and viewed by some Western anthropologists as an

heterosexuals are free to pursue members of the opposite sex.[4]

In Haitian Vodou,

lesbians,[5] although she is herself bisexual[citation needed] having a number of children and two husbands, Simbi
Makaya and Ti Jean Petwo, though she is said to prefer the company of women.

Opposing views in non-Haitian based Vodou

There are, however, views among other Vodou practitioners that overt identification as homosexuals has no place within the tradition. The leader of Le Peristyle Haitian Sanctuary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, asserts that there is no connection between the loa and gender complexity, and states that "...your gender identification is your business. But you cannot evoke God to satisfy your sexual desires. We have suffered this kind of abuse of African-based religions long enough. It is time for it to stop."[7]

Similarly, the website for Mami Wata West African Diaspora Vodoun, based in the southern United States, notes that elders in the Vodoun religion are generally against initiating homosexuals. The Mami Wata organization itself followed this exclusionary practice until recently, but now welcomes all practitioners.[8]

Relationship between loa and gender identity

Main article:
Loa

During Haitian Vodou ceremonies, the

mambos (priestesses), and hounsis (initiates) dance around a potomitan until one of them becomes possessed by one of the lwa. A person can be possessed by any lwa, regardless of whether they are the same gender or not.[9]
During possession, the possessed dancer will begin to behave like the lwa they are possessed by, regardless of gender.

Reverend Severina KM Singh, a

bisexual or transsexual![11]

Beliefs

Depiction of Baron Samedi, a bisexual lwa.

A large number of spirits or deities (

lwa) exist in Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo
. These lwa may be regarded as families of individuals or as a singular entity with distinct aspects, with links to particular areas of life.

Some lwa have particular links with magic, ancestor worship or death such as the

Ghede Nibo, a spirit caring for those who die young. He is sometimes depicted as an effeminate drag queen and inspires those he inhabits to lascivious sexuality of all kinds, especially transgender or lesbian behaviour in women.[13]

Gede Nibo's parents are

top-hat and frock coat along with a woman's skirt and shoes. Samedi has a tendency toward "lascivious movements" that cross gender boundaries and also imply a lust for anal sex.[14]

Other barons displaying gay behaviour are Baron Lundy and Baron Limba, who are lovers and teach a type of homoerotic nude wrestling at their school, believed to increase magical potency.[15] Baron Oua Oua, who often manifests with a childlike aspect, has been called the baron "most closely linked to homosexuality" by Vodou practitioners.[16]

Another lwa, Erzulie, is associated with love, sensuality and beauty. Erzulie can manifest aspects that are LGBT-related, including transgender or amazonian traits, in addition to traditionally feminine guises. When inhabiting men, these aspects can result in transgender or homoerotic behaviour, whereas they may result in lesbianism or anti-male sentiment in women. Erzulie Freda is seen as the protector of gay men, and Erzulie Dantor is associated with lesbians.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ahmed, Beenish (2016), Queer Haitians Find a Refuge in Vodou, Advocate
  2. PMID 23802577
  3. ^ a b c The Impact of the Earthquake, and Relief and Recovery Programs on Haitian LGBT People (PDF). Briefing paper (Report). International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and SEROvie. 2011.
  4. ISBN 0-520-22823-5
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7387-5564-9
    .
  6. IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ Quoted in Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks, Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African-Inspired Traditions in the Americas, Haworth Press, 2004, pg 98.
  8. ^ Common Misconceptions About Vodoun: Category: Gays & Lesbians Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine Mami Wata Healers Society of North America Inc.
  9. ISBN 0-8052-0894-1
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-329-02115-0
    .
  11. ^ Singh, Reverend Severina KM (2002). "Some Frequently Asked Questions About Voodoo". New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads. Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  12. ^ Conner, p. 157, "Ghede"
  13. ^ Conner, p. 157, "Ghede Nibo"
  14. ^ Conner, p. 83, "Baron Samedi"
  15. ^ Conner, p. 83, "Baron Limba" & "Baron Lundy"
  16. ^ Conner, p. 83, "Baron Oua Oua"
  17. ^ Conner, p. 135, "Erzulie"

Sources

Further reading

  • AIDS, fear, and Society: Challenging the Dreaded Disease; Kenneth J. Doka; Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1997.
  • Hoodoo Mysteries: Folk Magic, Mysticism & Rituals; Ray Malbrough; Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 2003.
  • Living in the Lap of the Goddess: the Feminist Spirituality Movement in America; Cynthia Eller; Publisher: Boston Beacon Press; 1995.
  • Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African Inspired Traditions in the Americas; Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks; Publisher: Harrington Park Press; 2004-03.
  • The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters and Drummers; Isaac Bonewits; Publisher: Citadel; 2006.
  • The Secular and the Sacred Harmonized; Eloise T. Choice; Publisher: AuthorHouse; 2005-09-08.
  • St. James Press Gay & Lesbian Almanac; Neil Schlager (Editor); Publisher: Thomson Gale; 1998.
  • Male Homosexualities and World Religions; Pierre Hurteau; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, chapter 6: Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian Religions pp. 157–1775
  • Love, Sex and Gender Embodied: The Spirits of Haitian Vodou; by Elizabeth McAlister; in Nancy Martin and Joseph Runzo, eds., Love, Gender and Sexuality in the World Religions; Publisher: Oxford Oneworld Press, 2000; pp. 128–145.
  • Postcolonial Homophobia: United States Imperialism in Haiti and the Transnational Circulation of Antigay Sexual Politics; by Erin Durban-Albrecht, chapter 2: Delivering Haiti from the Devil: U.S. Protestant Missionaries and Religious Homophobia p.p. 94-123; 2015.
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