In response to the passage of a bill in the Iowa legislature, now awaiting Governor Reynolds’ signature, that would eliminate civil rights protections based on gender identity, HAF has issued the following statement:
Hindu Dharma Traditions have long acknowledged the existence of individuals in society whose sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and romantic interests would, in a modern and Western context, be considered as part of the LGBTQ community. These traditions provide a basis for treating such individuals as beings worthy of dignity and respect, in addition to having the freedom to pursue wealth, love, companionship, and spiritual fulfillment.
While contemporary Hindu Americans have diverse opinions when it comes to gender and sexuality, our traditions call for compassion and rationality; we look to these, as well as evidence-based inquiry when assessing public policy.
From a civil rights perspective, rolling back equal rights protections that have been in place in Iowa for 18 years is going to have significant impacts, both anticipated and unanticipated, for the state’s LGBTQ community, at a minimum.
Removing the broad protection from discrimination based on an individual’s ‘gender identity’ has the potential to affect all Iowans. This change opens the door for employers, businesses, and property owners to discriminate and potentially turn away Iowans from jobs, shops, and real estate sales or rentals based simply on perception of a person’s gender or sex, regardless of whether they are trans.
Given the abundance of communities identifying as Third Natured whose distinct spiritual traditions, identities, and deities are firmly rooted in Hindu Dharma and reflective of their Third Nature (often referred to as “Kinnar”), such legislation may also serve to undermine the religious freedom of Hindus and practitioners of other spiritual traditions that are similarly affirming.
Although Americans, including Hindu Americans, have over the last 30 years, been increasingly accepting of LGBTQ people, disagreements over policies involving minors, education, public facilities, speech, and other aspects of society have become increasingly fraught in recent years. Any overreaches, however, do not negate the reality that Third Natured communities have been attested in Hindu civilization for centuries, and that the Third Nature is a legal and administrative reality for nearly two billion people in India and other South Asian countries. In other words, existence “beyond the gender binary” is neither a new concept, nor is it a unique product of Western LGBTQ activism.
We note that this Iowa bill is but one of many legislative and policy changes at the state and local levels impacting members of LGBTQ communities. HAF has over its 23 year existence consistently spoken in support of compassion, inclusion, and equality. We call on our leaders to be sober in their decision making and compassionate in their actions.
Read more: HAF Policy Brief, LGBTQ Rights
