The intense spiritual bonds between Sufi masters in South Asia and their same-sex disciples have been expressed in homoromantic and homoerotic poetry.
While it may not be appropriate to label these relationships using modern Western concepts of sexual orientation and romantic orientation, they can provide perspectives on the intersection between divine love and same-sex human love. The experience of holiness is not tied to heteronormativity.
Enjoy these designs on stickers, magnets and more!
Numerous gay/bi/pan men, both obscure and famous, passed through the artistic circles of Yuan Mei. Learn more about the pansexual, polyamorous Yuan Mei and his non-heterosexual friends on our Patreon.
17th c. Chinese folklorist Pu Songling collected close to 500 stories in “Strange Tales from Liaozhai", including at least a dozen tales with LGBTQIA+ characters
The ducks in the picture are Lesser Whistling Ducks, a species present in the India subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia. Female and male ducks are similar in plumage.
Read more LGBTQ history on our Substack
Happy Mother's Day to the trans moms!
The protagonist is a bisexual youth named Wei who lived in Hangzhou during the Song Dynasty.
Btw, Bisexuality Awareness Week starts on September 16.
International Non-Binary People's Day in July 14. Many traditional societies recognized non-binary children.
"So it was said, in a certain year, a sudden epidemic swept through Beijing. Almost every household was struck, and there was no cure for the disease. [The moon deity] Chang' E saw what was happening, and being very grieved, she sent her companion the Jade Hare to Earth to heal the people.A cartoon retelling of the legend. ("Sometimes it is a man, sometimes it is a woman")
Jade Hare transformed into a teenage girl, and went from house to house curing patients. The people, in their gratitude, offered many gifts to them, but Jade Hare wanted none of that. They only took from each household a set of clothing, changing their outfit each time they moved on to a new location. Sometimes they appeared as a man; sometimes they appeared as a woman.
To reach more people, Jade Hare rode on a horse, a deer, a lion and a tiger. They covered all of the capital and its suburbs. Jade Hare returned to the Moon Palace after the epidemic was eradicated.
From then on, people made clay idols of Jade Hare, some riding a deer, some riding a phoenix, some dressed in armor, some dressed as artisans and tradespeople. On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, each household lays offerings of fruit, vegetables and legumes on the deity's altar, to thank them for bringing blessing and happiness to the human world. The people fondly address them as Sir Hare or Dame Hare."
